"Now, you may think Erlek was either druid or elementalist. The truth is that he was neither. Erlek was both scribe and, eventually, alchemist in the employ of the druids. He did not squander these positions, learning all he could while watching and listening to all the goings-on around him. All that, and he waited, too. Waited for his opportunity to satisfy his own lust for power. It came with the disappearance of the druids. A discussion of that subject is neither here nor there, but their vanishing years after the elementalists had been dealt with left Erlek free to pursue his own ambitions.
"He'd witnessed the unfolding of the elementalists' plot and thus knew of the devices they created. But he no more knew their location than anyone else. Free of his masters, though, Erlek began searching. One year turned into two turned into five, ten, and eventually so many that it seemed Death itself might be the only thing to stop him. In the end, though, even that was not enough. You see, Erlek knew it might take more than one lifetime to track down his prizes, and so he took steps to insure he had more than what remained of his to see it fulfilled. He used his knowledge of alchemy to concoct a secret brew he must periodically quaff in order to preserve his age and restore his body. Erlek's process is neither refined nor sophisticated, for the man knows nothing of the principles of extromantic transference but must instead physically drain the life from others to create this potion of his." Ansanom took a deep breath, exhaling slowly. "Erlek has used this unnatural extension of life to explore many avenues, delving into the dark arts of witchcraft as much as he's poured over historical records secreted away by his former masters. He has forged many alliances as well, all meant to aid his ambitions of finding the Four Elements. Now, we know he has found one of them. Activating and using such a device creates detectable ripples. Erlek would not have announced his presence so boldly if he did not already know where the other Elements are to be found. I have no doubt that, even now, he moves to secure the remaining three."
Ansanom fixed Aaron with a concentrated stare. "You've listened to me speak of this man who murdered your mentor, killed your friends, destroyed your home. In all of this, Aaron, you wonder at the simplest of questions. Why? The answer put plainly is that he wants you dead. I spoke moments ago of Tarn Galangaul and of the family he had begun before the druids executed him. Aaron, you are a descendant of that family. As such, through your blood you possess the attunement needed to summon the power of the Elements. Ah, I see the doubt in your eyes. You do not believe my words. That is alright. I know it must seem silly in a way, that an intelligent but otherwise unassuming boy might possess the power to shake the earth and move the oceans. Imagine how much more ridiculous it might seem were you an orphaned kitchen scullion!" Ansanom let out a snort. "I assure you, though, that what I have told you is quite true. I've no doubt it is the ultimate reason Elsanar made you his apprentice. Perhaps he did not know the full truth of it at first, though I daresay my friend's instincts most likely had a hand in guiding him those years ago. Once Elsanar began digging into Erlek's dealings and putting the different pieces of his puzzle together many things must have been revealed to him about your role in all of this.
"Which brings us to the crux of it and the answer to your original question. Why indeed does Erlek want you dead so badly he'd hire assassins and, at their failing, destroy an entire city to see you dispatched? The answer is this: you are a rival, something Erlek will not tolerate. With the Elements so close now, he is determined that no one will stop him."
Aaron took a few moments to consider all that had been said. In truth, he was only making it seem so. He'd already considered all that needed considering, or so he thought. While he didn't doubt the parts concerning Erlek, he had great doubts concerning his own role in the narration. When enough time had passed so that his reply would not seem impulsive, he spoke.
"First, thank you for sending warning of the assassins."
Ansanom gave a curt nod to that.
"Second, and I mean no disrespect, sir, but I can't help but think I'm not this person you or Erlek think I am."
Ansanom smiled in an understanding manner. "Rest assured, Aaron, I am correct. Perhaps the hints have only been subtle, perhaps it is only that sometimes the thing staring us in the face is the one we do not see at all. Whatever the case, there is a path before you, one which Elsanar set you on and which I will now help guide you down."
Aaron nodded, not sure what else to do. He wanted to believe Ansanom. He'd no doubt the man was the wiser. But he couldn't shake the feeling that the master sorcerer was, if not wrong, then perhaps misguided. If what he said was true, why hadn't Elsanar ever said anything about it? Why did he have Aaron studying mathematics, alchemistry, and other such subjects if he possessed some other latent ability tied to the earth? That, and what about his parents? If he was a descendant of this Galangaul person, then one of them was too. Were they in danger? Had Taloo also been attacked? That thought was too horrible to consider. Aaron knew his father was a resourceful man, but this was wholly different from repairing the local mill wheel or patching a fishing vessel. The entire village would have been completely overwhelmed just as Norwynne had been. Taloo might be no more. Its folk might all be dead. Aaron shuddered once, but that was all as he put such thoughts from his mind. There wasn't anything he could do about any of that right now. He had to focus on what was happening before him first. But even that was too overwhelming to consider. Still, he took it in small steps, comparing the little he'd known before coming to Wildemoore with what Ansanom had just told them. Then he sat up in his chair. There was one piece of information that had been omitted.
"You spoke of the Four Elements," Aaron said.
Ansanom looked at him attentively.
"Yet Elsanar told Master Rhe of five. He might have even referred to them as the Five Elements, as if they were devices just like the Four. Could they be other devices, also created by the elementalists or the druids or maybe someone else entirely? Or maybe they are one in the same and someone made a mistake in their recording?" It seemed a stretch, but if a man could live five hundred years and summon demons to hunt down the descendants of renegade druids, then how farfetched was the possibility of a clerical error?
Ansanom's brow narrowed. Then he half-turned in his chair to address Ensel Rhe. "Elsanar told you of this? Are you sure he spoke of five elements?"
"I am sure," Ensel Rhe said. "He was quite plain on the matter. Surely he mentioned this to you as well?"
Ansanom rattled his fingers upon the table. "No, he did not. Strange. Strange, indeed." It seemed he might start a new discourse on the matter, but instead the sorcerer pushed his chair back and stood. "We all have much to think on now and you two are no doubt in need of hot bathes and some rest. I have been remiss in offering either up until now only because I recognized the importance of your arrival. It is just now early evening. Perhaps after a handful of hours we might reconvene for a proper dinner. You are, of course, welcome to stay indefinitely. Myself and Serena shall be glad for the company. We have rooms aplenty, though they are beneath my workshop. Worry not about the noise, though, for I am a quiet worker."
They said their thanks, then Ensel Rhe and Aaron gathered jacket and cloak from the hearth and the two of them followed Serena to the entry and up the stairs to the manor's second floor. Serena stopped them at the first of three doors where she gestured at Aaron. She was all courtesy now.
"Everything you need is inside. We have hot water piped to the room for the bath and I have prepared a tray of cheeses and wine for each of you."
Master Rhe left Aaron with a simple nod as he started walking to the next door which presumably led to his room.
"Wait."
Though Serena spoke to Aaron, her voice halted Ensel Rhe as well.
"If you don't like wine, I can bring something else. Some more tea or—"
"The wine will be fine," Aaron said. He wasn't entirely sure he wanted her to return, especially so soon. Presented with a quiet room of his own, Aaron wanted no
thing more than to go inside, clean up, and lie down. Now, as it seemed Serena had nothing else to say, he got started doing just that. Aaron paused only to close the door behind him.
Ensel Rhe, however, remained in the hall. Serena's gaze went to him. She could not meet those inscrutable, stark white eyes for long before her gaze fell to the floor. Finally, she asked, "Is there… something else?"
"Tell your master I leave on the morrow."
"You're not staying?" Her face betrayed surprise. And something else.
"Is there reason for me to?"
"No, but what about the dogs?"
"They are not interested in me. Your master said it himself. They hunt Aaron. There is therefore nothing keeping me from leaving. Is there?"
"No. I mean, if you want to, you can. But if you don't… you're welcome to…"
Ensel Rhe took a step into the room and closed the door, leaving the sorcerer's apprentice standing alone in the hallway.
16. Cauldron Mountain
ERLEK SLAMMED HIS OPEN PALM on the writing desk.
"Concentrate!"
He loomed towards Shanna, across the desk's surface, as if he meant to reach out and throttle her. Instead, he let a visible shudder course through him before straightening. Then he turned and started pacing the floor. He walked one way and then the other before he spoke again. "You wish to learn the use of the Elements, do you not?" He did not allow her time to answer. "Yet you demonstrate not the slightest interest in doing so, disregarding my lessons and even going so far as to lie to me."
"I never lied—" She had lied. Immediately upon his return Erlek had asked her how far she'd read and she'd stupidly said all of it. A quick series of questions had laid bare the falsehoods of that claim. In frustration—or perhaps as punishment—he reverted to his original lesson plan by laying out a series of problems he expected her to solve immediately while he hovered over her.
"Discipline!" This time it was his fist that smacked the desk. The suddenness of it pushed Shanna back in her chair. "It is not earned or given as a gift! You must focus your mind! Embrace it! Learn it!"
Shanna let go her pencil and folded her arms across her chest. "I don't understand how figuring out this—this—"
"Logic problem!"
"—is going to help me learn discipline. Who cares about hi-hidraw—"
"Hydraulics!"
"I can't even say it! How do you expect me to learn anything from it?"
Erlek took a deep breath. "The problem is not about hydraulics per se. Rather, it is a test of your ability to think through a problem to its logical conclusion. It is meant to shape your mind's thoughts, to provide a clear path that will ultimately allow you to control the Elements. Passion and emotion have no place here; the Elements are dangerous." An ashen hand went to his forehead. "We have been over these points already." He pointed a long, bony finger at the drawing he'd made on the parchment for her. "Look here. Fluid flows in this direction. How do you suppose—"
The savant's words were cut off as the door to his cabin slammed open. The sitheri guards, who stood inside the room as silent as obelisks, responded instantly by drawing short blades better suited to the room's confines than their spears.
Shanna, whose heart had lurched into her throat at the suddenness of the interruption, breathed a sigh of relief when she saw it was only Engus Rul. Such relief faded quickly, for the dwarf's expression was hateful and angry. In his hand, brandished openly, was a warhammer.
"You've gone too far, savant," he said as he stepped into the cabin. It was the only step he was allowed as the sitheri attacked. Engus Rul was ready for them, knocking both swords aside and seeming to have the upper hand for at least a moment. Then one of the sitheri abandoned his sword, bending down to wrap powerful arms about the dwarf's torso while the other leveled its blade at his throat. Engus Rul's hammer was forced from his grip. The weapon hit the floor with a thud.
"Do not kill him," Erlek said. The man glided forward, stopping a single arm's reach from the dwarven clan-lord. A snarl signaled the dwarf's desire to reach out and strangle the man.
"You've killed one of my dwarves, bloodsucker," Engus Rul said, "and now I'm going to kill you."
"Really?" Erlek motioned for the sitheri holding the blade to step away, then he grasped his hands behind him. "How exactly do you plan on doing that? Hmmm?"
Engus Rul strained against his captor. His eyes bulged, his teeth gnashed, and Shanna, who'd risen the moment the battle had begun, saw the muscles of his arms strain and ripple. Still, he was no match in raw strength for the reptilian sitheri.
"What would Kelgin think, breaking your oath?" Erlek asked. "Surely he must be turning in his grave—"
"Do not speak his name, worm!"
Erlek leaned in closer. Calm up to this point despite the dwarf's angst, his next words were laced with venom. "You and yours are bound to me. To serve me. If that means sacrificing themselves so that my goal might be accomplished, so be it." A moment passed in which their eyes remained locked, then Erlek stepped away. He stooped to pick up the dwarf's weapon. He made a show of examining it, the chipped, iron-worked head, the leather-wrapped, notched haft. Then he ordered the dwarf released. With both hands gripping the hammer's handle, Erlek offered it back to its master. Engus Rul heaved in great breaths, eying his current predicament. Finally, he took the hammer without comment and, even with it in his hand, made no untoward move.
"If you seek someone to blame, dwarf, you need look no further than your own. Now, we shall reach the mountain soon. Be ready, and bring Soljilnor."
Erlek turned his back on the dwarf. To Shanna, he said, "You may go for now."
She started to, but one look at the still infuriated dwarf, who blocked the way out, stopped her in her tracks. Thinking she might ask Erlek to try her hand at another logic problem rather than try maneuvering around the clan-lord, she was spared from any such decision when Engus Rul turned and stomped away. Suddenly overcome with the need to speak to the dwarf without Erlek lurking about, Shanna hurried after him. Mirna, who'd huddled in one corner of the room for hours and who still did so now despite the violent exchange, rose and followed.
Once abovedeck, Shanna saw that it was night, the sky a layer of darkness lit only faintly by a sparse moon. A light rain fell, but the deck remained mostly dry as the Griffin floated along with the clouds. In the distance, lightning brought flashes of light to the darkness; a promise of more storms to come. Now, however, with conditions nominal, the scene abovedeck was quiet.
Engus Rul moved fast. He was almost onto the waist deck before Shanna called out to him.
"Return to your master," Engus Rul said from over one shoulder as he kept walking.
Shanna ran after him, leaping down from the quarterdeck and circling around the dwarf so that she blocked his way. Engus Rul had no choice but to barrel through her, go around, or stop. He chose to stop. Inwardly, Shanna breathed a sigh of relief at that.
"He's not my master."
The dwarf flashed her a look of impatience. "Get out of the way, girl, before I—"
"Tell me what happened."
One of the man's brows turned up. "Don't play games with me—"
"I'm not! I—I didn't know. Not until you—Erlek promised not to hurt anyone else. I mean, he promised to leave the others from Norwynne alone." Shanna's gaze strayed from Engus's. "I didn't know that he'd… I'm sorry."
Engus Rul said nothing. Shanna felt his eyes weighing her down, though, until he released her by stepping to the railing. He rested both hands there and stared out into the gray evening.
Shanna remembered Mirna. "Mirna, why don't you go below? Use my room if you want. Get some sleep."
Mirna bowed. Then she was gone.
Shanna joined Engus. The moment she drew near, the dwarf spoke.
"He's a damn, bloodsucking vampire, that savant. Sent his sitheri to ambush Herg when he was alone. Erlek sucked him dry. Took his soul. The others expect me to return with the savant's head. 'To the
Thirteen Hells with the oath', they say. Damn fools! I'll take their heads before any one of them dishonors Fire Rock. They know it, too. The oath stands. It will be honored."
"What oath?" Shanna asked in a quiet voice.
Engus Rul took a deep breath. He exhaled slowly. "Our clan-lord, the one called Kelgin, struck a bargain with Erlek at the start of this… adventure. Though Kelgin has gone to the Beyond, his promise remains, for it is as much ours as it was his. We of Fire Rock do not take such oaths lightly." Engus Rul turned his head a moment. "I wonder how much of this Erlek knew when he came seeking our clan's help?" Then he spat over the side. "It doesn't matter now. We'll see it fulfilled. Then, when it is done, I'll kill Erlek myself."
"No," Shanna said without thinking. "You can't."
Shanna felt the weight of Engus Rul's stare on her once more.
"I can't? Why not?" His voice was gruff, almost angry, as if she had any right to impede or question his desires.
Shanna crossed her arms at her chest and suppressed a shiver. "Because I'm going to kill him." The moment she spoke the words, she regretted it. Engus Rul had just told her where he'd placed his loyalties, at least as long as his oath remained, and here she was telling him the one thing that could cause everything to unravel. She wondered if, right then and there, he might go to Erlek to tell him exactly what she'd said. The moment's fear dissipated as soon as the dwarf let out a long, slow chuckle.
"So," Engus Rul said, "that is why you boarded the ship when I offered to let you go."
Shanna said nothing as she leaned out over the edge and peered into the endless darkness. She thought she saw a sliver of crimson below, like the stroke of a painter's brush, far off in the distance. Another shiver ran through her. "You won't tell him, will you?"
"I'll not tell that bloodsucker a thing." He laughed again. "Perhaps you'll even beat me to him."
Shanna smiled. It was a quick gesture that did not last long. "Perhaps."
They stood in silence after that, both watching the darkness and the approaching line of scarlet that was soon joined by other veins that streaked the land as if rivers of flame. As they sailed ever closer, Shanna realized that was exactly what they were: flows of hot lava flowing down gulches, gullies, and canyons.
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