"I will wait for you outside the city. You can come to me when you're done," Chihon said.
"I'll find you no matter where you are." Lorit took her hands and looked Chihon in the eyes. "Get out of here quick, before the priest comes back."
"I know you'll find me." She squeezed his hands, and he could feel her strength. He shook her hands and then released them. He stepped back and prepared to depart.
"Be careful," Chihon said. "I don't want to lose you when I have just found you again."
"I'll be careful," Lorit said. He gathered the remaining strength into himself and reached out for the small silver star that Rotiaqua had provided, and then he spoke the words that would transport him to Javier Chase and the old wizard.
Chapter 14
Tass sat quietly, waiting for Sulrad to enter her study. It was rare that he came to see her; he usually summoned her to him and kept her standing there until he got around to acknowledging her. She thought his firm insistence that his guests stood while in his study was inappropriate for a priestess of her standing, but she'd long since given up on trying to change his mind on the subject.
He entered shortly, his gaunt frame looking even more worn and ragged than usual. He plopped himself unceremoniously into the chair and let out a heavy sigh. His eyes wandered around the room until finally settling on her.
"I take it from your demeanor that you were not successful," Tass said. While the High Priest didn't have any real friends, Tass was a close substitute. She had earned the right to speak frankly with Sulrad in a manner no one else ever would—well, no one who wished to continue living.
"Not entirely, no." He shifted uncomfortably in the chair. His utterance was as close as he would come to an admission of failure.
"I see," she said simply. He would eventually tell her what was on his mind if she refrained from speaking.
"The storm was rather more far-reaching than I had planned. I fear temple revenues may be down around the Freshen Sea this season. A few unintended ships were caught up in the storm."
He sat up straight and looked her in the eye. "The lad is strong, strong enough to withstand a storm at sea like that.
"I'm not entirely certain where he's getting the power to defeat my efforts. If I didn't know better, I'd think it was the wizard Zhimosom. But he's safely away from this conflict. It doesn't feel like the sorceress either."
"And?" Tass worried about Sulrad. He seemed to have a blind spot where the sorceress and wizard were concerned.
"I've planted a few agents along the false trail I set for him. Lorit still thinks he is going to find the prince. In fact, he's walking into a trap. Several of them, actually. I think I'm going to enjoy this."
He stood up quickly and turned for the door. Tass wanted to warn him that he still seemed gaunt and exhausted, but she refrained from commenting. He had that look about him. He had a plan and he was going to carry it out if it took all of his strength.
"I'm going to study and prepare." He turned and strode out of her office without another word.
Shortly after Sulrad departed, there was a rap at her door.
"Come," Tass said without looking up. She had that uneasy feeling she got around danger, even before the traitor walked in. He eased himself into a chair and smiled. He was always too familiar in his speech and his mannerisms for her taste. She looked forward to the day when his usefulness was over, so she could show him exactly what she thought of him. "What brings you back here?" Tass asked without looking up from her papers. When there was no reply, she lifted her head. "I asked you a question," she repeated.
"I am aware of that. I was simply waiting for the common courtesy of your full attention. I'm not one of your under priests. I'm a full member of the Wizard's Council, after all. A little respect, if you don't mind."
"You're a traitor. Why should I respect that?"
"Because I'm going to rid you of the wizard Zhimosom."
"Your orders are to detain him while we deal with this upstart Lorit. That is all. Detain him. Nothing more. Or do you have bigger plans than leading the Wizard's Council?"
"My orders?"
"Your orders. Do you think we're simply asking favors of you? Remember, you came to us for help in securing your place at the head of the council."
Tass was losing patience with his impertinence. She stood up to dismiss him, but he remained seated.
"I understand that a young prince is missing," the traitor said. "Royal blood with magic in his veins. That's quite a prize."
Tass sat back down. Where had he gotten that information from? She wondered if he had an informant in the temple.
"How do you think we plan to facilitate the final binding on Zhimosom?" Tass asked. "He's more powerful than you will ever be. If it were not for us providing you with power, you would never have been able to hold him, even temporarily. You certainly wouldn't be able to imprison him permanently.
"You will follow your orders and stay with the plan we have agreed. Is that understood?"
The traitor sat there silently, as if in thought. He looked down at his fingernails, examining them for the answer. Finally, he looked back at her.
"I have the wizard bound just as we agreed. Soon, I will deliver him to you for your more permanent disposition."
"And then?" Tass prompted.
"Then I will rid both of us of the upstart Lorit."
"Thank you for your cooperation." Tass stood up. "If you will excuse me, I have an appointment that I must keep."
Tass entered the training room where the priest Garsh worked to turn the prince. He stood above the boy he had labored over for days without success. She leaned over him and looked into his bloodshot eyes. She waited for them to focus.
"Tass. What are you doing here? Why am I here?" He struggled to get free, but the bonds were tight and all he did was manage to chafe his already raw wrists.
"You are here to learn, Your Grace." Tass rested her hand on Prince Ghall's forehead. "To learn about pain."
She raised a spell similar to the one the priest had been using on the boy. His body convulsed as he tensed against the pain that wracked through him.
He let out a scream that pierced her ears. She placed her hand over his mouth to silence him. "Here, here. None of that. It won't help, anyway. The only way to make the pain go away is to give in to it, release your will, and let Ran take over."
She recalled her own training. The first test was the ability to withstand the pain. Most young wizards failed in that, giving up their power rather than pushing through the pain.
"Why are you doing this?" the prince gasped.
"To make you stronger...or kill you. The choice is yours. You're strong enough to push through the pain if you want to. Let it soak into you. Let it become a part of you. Let it in and yield to it. That's what we all did. Once you do this, you will be one of us."
"Will the pain stop then?"
"No—no, it won't." She stroked his forehead, cooing like a mother over her infant. "The pain never goes away; it just gets a little more tolerable with time." With that, she invoked the spell that drove him into spasms once more.
"He's coming along just fine," she told the priest. "Garsh, you're doing an acceptable job here." She smiled inwardly. She'd remembered his name, so she wouldn't have to think of him as the short, balding priest.
She stood by as he passed his staff above the prince. Again and again, waves of pain wracked the boy's body, and his screams split the air. She leaned in to whisper lovingly in his ear, "Just give in to the pain and release your spirit. It will all fade after that. In the end, we will have your magic—either with you, after you join us, or without you, after your death. I'd prefer that you join us."
The torture continued well into the night with Tass and Garsh taking turns. Prince Ghall fought against it for a long time, but by the middle of the night, he started to yield. Tass could feel it. He was weakening, letting the pain transport his consciousness to the next level.
"I think Ra
n is about to take him," she commented, looking into the prince's bloodshot eyes and noticing their glaze. She nodded encouragement to Garsh, who continued his ministrations.
The prince convulsed once more and cried out, not in pain this time, but in victory. It was a deep-throated yell, primal and animal, but unmistakable. He relaxed, no longer straining at the bonds as the priest passed the staff over him. It looked as if pain no longer emanated from the staff, but Tass knew better. The pain was probably worse than before, but having yielded, it no longer mattered to him. He embraced it. It was a part of him, who he was now.
"He's ready. Go fetch the sacrifice." Tass bent down once more to whisper in Prince Ghall's ear. "Are you ready?"
He moaned and opened his eyes. The old glint was gone, replaced by a hard-steeled look. He nodded ever so slightly.
Garsh came in bearing a cage that contained a mini dragon. The creature was listless and tired-looking. They had kept it caged ever since they had captured the prince, waiting for this moment.
The priest reached into the cage and carefully pulled the animal out. It barely struggled as he trussed it up and laid it on the table next to Prince Ghall. He took out his sacrificial knife and stood over the mini dragon.
"Ready?" he asked as he laid the knife against the animal's exposed neck.
"Ready," Tass said.
She leaned in once more. "I will help you channel the power into yourself as he dies. You will find this enlightening."
She nodded to the priest who deftly made the cut, loosening the precious blood of the mini dragon and releasing its magic.
Tass whispered the words of the spell in the young prince's ear. "Pull it into you," Tass said. "Take this magic and make it a part of yourself." She could feel him grow stronger as he absorbed the magic.
The prince inhaled sharply and let out a yell of pure joy.
Chapter 18
Lorit materialized in the forest outside of the wizard's abode. It was in a small clearing in the woods. The house was formed of logs and roofed with thatch that was aged and spotted with moss and lichen.
Lorit could feel the spell that held Zhimosom. He knew he was in the right place. He probed around, looking for another wizard, but there was none. The wizard who had set the trap must have departed, leaving Zhimosom alone. Lorit breathed a sigh of relief and crept to the window. The ground was soft and spongy beneath his feet as he lifted himself up to see inside.
He almost had it when he heard a noise behind him. It started as a deep grumble and then escalated to a growl. Lorit turned to see a pair of wolves walk out of the woods to face him. They were large and menacing. Their eyes shone with the reflected light of the moon. One of them paced back and forth while the other slowly advanced on him.
The lead wolf was larger than the other. It was dark gray and smelled like a bog; bits of green hung from its rich thick coat. It growled louder this time, taking one cautious step after another, slowly advancing until it stopped, crouched down, and snarled.
Lorit was not fooled. The animal had not stopped its advance because of fear, nor did it decide Lorit wouldn't make a good meal. It stopped advancing because it was within striking distance. Lorit could see it rock back slightly on its rear legs in preparation for the leap that would land it right on top of him.
Lorit tried to gather his power, but he was weak and tired from the traveling spell that had brought him to this place. He reached for his dagger and grasped it in his hand. He shifted his weight onto his foot and planted his staff, getting ready to dodge the inevitable lunge.
He stared the wolf in the eye. "I'm ready if you are. Come and get me." He tried to project fear into the wolf, but it had no effect.
He watched out of the corner of his eye as the other wolf set itself up for the secondary attack. It was prepared to leap for him if for some reason the leader missed his chance. Lorit watched carefully, planning his moves, waiting patiently just as the wolf did.
He saw it come. Almost imperceptibly, the wolf scrunched up his haunches. It leaped at Lorit like lightning, but Lorit was ready. He pushed off with his staff, twisting to one side just before the wolf struck. He thrust his dagger at the snarling wolf as it hit the wall where Lorit had been. The weight of the wolf drove the dagger deep into its chest, twisting Lorit's arm as it impacted the wall.
Lorit wrenched the dagger free and stabbed at the wolf's throat, rolling away before it had a chance to slice him with its claws. Its growling turned to a whining whimper as the wolf expired.
Even before Lorit had a chance to breathe, the second wolf jumped into action. He barely had time to get his staff up and fend off the teeth and saliva that brushed his arm before he turned the momentum of the wolf into a twisting fall. He swung his staff and caught it on the head full force.
Startled, the wolf backed away, preparing for a second attack. It crouched down and shook its head as if that could erase the impact of Lorit's staff.
Lorit took the time to crawl backward and reach behind him for his dagger. He could feel the life had run out of the lead wolf. He patted the blood matted fur until he grasped the handle of the dagger. He pulled it free of the wolf's throat just as the second wolf launched itself at him.
Lorit's arm came around in time to get the dagger in between himself and the wolf, but not fast enough to avoid the impact altogether. Like the first wolf, this one started to whimper and howl as the blade slid home. It collapsed on top of Lorit, trapping him between the two bodies.
Lorit struggled to free himself from beneath the wolf. He retrieved his dagger and cleaned it on the fur of the lead wolf. He looked down on his kill and wished he had the time and energy to gut and pelt them. The fur would make great winter clothes, but he had a wizard to free.
Lorit left the wolves behind and crept around the house, searching for the front door. He crept silently around the bushes to find a well-worn path that led out of the woods right up to the front door. He headed for it, dagger in one hand and staff in the other.
When nothing further threatened attack from the woods, he relaxed a bit. He heard hooting overhead and looked up to see an owl sitting in the tree. Its large eyes tracked him, its head swiveling to follow his path.
As he approached the house, the owl screeched. Lorit turned to see what had upset it. It spread its wings and screeched again, its eyes never leaving Lorit.
From behind him, Lorit heard a hissing sound. He froze in place, not moving a muscle. He knew that sound and it meant that at the slightest provocation he would be struck by the snake. He turned his staff to catch the light of the moon in the jewel. Slowly, he moved the head of the staff between himself and the snake, turning his body to get a look at it.
A large cobra lay curled up on the front step. Its thick body was easily as large around as Lorit's arm. Its head swayed from side to side as it watched him. Lorit looked the snake in the eye. He knew that as long as he held its attention, it would not strike, but if he looked away, he would not be fast enough to avoid it.
Out of the corner of his eye, Lorit saw the jewel glowing in his staff and knew it was almost ready. Just a little more, but would it be enough?
Lorit released the light he'd been holding in the jewel. A beam of bright gold light shot out, striking the snake in the eyes. Lorit knew it was blind, but it could still hear and sense his body heat. He stepped to one side and watched as the snake followed his movements, wondering how he was going to get past it.
The owl screeched overhead and launched itself from the branch. It swooped between Lorit and the snake, its wings touching his face as it passed. It struck the snake with a resounding thud as the sharp talons dug into the snake's thick body. The snake curled around but was unable to break the owl's grasp as it flew off into the night.
Lorit shook the tension out of his arms and legs as he watched the owl disappear into the night. He carefully opened the front door. It was pitch dark inside and he couldn't see anything as he stepped across the threshold.
Lorit felt a
tingling of magic rise up from the floor twisting around his leg as he placed his foot inside. He quickly repeated the words of the spell he and Chihon had used, hoping that he could complete the utterance before the trap impeded his voice. The spell was effective in slowing down the progress of the trap, but it did not reverse it. He pulled his leg, but it was stuck fast.
He held out his hand and said, "Incendo ignio." A small flame appeared in it, illuminating the room. There was a candle on the table near the door and another one in a sconce. He threw the flames toward both of them.
Lorit tried to find a way to free his leg. He repeated the spell that they had used so successfully, but it had no effect.
He reached out to Chihon. "I'm stuck."
"Is it as bad as the library?" Lorit could feel the alarm in her voice.
"No...Well, maybe...I was able to get the counter spell out before it completely ensnared me. Only my leg is caught." He tugged at it again, as if explaining his situation would somehow change it.
He waited to see if she had any ideas. When she did not respond, he continued. "I hate these hexagram spells. They just lay there until some fool like me steps on them and then, snap, you're caught. I can't believe I succumbed to a hexagram spell twice in the same day."
He sensed Chihon's laughter even without her words. "What's so funny?" Lorit was frustrated and getting angry. More at himself than her, but he wasn't in any mood for humor.
"Your hands are free?"
"Yes, my hands are free," he snapped.
"You have your staff with you?" Lorit could feel her smirking through their shared link.
"Yes, I have my staff with me," he spat back at her. What was she thinking? He hefted his staff to emphasize the point when it dawned on him. He looked down.
The diagram on the floor was outlined in silver. Crimson light intertwined with the silver. The light chased around the diagram, throwing off tiny sparks as it shot from vertex to vertex. The light reached up off the floor almost to his knee, wrapping him in a deep violet glow.
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