by Tom Rogal
Dyenarus yelled, “Grab my hand!”
He was trying! Give me a break, he thought. He was so close, but he was tiring as well. He may have been the best swimmer here of the mages, but like any mage, if he didn’t have enough energy to get to shore, he’d most likely drown. He gave a one final push. Dyenarus was able to barely grab his hand, but her grip was slipping quickly.
“Help me!”
The other mages quickly came to her aid as they pulled Lindaris and Condarin onto the shore. While Dyenarus and Lindaris sat near the water exhausted, the others pulled Condarin up to the dryer area and laid her out. Vindar began checking her vitals.
Vindar panicked, “I can still feel her life force, but it is weak. And she isn’t breathing. Come on, Condarin! It’s me, Vindar! Don’t leave me!”
Neeza was exhausted, but he could see his work wasn’t done. What Vindar was doing wasn’t helping. She was alive, but wouldn’t be for long if he didn’t act fast. Neeza pushed Haldirin to the side as he made his way toward Condarin. The other students cleared a path seeing his approach. He nearly collapsed alongside her, but found the strength to kneel.
Without looking, he raised his hands over her face and chanted, “Aqualorn Abzerba.”
A red light began to emit toward her mouth. It was a potentially dangerous spell, but it was one of the few ways known to him to save a person from drowning. It absorbed the water inside a person, essentially dehydrating them. If held too long, it could kill them because every person needed fluids in their body to live.
After a few seconds, Condarin coughed up a bunch of water, which dried up quickly because of the spell. He could hear the students crying tears of joy and happiness. He must have saved her. Good. That was the last thing he remembered before collapsing.
6
Neeza woke up later that night, still tired, but awake enough to eat. Haldirin explained that after Condarin recovered, they carried him into a small cave along the coast. It was not easily seen and small enough that the Garchai couldn’t reach them. They set a fire, mainly for cooking, but also to dry out a bit. From what Neeza could tell, everyone else seemed okay. That was good. More importantly, they had reached the coast. Now it was time to find a better place to land the boat and it was onto Mount Hrithgorn.
As she finished the last of the soup that Biverin prepared, Condarin silently walked up to Neeza and Haldirin, bowing her head.
“May I request a sit down, Neeza?”
Neeza replied, “Of course. I told you for the rest of this trip you don’t need to include any of the formalities. Just sit.”
Condarin raised her head, smiled, and sat in front of them. At first she said nothing. He could feel she was a little nervous. He guessed that no matter how much he was tried to be one of the crew, he was always going to be seen in their eyes as the Honorable Neeza, leader of the mage people.
She finally said, “I just wanted to come here and thank you for saving my life. They told me how you nearly spent yours trying to get me from the water. You’ve saved my life twice already, and I don’t know how I can repay you. I’m not a great mage like Dyenarus is, but I always repay my debts. I just wanted to let you know that if there is any way I can make it up to you, let me know.”
Neeza replied, “You may not be a great mage yet, but you are still young, and I can guarantee you, once we are done with this adventure, you’ll be more advanced than your classmates. And don’t worry about repaying a debt. How can friends be in debt?”
Condarin smiled, nodded, and went back to Vindar. Neeza watched as the students began to joke around again. They finally understood. They were at last accepting they had a job to do and until that was done, they would just have to deal with the hardships. Condarin was one of the last to realize this, but he thought now the circle was complete. They were no longer students in his eyes. They graduated into something more, but they were still not done.
Haldirin asked, “What are you thinking?”
Neeza responded, “Just thinking . . . and realizing the validity that anyone who comes here rarely comes back the same.”
“Indeed, but we still aren’t out of the woods yet. We still have yet to enter the mountain. I’m sure more dangers exist there.”
“Let us hope then that we can find the Relic quickly,” added Neeza.
Gerran suddenly came over with Neeza’s staff. He was testing it to see if it was damaged during any of the earlier events. He was convinced he lost it for good during the fall, but Gerran was able to telepathically retrieve the staves the students may have dropped during the plunge. One of Joakon’s bags was lost for good, though.
He said, “Well, it looks to be in good shape. No physical damages and Vindar tested the crystal for leakage, but found none.”
Good. He was definitely glad to have a member of the Divination School with him on the expedition. One of their specialties was being able to detect less visible damage to a mage’s staff, which was their life blood. Without their staff, their spell power decreased and most gradually would lose touch with their magical abilities. One might as well just call them human at that point. Neeza could technically do it too, but in his weak state it wouldn’t have been accurate and the earlier the detection, the better.
Neeza answered, “Thank you, Gerran.”
He nodded and returned to the other students.
“So, are you finally going to tell me what you felt back there with the wolves?”
Neeza looked at Haldirin, trying to find the words to say, “It was . . . strange. It was as if that howling was calling to me. I could hear your voice, but all I cared about was that howl. You could feel none of it?”
Haldirin shook his head. That was interesting that the creatures could target a single person. And why it targeted him instead of Haldirin was beyond him as well. Was it possible it they could sense he was the strongest, so they tried to take control of him?
“No. Other than its accursed howling, I heard or felt nothing strange.”
He needed to ponder on the strange phenomenom more carefully. If anything, it proved to him the faster they went for the Relic, the better.
Neeza finally said, “There is a danger here. A real danger. There is an awesome magic happening here. One that I can’t even comprehend. Tomorrow, we contact Mimerck, and by nightfall, I want to be at the base of Mount Hrithgorn. I want to be out of here the next night.”
Haldirin couldn’t have agreed more. He could see, that for the first time this trip, the weight of the mission was beginning to be felt by their leader. He was not one that liked surprises, especially ones he couldn’t explain. Every hour on these islands seemed to bring a new surprise their way and it had Neeza, if Haldirin dared to say . . . afraid.
Finally overtaken by exhaustion, Neeza lied down and closed his eyes. Good, he needed his rest, thought Haldirin. Again, he was lucky to be alive after casting another Eirborenz spell. For a younger mage, those set of spells weren’t an issue. Unlike a normal spell, the Eirborenz required more concentration and borrowed a person’s internal life particles to make them more powerful. Only a few select mage families could even perform them. Neeza’s sacred-blood line was one of them. Divi, should she ever decide to learn magic, would be able to cast them as well.
Age became the problem. The use of the life particles, which is what mages used to make their magic, weakened over time. That was one reason he had been pondering retirement sooner than later. If he were to die before Divi learned magic, it could potentially lead to a power struggle unlike any mage had ever seen in millennia. Neeza became ruler because the previous ruler named him the heir and treated him like a son . . . and he knew magic. It would be absurd to have a magic-less mage ruling Myyril, which made his surviving that more important. Even if it would mean his own life.
** * * * * * * * * *
The group headed out early. Neeza was still feeling the effects of the spells he cast the day before, but at least he could walk under his own power. The conditions weren’t too fa
vorable for a mage to recover here. Cooler temperatures in the morning didn’t help much either.
They stayed on the coast heading north, being cautious not to come near land that the Garchai or any of the other creatures could surprise them. On their left, they remained under Mount Hrithgorn’s menacing shadow. Haldirin would catch everyone taking a quick glance at the mountain from time to time. They all knew the feared mountain of legend was their next port of call. They had survived so much up to this point, but knew that they were just going from the pan into the fire. Once inside, they would never be the same.
But first things first, they had to contact Mimerck, which was proving to be a real challenge. The magic surrounding the isles caused too much interference that Neeza couldn’t get through it. Short distance telepathy seemed to work, but nothing longer than a mile seemed to get through. They needed to get to a spot where the ocean could be seen again. At least there was nothing that could block his Telepathic Speak that way.
Gerran stopped and said, “Looks like in a few miles we should reach our original projected coast.”
Haldirin added, “And just by looking at the way the land is set, not a damn good place to bring the boat any closer.”
“At least we should be able to just stay by the coast and not worry about running into any of those creatures. They were using the forest to hide like we were,” commented Joakon.
Lindaris said, “You think a little water is going to keep these things away? We can’t get complacent while we're here. Stick to what we are doing. Travel quickly by day, and sleep in hiding at night.”
Neeza was quite impressed with Lindaris’ growth over the past days. He had begun thinking like Neeza did; taking caution in the wind and not rushing into a potential dangerous situation. He thought the same that their enemy’s disappearance was nothing more than just a false security. The creatures had to drink too, and the numerous pools by the isle’s edges were a freshwater source.
What was that? He could feel something coming. He had to quiet Joakon and Condarin so he could be sure. The snapping of a twig confirmed it, the other students now aware of the presence.
“Great. Something is coming!” whispered Condarin.
Neeza ordered, “Everyone ready a spell. It’s coming from behind that rock. As soon as it turns the corner, hit it with whatever you got!”
The students complied, readying their most potent spell they could think of. Whatever it was, it wasn’t that large. That was a positive. At least it wasn’t the Garchai. The bad news was that it could be something new, something that only lived near the coast perhaps. He wouldn’t doubt it in a place like that.
The students gained some distance between each other so that their spells wouldn’t interfere with each other’s. One thing they were going to guarantee was that whatever stepped from behind that corner was not going to get a chance to attack them. It was nearly in their view.
“Ah, there you guys are! What are you doing?”
Everyone was thankful they didn’t cast on first sight. The figure that revealed itself from behind the rock was a familiar one; one Neeza was surprised to see at that point in time, to be frank.
“Mimerck!”
The mage captain replied, “Well, that’s a much warmer welcome! Though, I prefer to have captain in front of my name. Was beginning to wonder! My turning the corner and seeing nearly ten spells ready to be cast on me.”
Dyenarus replied, “We’ve experience a lot. You’ll understand once we tell you.”
Neeza began to evaluate their captain’s appearance. His robe was dirty, his pack about half full, and his boots were caked with mud. Whatever his story was, he was not on the boat for very long after they left it.
Haldirin thankfully asked the first question, “Where have you been? We were trying to contact you!”
Mimerck laughed and said, “I was waiting at the coast you were supposed to meet at. I was getting worried when you didn’t show. So, I started back down heading south. Glad to find you guys.”
Neeza still had his suspicions. He could never get the captain’s desire for gold to exit his mind. Was he scouting the area for an escape route if he found it? Was he going to betray them?
Neeza finally said, “We are glad to see you as well, however I am quite puzzled to see you here. You were to stay on the boat until we contacted you.”
Mimerck smiled and said, “I thought you’d never ask. There is a very good reason for my leaving. Let me show you.”
“This is not good.”
“Now you see why I didn’t stay on the boat too long.”
Unbelievable. Just when he assured his own mind nothing could make their situation worse, Mimerck found something. Hundreds of row boats were coming from the north, settling on the largest atoll. From their vantage point, they could see clearly what they were. What were they doing here? How could they have possibly known?
Dyenarus observed, “By the god Bhoruhn-hi, there are hundreds of them.”
From what Neeza had counted, about 1,000 to be as exact as possible. It was quite a large group of them, especially for an island that had no real army. Definitely a hundred times the size of their group, but then again, they probably didn’t know they were here either. They could hear the commands being given even from their distance.
Lindaris asked, “What are they?”
Neeza said, “Ettui.”
The Ettui were the main enemy of all the races of the mainland. Human, Mage, Elf, Half-elf, it didn’t matter. They originated from the Barbatan continent during one of the Great Elf Wars after the Eratuu Rebellion. The elves constantly told all the races the Ettui were their brethren that changed because they destroyed the land. What they never told was why they decided to suddenly go against their nature. Elves were hard-pressed to change at all. What made a majority of their clans turn on them was an answer that Neeza would love to find out, but knew he never would.
Mimerck explained, “About an hour after you departed, a scout ship of these bastards came sailing by. I destroyed it, but not before they damaged my baby. I found a safe place to anchor it on the southernmost island. I began traveling the coast looking for materials to make repairs. When I saw that I was close to the eastern island, figured I would meet you at the meeting point.”
Why did it seem like whenever the mage captain spoke, bad news was all that came out? The students realized the seriousness of the situation as well. Neeza had always assumed there might be competition for the Relic. Inno wouldn’t have lied to him about that. But for the competition to be the Ettui, that was another problem. Human pirates would have been more manageable. Anything but the Ettui. On top of that, their ride home was damaged and needed repairs. It didn’t sound major from how Mimerck described it, but it would still delay them a day or two at least.
Haldirin asked, “Now what? We can’t defeat nearly a thousand Ettui soldiers. Not at our numbers.”
Sadly, there was much truth in his statement. Neeza could take out many of the Ettui with his magic, but again, it would probably kill him. That was not a good option. Surprise guerilla attacks wouldn’t work either because it would take days to wipe out this army. Fighting was not going to be a wise first choice. They were just going to need to be faster than them.
Haldirin commented, “What in our dear gods could the Ettui want with the Relic? It is the only thing here that could be of any significant value. And how is it the elves didn’t bother to stop them? Fort Za must have seen this coming from Barbata.”
Both questions were valid and disturbing. The elves, especially with the Ettui, liked to keep close tabs on their movement when it came to their offshore activities. Also, it would be impossible for them to not see ships coming from Fort Za. An Elf Eye would see them almost instantly. Why would they not send a ship or two to sink them? A scary answer came to him. What if these Ettui didn’t come from Barbata? Where else could they come from in the north? They had no more influence there. The settlement they had long ago was destroyed, and
an elf outpost survived there today to ensure it was never re-established.
Mimerck commented, “Neeza, you have done admirably here, but I think now is the time to count our blessings that we got this far and go home with our lives intact. To go against this would be madness.”
Perhaps that pinch of madness was just what they needed. They couldn’t leave. Not when they were so close to getting to Hrithgorn’s foreboding legacy. He thought even the students would agree with him. To come away from this without trying was a failed mission. No matter the costs, they would see this through.
Neeza answered, “Perhaps. But you’re missing the larger picture. The Ettuiis presence here only justifies that we must go after the Relic. I don’t know what they want with it, but I’ll be damned if I’m going to let them have it without a fight. We are the only ones that can stop them.”
No one wanted to admit it, but he spoke accurately. The Ettuiis arrival was disturbing, indeed. But what they could do with the Relic was beyond his comprehension. He wanted it to save his dead wife. With it in their possession, the Ettui might have a tool that could see them reviving their dead almost as soon as they are killed. Its impact would be devastating on the mainland. They were the only ones who could stop them, since it appeared as though the elves turned a blind eye.
Neeza ordered, “Let’s get moving. With this new piece on the board, we need to move quickly.”
As Neeza and the others climbed down back toward the coast, Mimerck stayed a few seconds longer to stare at the Ettui army ahead of them. He could almost smell their foul breath. As he was about to step down a small creature flew around his head. It moved fast, but Mimerck was still able to identify it.
“Ah, a Kyroselip! What are you doing here?”
The smaller bird didn’t pay much attention to him. It had to get closer to this new group that was coming. Boat to boat it weaved, breathing as it did. If a bird could smile, it would have. It had to report to its master what it could taste. His master was pleased with the latest information. If he came back with news on the new arrivals, it could only imagine the reward. After flying through the Ettui ranks undetected, it flew toward Mount Hrithgorn.