The Sorcerer's Return (The Sorcerer's Path)

by Brock Deskins

  Raijaun looked at the dagger suspiciously. Deciding his brother was not going to elaborate, he led the way down the gloomy hall. The passage sloped downward and made a sharp turn to the left. The brothers practically ran into the hulking tar'raun'atu upon turning the corner. Although about the same height as Raijaun, the brutes sported a much greater mass.

  “You stop,” one of the demons commanded. “None may enter except Drak’kar.”

  Daebian continued walking toward the guards. “It is all right, we are depositing something within, not taking anything out.”

  “None may pass but Drak’kar,” the demon repeated.

  “I am certain Drak’kar did not mean to keep out those who wished to give him gifts,” Daebian said as he stepped closer and presented the dagger across his palm.

  The tar'raun'atu leaned down to take a closer look. With lightning-fast reflexes, Daebian spun the blade around and thrust it under the tar'raun'atu’s chin. Klaraxis put all his meager will into pulling the demon’s life force into the soul stone. Had he possessed more than a shadow of himself, the task would have been easy. But given his partial existence and the relative weakness of the soul stone, it was like trying to run through waist-deep mud. Sensing Klaraxis’ struggle with the impaled demon, Daebian leapt and wrapped his arms and legs around the flailing demon’s head and neck, holding tight as it thrashed about in fear and pain.

  Raijaun shaped the Source and touched the wall. Half a dozen black spears erupted from the stone, but the tar'raun'atu was extremely tough and only two managed to pierce its thick hide. The demon roared in pain and outrage. Its thrashing body snapped the spears from the wall and it charged Raijaun. Thinking quickly, Raijaun raised a wall of stone from the floor directly in the tar'raun'atu’s path. The demon crashed into it hard enough to rebound. Before it could recover its senses, Raijaun brought a massive pillar of stone down from the ceiling and crushed it into a bloody pulp.

  Seeing his brother struggling with the other guard, Raijaun summoned a pair of massive hands to pin it to the floor. The stone hands trembled and cracked as they fought to control the hulking brute. The beast managed to tear one arm from the floor with its wild thrashing, but it began weakening as Klaraxis and Daebian drained the creature’s soul from its body.

  The tar'raun'atu finally ceased its struggles and Daebian stood. “Well, that was a bit more work than I expected,” he panted. “See, I told you I could kill a demon.”

  Raijaun pressed a hand against the ebony wall of the citadel and felt the writhing energy trapped within. “I think we have been discovered. Grab your sword and let us be away.”

  The brothers stepped into the room and looked on in amazement. Affixed to the walls and resting upon stone plinths were a myriad of artifacts. Some were easily recognizable, in form at least, while others were completely alien.

  “It is like Father’s vault only—much more,” Daebian said in awe. “We should take as much back as we can.”

  “There is no time! Besides, we do not know what any of these things do. Find your sword and let us be on our way.”

  Daebian scanned the walls for a moment simply for show as Klaraxis directed him to the sword. “There. Give me a boost. Klaraxis must be a tall brute to put it so high.”

  Raijaun extended his hand and reached out to the sword with the Source. The blade flew from the wall and slapped into his waiting palm. Daebian’s eyes flared in jealous anger at the sight of his brother holding his sword.

  “Give it to me,” he said in low voice.

  Raijaun narrowed his eyes at his brother with suspicion and annoyance as he handed him the sword. Daebian snatched the blade and threaded the sheath onto his belt next to his dagger.

  “We need to go—now,” Raijaun insisted.

  “No argument here,” Daebian replied as he hastened for the doorway.

  The pair broke into a jog, their footfalls echoing off the black stone all around them. Raijaun was not certain they had been discovered, only that there was a disturbance in the fortress’ stones. That doubt lasted until they came upon a mass of demons blocking the end of the long passage leading out of the lower vault chamber.

  “Did you truly think you could simply walk into my home and steal my property?” Drak’kar asked. His amusement in no way hid the lethal intent in his voice. “Kill them.”

  The mob of demons charged the intruders, practically frothing at the mouth in their desire to rend their bodies to shreds. Raijaun filled the corridor with fire, incinerating the charging demons and leaving their charred corpses twisted into malformed blackened husks.

  When the flames cleared, Drak’kar stood alone at the end of the hall completely unscathed. “I was hoping you were worthy of my personal attention.”

  Raijaun conjured stone spikes from the walls, floor, and ceiling in hopes of impaling the demon as he did the guards. Drak’kar extended his arms and stopped the spears from touching his flesh.

  “Fool, this citadel belongs to me.”

  We cannot fight him! Klaraxis insisted. Take the soul stone from your dagger and affix it to the pommel of the soul blade.

  Daebian wrenched the black jewel from the hilt of his dagger and held it near the base of the black sword. Klaraxis focused his meager power through Daebian to twist the metal of the hilt around the stone. The demon let out a satisfied groan as he felt the power of the soul blade merge with his shadowy consciousness.

  Open your mind to me and I will show you how to use the shadow ways to escape.

  Daebian cracked open the door to his consciousness and slowly allowed Klaraxis in, wary of the demon’s treachery. Thoughts filled his mind as Klaraxis showed him how to wield his abyssal power and command the shadows to do his bidding.

  “Daebian, I hope you are right about that sword being capable of killing a god,” Raijaun said as Drak’kar approached, “because we may need it to kill a demon lord.”

  Drak’kar will never let you near enough to him to use the blade against him. If you try to fight him within his hall, he will kill you both. Use what I have shown you to flee.

  “Sorry, Brother, but I am afraid this is where we must part ways. I am sure you will be fine. After all, you are the powerful son and I the useless one.”

  Daebian stepped into the murky black shadow sheathing the base of the high wall and vanished. Inside the shadow was nothing but darkness all around. There was no sight, sound, or smell within its confines. Daebian was blind and fought to suppress the fear trying to force its way into his heart.

  “What is this?”

  It is the shadow ways. It is the place between places. By using the shadow ways, you can step into a shadow and emerge from another, but you must be intimately familiar with them or risk losing yourself between worlds forever. Only my perfect knowledge of my realm allows me to traverse the shadow ways without seeing the point of egress.

  “How am I able to do this?”

  You are my son. You are the Prince of Shadows. This is but a taste of the power you can wield once you free my soul from your father’s prison.

  Following Klaraxis’ guidance, Daebian stepped out of the shadow ways into the wan light of the abyss. He looked behind him and saw the citadel towering over him.

  “I can certainly get used to this,” Daebian said and jogged toward the teleport site.

  Drak’kar stalked toward Raijaun who stood mystified and furious by his brother’s abandonment. “It appears the battle shall be just between us. A shame. It would have been far more entertaining had he stayed.”

  Drak’kar lurched forward and Raijaun struck once again, twisting the Source and abyssal magic together into a powerful black and silver ray. The beam struck Drak’kar in the chest as he leapt, arms outstretched to grapple and crush his foe. The force of the ray hurled him back down the hall and crushed him against the black wall.

  The demon lord waved his long, black tongue through the air. “I can taste Klaraxis and his human parasite in your magic, boy. Your father wielded such twisted ma
gic and failed to defeat me and so shall you. I shall enjoy exacting the vengeance your fathers denied me upon you.”

  Raijaun lashed out with his magic once more, but Drak’kar summoned his own power and slapped it aside. The demon struck Raijaun at a full sprint and sent him careening down the passage. Raijaun rolled into an ignoble heap as pain radiated through his body. Drak’kar was on him before he could recover. The demon lord grabbed Raijaun with two of his strong hands and began bashing him against the wall.

  Raijaun’s teeth rattled in his skull as Drak’kar repeatedly brutalized him. Something finally yielded and he was relieved to realize it was the wall and not his body. Raijaun crashed through the stone and found himself in an empty space between walls. He struggled to his feet and launched another spell at Drak’kar through the gaping hole in the wall. Drak’kar deflected it with a conjured ward.

  “I know your tricks, boy. You cannot surprise me with it.”

  You stand within the house of your father. Claim your inheritance.

  Raijaun heard the soft voice inside his head and immediately understood its intent if not its source. He had felt the power of the souls trapped within the black stones when he touched them. It was vile and evil, but they belonged to him and he would not die here. He had far more important things to deal with, starting with his brother.

  Raijaun sank his claws into the stone, took a deep breath, and glared as rage filled his body. “You know my father’s magic? Then let me show you something from my mother.”

  Raijaun tapped into the stored power of the citadel. Dark energy poured into his body and he merged it with his Guardian and sorcerous magic to create a spell of colossal power. Drak’kar gazed uncomprehendingly at the strange triad of magic the child demon wrought. He suffered only a moment of confusion before the world exploded in a supernova of light and sound.

  Sharellan stepped from the black cloud of dust and smiled as Raijaun furiously sped through the massive hole in the fortress. “So much like his father.”

  Daebian paced the reddish landscape in search of the portal that would take him home. He gripped the chit his brother had given him in his hand as he searched, but if it knew the way, it was being obstinately silent.

  “Where did he hide that damnable portal? I really should have paid more attention.”

  Daebian felt the ground tremble beneath his feet a moment before a concussive force reverberated through him. He turned just as the sound from a massive explosion reached his ears. A huge cloud of dust now obscured the entire citadel from view.

  “Wahoo! Give ‘em hell, little brother!” Daebian crowed and danced a jig. “Uh-oh.”

  Daebian began running and leaping to avoid the rain of massive black stones plummeting from the sky like meteors, throwing up clouds of dust and shaking the ground as they struck. The hail of rock continued for several seconds before ending as quickly as it started.

  “Well this is not going to make it any easier to find,” Daebian said, looking at the scattered boulders as he began walking in an ever-expanding spiral.

  Daebian turned toward an odd flapping sound just before a large object struck him at great speed. He felt himself flying upward for a moment before plummeting back down and smashing into the ground. The force of the impact drove the air from his lungs and sent pain shooting throughout his body.

  “You left me to die, you wretched, selfish bastard!” Raijaun screamed as he pressed down on his brother. “What have you to say to me before I kill you?”

  Daebian opened his eyes and looked upon his brother’s seething face. He slapped at Raijaun’s wrist and felt the pressure ease enough for him to draw a shuddering breath.

  “Um, you’re welcome?”

  “What?” Raijaun exclaimed, taking a step back at Daebian’s totally unexpected response.

  “You were weak and too afraid to use your power to its full potential. Until you stopped being such an incredible wimp, you were next to useless. I had faith in you. You just needed the proper motivation to embrace your inner monster.”

  “You consider death a motivator?”

  “I cannot think of a better one. So, you’re welcome. Now you say…”

  Raijaun stood in stunned silence. He could not deny his brother’s words, but he could not help but doubt his intent. Daebian was a selfish narcissist who did nothing that was not to his benefit. Still, what he said was true. If Raijaun continued to balk in the face of his own power, he would be little help when it came to helping Father battle the Scions.

  “Thank you?”

  “There you go. And people say I’m the one lacking in manners.” Daebian extended his hand. “Now help me up. I think you shattered my spine, you savage brute.”

  Unable to respond any other way, Raijaun pulled Daebian to his feet. As his anger ebbed, the agony of his conflicting magic began to take root. His blood felt as if it had turned to acid and every muscle in his body tried to peel away from the bone and jump through his skin.

  Daebian looked at his brother. “You all right?”

  “No. Let us be gone from this place.”

  Raijaun limped a ways away and gesticulated. Black flames flared up and outlined the hidden glyphs of the transport spell. Daebian followed and stepped into the circle.

  “So that’s where it was.”

  Raijaun fought through the overwhelming pain and fed power into the runic circle. The black flames erupted all around them but did not burn. Upward they grew until they reached the dreary sky and tore a hole through its encompassing veil. The brothers flew skyward, bursting through the breach between dimensions. Blackness surrounded them once more until a faint nimbus of light slowly formed around them and they once again stood within the summoning circle beneath the old tower.

  “I must go and rest,” Raijaun said as he staggered toward the door.

  Daebian held his prize in his hand and looked at it longingly. “Yeah, you go do that.”

  Raijaun dreaded the walk to his room, and it took every ounce of his will to force his legs to navigate the stairs. He lacked the strength to pause when he saw Azerick waiting in his chambers. He walked past his father and dropped heavily onto his bed.

  “You and Daebian have been gone for over a day. Where have you been?”

  Raijaun stared at the ceiling through his closed eyelids. “Likely making an enormous mistake.”

  Azerick swallowed and forced calm into his voice. “What have you done?”

  “Daebian wanted to help us. He told me he knew of a sword that would make him useful in battling the Scions. He said the sword could kill a god.”

  ‘With that sword I can trap the soul of any creature, even a god.’ Azerick shuddered as Klaraxis’ words echoed in his mind.

  “I discovered a way to the abyss and got the sword.”

  “Raijaun, how could you be so foolish? You could have been killed! You are too important to risk on such foolish adventures!”

  Raijaun summoned the strength to turn his head and look at his father. “I am too important. What of Daebian, Father? Is he not too important to you for him risk his life as well? You see, that is why I had to help him. You look at him the way everyone else looks at me. You are his father, and you should be better than that.”

  Azerick turned his eyes to the floor. “Perhaps you are right, but you trust him too much.”

  Raijaun nodded and closed his eyes. “You are probably right.”

  Azerick crossed the upper hallway connecting the two towers and ran down the stairs in hopes of catching Daebian. He did not know what his son intended to do with the sword, but he knew it could not be good. He loved his son, but he knew too well what he was. Daebian was crossing the parlor when Azerick reached the main floor of the old tower.

  “Daebian, I know what you have done, and I cannot allow it.”

  Daebian stopped and turned toward his father. “Cannot allow what, Father?”

  “I cannot allow you to possess that sword. It is too dangerous to let loose in this world, particul
arly in the hands of someone like you.”

  “Like me, Father? All I ever wanted was for you to be proud of me, but you only cared about Raijaun because he had the power to help you. Now I have the power to be of use to you, and you want me to give it up? Why, so I can go back to being as useless as you told Mother? Why would I do that?”

  “Daebian, I never meant what I said in that way. You may not be able to help me the way Raijaun does, but you are far from useless. You are smarter and more skilled than hundreds of thousands of men who will soon be fighting this war, and who will all be making a difference. If you truly want me to be proud of you, then show me you can think beyond your own desires, and give me the sword.”

  Daebian stroked the black gem set in the handle of the sword and nodded. “You are right, Father.” Calling upon Klaraxis’ abyssal power, Daebian moved faster than Azerick thought possible and plunged the soul blade into his chest. “The sword is dangerous in the hands of someone like me. More dangerous than you can possibly comprehend.”

  Azerick’s body went rigid. He could not even force a scream as the evil blade tore his soul apart. Klaraxis cried out in exultation as he felt his soul being freed of the sorcerer’s damnable prison. It was a horribly painful endeavor, and he rejoiced in the agony.

  I told you I would destroy you one day, human! I corrupted your son, and soon his body will be mine. I will devour his soul before stripping and dining upon yours bit by delicious bit!

  Klaraxis laughed as he felt his spirit leave Azerick’s body and slide into the blade where it would soon be pulled into the boy’s body. His laughter ceased when he reached out with his consciousness and found himself locked within a prison even smaller and more desolate than the one within the sorcerer’s mind.

  What are you doing? You have no need of the soul stone any longer. Take me into your body and my full power will by yours, as well as that of your father’s! You will be like a god!

  “Take you into my body, so you could be a constant annoyance like you were to my father? I think not. I could never tolerate your constant yammering. Did you truly think I would be foolish enough to let you into my body so you could steal it for your own? You thought you were using me, but I had you outsmarted when I was just a child. You are pathetic, Klaraxis. Besides, if you found my father’s will difficult to tolerate, you would find mine insurmountable. Would I be godlike if I took in you and Father? Perhaps, but I cannot imagine an eternity of listening to him remind me of how disappointing I am. Besides, I think I will be able to torment him far better by leaving his soul right where it is. Now shut up and let me think.”