Osmund stopped. He pursed his lips and stared into the jungle. He spoke softly. “I can feel it.”
“I didn’t know you had sensitivity to beast magic.”
Osmund took a deep breath. “Neither did I.”
“Why wouldn’t he?” Galine asked.
“What do you mean?” Jez asked.
“He transforms. How do you think he does that if not with beast magic?”
“But I don’t transform into an animal,” Osmund said.
“What does that have to do with it?”
“Wouldn’t I have to if I were using beast magic?”
Galine let out a bark of laughter. “Beast is a dominion, not a school of magic.”
“I know that, but what does that have to do with anything?”
Galine snorted, and he eyed Osmund’s blade. The metal had been distorted by the heat of Osmund’s working. “What is destruction magic?”
“Fire and air. Physical enhancements to make myself stronger and faster.”
“It’s more than one thing, but all the things deal with destruction.”
“Yes.”
“Beast magic deals the beast, not just with animals.”
Jez and Osmund exchanged glances before Osmund responded. “What’s the difference?”
“Aniel governs the primal forces of life, and few things in all of creation are more primal than true scions. It’s beast magic that brings them out.”
Jez and Osmund exchanged glances. Lina’s jaw dropped a little.
“Can beast magic help me control him?” Osmund asked.
Galine shook his head. “Beast magic has never been about control. Even the animals can’t be forced to work against their will. They have to be convinced.”
Osmund’s shoulders sagged. “Oh.”
“We might be able to help you find a balance. That could quell his violent tendencies permanently.”
Osmund’s gaze snapped to Galine. He stared at him for several seconds. It might’ve been Jez’s imagination, but Jez thought there were tears in his eyes. “Really?”
Galine shrugged. “Ziary may be physically much stronger than the animals we transform into, but his mind is not so different. The animal wants food and water. Ziary wants to destroy evil. They’re the same thing, from a certain point of view.”
Jez blinked at him. “What point of view is that?”
Galine laughed. “Come stay with us when this is all done. Two months of training with our methods, and I think you’ll surprise yourself with what you can achieve.”
Osmund nodded, and his smile faded a little. “Maybe I will, when this is all done.”
He slashed through a heavy bush and pushed through it. On the other side, they came to a dip in the land. Beneath them was a shallow slope that ended in a lake of water so still that it looked to be made of glass. A peculiar peace fell over Jez. Even the sense of predator and prey he’d been feeling since he arrived in the valley quieted. A gentle breeze blew, though it didn’t stir the water. The lake wasn’t at all like the waters off the shores of Randak, but Jez couldn’t help but be reminded of home.
“What’s that in the middle of the lake?” Lina asked.
He blinked. That didn’t make sense. This lake was pure. He didn’t know how he knew, but he was sure there shouldn’t be anything in it. As he looked out over the water, however, he realized she was right. There was something on the water’s surface, though it was too far to tell what it was. Jez reached into the water with his power, but pulled back as soon as he touched it. It seemed almost sacrilege to use his magic on the water directly. He turned to Osmund, and the other boy nodded. Osmund raised his hand, and the trees rustled as wind blew through them.
The thing in the water began moving toward them. The water didn’t even ripple as it moved, and it took Jez a few minutes to realize that it wasn’t on the surface, at least not entirely. It was floating in the lake, though it disturbed the water no more than the wind did. Brown feathers were spread on the water.
“It looks like some kind of bird, but I’ve never seen one that big.” Jez looked to Galine. “Have you?”
“A few, but not of that color. Bring it closer. Nothing dead should be in that lake, though. The waters should have absorbed it.”
“Jez cocked his head. It’s acid?”
“It’s the essence of life.”
As the body drew closer, they made out a vaguely human form wearing brilliant green robes that almost seemed to shimmer with their own inner light. Brown fur covered its body, and a curved sword with a white blade hung at its waist. It was face down, though they could just make out a muzzle beneath the surface of the water. Jez could only stare. A rumble escaped Galine’s throat. The body washed onto the shore, and they ran to it. Galine reached down and grabbed its shoulder to flip it on its back.
If this being could stand, it would’ve stood well over six feet. Its face was like that of a bear, but it seemed leaner. Its hands ended in meaty paws with four wicked looking claws at the end. It didn’t wear shoes but had the massive paws of a grizzly bear. Jez told himself it couldn’t be what he thought, but Galine’s voice dispelled his hope.
“That is the body of a Beastwalker.”
CHAPTER 28
For a long time, they stared at Galine, unwilling to ask the question that was on all of their minds. The body held Galine’s unwavering attention. Jez finally broke the silence.
“How can that be? Pharim can’t be killed, at least not in this world.”
“I don’t know, but I recognize him. That is Talos I’ve spoken with him often.”
“Should we...” Osmund looked away from the body and turned to Galine. “Should we bury him?”
Galine stared at the body for several long moments. Finally, he shook his head. “He always wore the aspect of a bear, and bears do not bury their dead. I would not have him left like that on the shore, though. Push him back into the water. Let the lake have him. Even the birds won’t disturb him there.”
Jez glanced at the weapon. “What about his sword? That could come in handy.”
“Have you ever wielded a pharim’s weapon?” Galine asked.
Jez sputtered for a second, not quite willing to reveal his secret to the beast man. Osmund stepped forward. “I’ve held Ziary’s.”
“Then perhaps you understand why that isn’t possible. The blade of a pharim is linked to their power, and only they can use it. Perhaps if you were a Beastwalker, you could wield his claw blade and not be destroyed. I doubt even another pharim could do the same.”
“But he’s dead,” Osmund said.
“Do you really want to try to use a sword linked to a dead pharim of life?”
“Well...”
Galine shook his head. “I doubt you could touch it without being driven insane. No, push him back into the water, blade and all.”
Osmund nodded. Instead of calling the wind, he picked up Talos, and being careful to avoid touching the blade, he placed the pharim gently into the water. The body began to float toward the center of the lake as if carried by a current they couldn’t see. After a few minutes, it had become the indistinct figure they’d seen when they’d first arrived.
They all just stared at the body for a long time. At some point, Jez’s mind went from disbelief to trying to figure out how such a thing could be done. The power of a pharim wasn’t in the mortal realm. If their physical form was destroyed, their consciousness would retreat back to where their power resided, the Keep of the Hosts. Like demons, pharim couldn’t be killed.
But Jez had killed a demon.
The year before, when the demon lord Marrowit had been summoned into the mortal world, he’d been fought off by the pyromages of the Academy, and his physical form had been destroyed. He’d retreated into the dream world to recover, and Jez had followed him, battling and defeating the demon in his own center of power. Marrowit, having nowhere else to flee, had been destroyed. Jez sighed.
“What is it?” Osmund asked.
“I was just wondering if the Keep of the Hosts has been invaded.”
All three of his companions stared at him with wide eyes. Osmund had gone pale and Lina was shaking her head. Galine finally spoke.
“You think he was killed there and brought here?”
Jez bit his lower lip and thought for a second before shaking his head. “No, it doesn’t make sense. If that had happened, we would’ve been told.”
“Told?” Galine asked. “By who?”
“We would’ve been told,” Jez said again. “I think Talos came into this world fully. They can do that if they need to.”
“Why would he do that?”
“Maybe to access his full power,” Osmund said. “Maybe he was fighting something that needed it.”
Jez nodded. Lina looked like she was going to be sick, but Galine shook his head.
“If it were something like that, we would’ve known.”
Jez nodded, and his worry lessened slightly. Galine was right. An erupting volcano could’ve more easily been hidden than a pharim fighting at his full power.
“What if he didn’t come here fully?” Lina asked.
“He has to have,” Jez said. “Unless the Keep of the Hosts has fallen, he couldn’t have been killed otherwise.”
“I know that. I mean what if he was forced? Could he have been summoned fully?”
Jez shook his head. “Not against his will.” He paused. “Not unless the summoner had a great deal of power.”
“Power like is contained in that lake?”
Jez thought about that for a second. He closed his eyes and reached for the water, but his senses came up against a wall, vaster than a mountain and just as impenetrable. He opened his eyes and looked to his companions. Osmund started to speak, but Jez ignored him and stepped off the shore. His legs sank into the water without making so much as a ripple.
Galine cried out, but his words seemed far away and indistinct. The noises of the jungle faded into the background, and even the sun shining overhead seemed to dim as the lake began to speak to him.
Galine had been right when he’d described this as the essence of life, but that only began to scratch the surface of what the water was. The lake was a source of life, but not in the way the lion man thought. The lake understood the predator and the prey. It knew the excitement of the chase and of the flight, for even the elk felt exhilaration when it escaped the wolf.
“You gave me the dreams,” Jez said, unsure if he was speaking with his mind or with his mouth. “You wanted me to come here.”
Jez saw himself along with Osmund and Lina, walking through the foothills of the Kelag mountains. Then, Ziary soared up to find a way to the river, and Jez used his power to bring them into the valley.
“I’ll take that as a yes,” he said.
Joy welled up inside of him, and in his mind, he saw images of the sea, and of all the creatures within. Then, there was a wide river stretching across the land, carrying life wherever it went, and then there were the smaller rivers that fed the larger one, and then there was this lake with Jez standing in it and his friends shouting from the shore.
“What can I do to help?”
A wolf wandered into a jungle. There were too many sights, too many smells. Jez clutched his head. When he opened his eyes, the jungle was gone, and men shot arrows at the wolf. Pain lanced through its shoulder, and it howled before the vision vanished
“I don’t understand.”
A shark larger than any Jez had ever seen cut through the water. There was nothing such a creature feared. There was a shadow in the water ahead of it, and it rushed in that direction.
Suddenly, Jez was yanked out of the water. He blinked and vision returned to him in a rush. Osmund deposited him on the shore and started shaking him.
“I’m all right.” Jez tried to stand, but Osmund kept on shaking. “Why did you do that?”
“You weren’t responding, and that,” Osmund pointed out to the water, “was about to eat you.”
Jez followed where he was pointing, and his jaw dropped. The shark which he had assumed was just a part of his vision was rushing toward the shore. Unlike everything else that had entered the lake, the animal churned the water with its passage.
“But sharks are salt water animals.” Osmund blinked at him, and Jez realized how foolish he sounded to bring that up now. “Sorry,” Jez said. “The lake flooded my mind with visions. I’m still a little out of it.”
The shark reached the shore and jumped. Jez gaped, and Galine growled. The thing was huge, at least a dozen feet long. It went up five feet. Water droplets glittered in the sun, looking like miniature stars. At the peak of the shark’s jump, it changed.
Its gray scales gave way to deep brown fur. Its tail split, forming a pair of thick legs that ended in cloven hooves, and the creature landed lightly on the ground. It had the torso of a man, though one that was covered in fur, and its hands gave way to long sharp claws. A pair of curved horns sat atop a head like that of a great cat and three sets of wings, brown like those of an eagle, rose from its back. It stood nine feet tall and at its waist hung a curved sword that looked like a claw. Its blade was bigger than Jez was tall. The creature looked down at him with slitted eyes like those of a snake.
Instantly, Galine was by Jez’s side and looked up at the newcomer. He inclined his head slightly in a gesture of respect, and relief washed over Jez. Lina, having realized who this was, started to bow, but Osmund caught her. She looked at him, and he shook his head. He’d made that mistake once before. One did not bow before a high lord of the pharim.
“My lord Aniel,” Galine said. “I am glad to see you again.”
CHAPTER 29
“Aniel, what happened?” Jez asked. “Where have you been?”
The pharim lord cocked his head at Jez, but didn’t answer. His eyes flickered to Osmund, then to Lina, and finally to Galine. Jez glanced at Galine who looked confused.
“My lord?”
Aniel’s eyes widened, but he didn’t say anything. He ran his finger down the side of Galine’s face. His claw left a shallow cut, but the beast man seemed not to notice. Aniel examined the blood on his claw. Jez stepped forward and touched Aniel’s other hand.
It was like touching a bolt of lightning.
A crystal sword appeared at Jez’s side and his clothes changed to shimmering blue robes. Luntayary’s power burned just beneath the surface, and it was all Jez could do to avoid being overwhelmed by it.
“Aniel,” he said again, and the snake-like eyes focused on Jez. “Why did you call to me? Do you need help?”
Aniel threw back his head and let out a sound that was halfway between a howl and a roar. The uproar that followed was deafening. It was like all the animals in the jungle cried out in response. Aniel leapt over Jez, transforming into a stag in mead jump. He landed and immediately dashed into the trees. Galine bounded after him leaving Jez, Osmund, and Lina stunned. They stared at each other for a few seconds before following as quickly as they could, which, given the thickness of the jungle, was little faster than a brisk walk. Aniel left even less of a trace than Galine did, and it didn’t take them long to lose the trail. After a few minutes of fumbling through the underbrush, a roar sounded over the noise of the jungle, and all the other animals went silent. Jez forced his way through the trees, and with every step, the smell of sulfur increased. He held out his hand and called his crystal sword.
“Osmund, be ready to change.”
“Jez, you know I can’t control Ziary.”
“I also know he always attacks demons first. Lina be ready to—”
“Help,” she said firmly. “I’m not going to hide and let you leave me behind.”
Jez smiled. “I was going to say be ready to blur my form like you did in Rumar.”
“Oh,” she said. “Sorry, I thought...”
“You’re one of us, Lina. I’m not going to send you away just because you’re not the best in a straight fight. You’ve already more than p
roven yourself.”
She blushed. “Thank you.”
“There will be demons, though. Be ready.”
Lina nodded, and Jez could sense the power welling inside of her. Another roar tore through the trees, this one much closer. His crystal sword sliced through the undergrowth as if it was made of paper, and after a few minutes, they came into an area of scorched earth at least a hundred yards wide. A circle of glowing yellow runes shone at one edge, with a small stream flowing through its center. Aniel was walking around its perimeter and gave the occupant a hungry look. Galine paced by his side, his face twisted in barely controlled rage. Inside the circle stood a boy with raven black hair and pale eyes. As soon as he saw Jez, he lowered his arms.
“Jezreel.” His voice had a dry, raspy quality it hadn’t possessed before. “I wondered if you would come here.” His eyes focused on Aniel. “And I see you’ve brought me a gift, a high lord of the pharim no less. You have my thanks. You have no idea how hard it is to capture one of those.”
Jez didn’t bother to reply. He raised his sword and charge at Sharim, the demon made flesh.
CHAPTER 30
Jez had only gone a few steps before Ziary surged passed him, moving in a blur of flame. The scion reached the circle before Jez had covered half the distance. His flaming sword streaked toward Sharim. Sharim didn’t even flinch as the sword crash against a wall of green energy. Ziary bellowed again and again, but Sharim’s defenses held. Jez stopped before he reached it, and Sharim looked at him and grinned.
“Dusan used that working against us too,” Jez said.
“Who do you think taught it to him?”
Jez’s fingers began weaving a complex pattern, and he returned Sharim’s grin. “I didn’t know what I was doing then, but I’ve learned.”
Energy shot from Jez’s hands. The barrier in front of Sharim shattered just as Ziary’s blade was descending again. The demon cried out and fell back, but the flaming sword sliced into his cheek, cauterizing the wound as it cut. Lina snorted.
“Let’s see how he likes it.”
Again, Ziary struck, but Sharim raised his hand, and a flaming blade of his own appeared. Gouts of fire shot out of the blades as they impacted with one another. Bat-like wings emerged from Sharim’s back and swept Ziary’s legs out from under him, but Ziary’s own wings caught him and prevented him from falling. The distraction allowed Sharim to get to his feet, keeping his blade between him and his foe. Ziary rushed forward, his sword moving at a blur. Aniel stepped in beside him while Galine tried to move around the battle to attack him from behind. Jez rushed forward with sword raised.
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