The Sword and the Sorcerer

by John Phythyon

  “Another of his damned mysteries,” he growled.

  “What?” Devon said.

  “Liliana’s right,” Calibot answered. “It’s his way. He leaves puzzles you have to solve to understand what he wants. He never could just tell you what to do. He made a riddle you had to unlock. It was his way of teaching.”

  “That’s true,” Liliana said.

  “I hated it,” Calibot said. “It’s one of the reasons we never got along, why I was never interested in magic. He made things infuriatingly and unnecessarily hard.”

  There was another pause as everyone chewed on Calibot’s confession. Liliana looked at him with a mixture of confusion and sympathy that made him want to gouge her eyes out. Her hero worship of his father made him sick.

  “All right then,” Devon said. “If Gothemus left a riddle to solve, we just need to think about things. What do we know?”

  “That my father was an asshole,” Calibot said. Liliana looked shocked.

  “Be that as it may,” Devon said, “let’s look at the facts. Gothemus Draco is dead, murdered. The Council of Elders refuses to let the body go. Gothemus somehow contacted Liliana and instructed her to bring Wyrmblade to Calibot along with instructions to come get the body.

  “We are supposing that he knew he would be murdered and had some sort of contingency against whatever machinations the Council intended after his death. So where does that leave us?”

  “Standing in his tomb with no way to get the body out and Eldenbergian soldiers likely on their way to arrest us,” Calibot said.

  “Calibot, that doesn’t help,” Devon scolded.

  Calibot glared at him. He knew Devon was right, but that didn’t reduce his frustration or his grief.

  “He must have wanted Calibot to have the sword for a reason,” Liliana said.

  “So that I could find his body,” Calibot said. “We’ve already established that.”

  “Yes,” she said, “but being able to find him isn’t the only thing the sword can do. It’s got multiple functions we’ve discovered, so it also stands to reason it can assist us in multiple ways.”

  Devon’s face lit up. He looked excited.

  “Yes, of course,” he said. “That’s it! Calibot, it’s a flaming sword!”

  “So?” Calibot said. “It doesn’t matter if we light him on fire with my sword or Liliana’s dust; he’s still going to take hours to burn, during which time we’ll get caught if we’re not suffocated from the smoke.”

  “Unless the magical fire from the sword burns him more quickly,” Devon said.

  “Do you suppose that’s possible?” Liliana said, whipping her head excitedly in Devon’s direction.

  “I wouldn’t know,” he replied. “But you said Gothemus always has a contingency plan, and you noted the sword has multiple functions. We also know Gothemus was altering it. It isn’t unreasonable to think this was part of the plan, is it?”

  “No, it isn’t,” she agreed.

  “What if you’re wrong,” Calibot asked.

  “Then we’re in a lot of trouble,” Devon said.

  Calibot looked lost. This was impossible.

  “But, Calibot,” he continued, “you yourself noted it’s only a matter of time before the guards show up to investigate what happened here. We can’t carry the body out as is. We’ll eventually be caught. Unless we can think of something else quickly, this is the best idea we have.”

  Calibot grunted. This was just like his father. Leave him in a completely impossible position with a mystery to solve and the clock ticking. The only reasonable solution looked entirely unreasonable. Why couldn’t he have just given Liliana a clear set of instructions?

  He turned and walked over to where Wyrmblade lay on the floor. The jeweled eye of the dragon head seemed to mock him. He reached down and picked up the sword. The blade caught fire instantly. That was about as obvious a clue as his father had ever been known to leave. He turned back to the others.

  “It looks like you’re right,” he said, holding the sword up like a taper.

  “Let’s hope so,” Devon said.

  Calibot walked over to his father’s body. He peered down on him, searching for some sign that Gothemus, even in death, approved or thought he was worthy. His dead face offered nothing.

  “Rest in peace, Father,” Calibot said, trying to keep the bitterness from his voice.

  He touched the sword to Gothemus’s chest. Instantly, the entire body was consumed in purple fire. The flames turned to orange then blue in a matter of seconds and geysered up to the ceiling, forcing Calibot to shield his face and fall back. There was a loud pop, and then, as though the source of its fuel had been suddenly cut off, the fire disappeared. Smoking ashes were all that remained of Gothemus Draco, most powerful sorcerer in the Known World.

  Calibot felt his heart sink. All that his father had ever been was gone. There was no reconciling now. Any thought that Gothemus had left behind one final message of approval for him was dashed. He turned away and wiped tears from his eyes.

  “Wow,” Liliana said, clearly impressed one final time by her master’s magic.

  “Liliana,” Devon said, “why don’t you see about gathering up the ashes?”

  “Okay,” she replied.

  Devon walked over to Calibot and took him in his arms. Calibot submitted to the embrace. He didn’t know what else to do.

  “I’m sorry,” Devon whispered to him.

  He kissed Calibot gently on the forehead. For the first time since learning of his father’s death, Calibot wept for his loss.

  Chapter 12: Revenge Stolen

  If Elmanax had not been immortal, he would be dead, obliterated. He didn’t understand how that was possible. He recognized the spell the woman had cast. It was meant to cause him intense pain. But she mispronounced the command word, and it nearly disintegrated him.

  He came to in what appeared to be a supply closet in the scullery. There were buckets and rags and other tools for cooking and cleaning all around him. There was no light, but that didn’t hinder him. He was a gnome, accustomed to living under the earth. He could see perfectly fine in the dark.

  He had no clue how long he had been out. Aside from knowing he was in a closet, there was no way to tell where he was. He could be on the other side of the world in Zod’s fortress, for all he knew.

  He tried to take into account everything that happened right before the woman zapped him with her errant spell. Three people came into the makeshift tomb. One of them was Gothemus’s son. Elmanax hadn’t recognized him at first, but he hadn’t seen him in awhile either. Ever since he’d left the tower to pursue poetry, it was pretty obvious he wasn’t going to be heir to his father’s legacy. After a short while, Elmanax had stopped watching him and returned his full concentration to Gothemus and Zod.

  Which made his attack on Elmanax all the more mysterious. Calibot was a poet. What was he doing wielding a sword, especially one that seemed to be able to deflect magic? Had his father given him that? When?

  The other man had to be Calibot’s lover. Elmanax had heard he’d taken up with a soldier in Duke Boordin’s court, and Vicia had told him Calibot had brought a courtier with him.

  The woman, he knew, was Gothemus’s apprentice. She was a poor magician. He’d observed that many times while spying on her master and making his plans. She’d proved it again tonight by failing to hurt him.

  Speaking of which, what had she done? If she’d simply muffed the spell, it should have had no effect on him. Instead, he’d been teleported somewhere. Or perhaps he’d actually been obliterated and then his immortality caused him to reform somewhere else nearby. Regardless, she’d somehow modified the spell to do something different entirely. He’d never heard of that sort of thing. She was a wildcard he would need to account for.

  Perhaps she had some natural magic she was unaware of. Elmanax didn’t think that was likely. Anyone who had magic running through her blood should have been a better adept than she. Regardless, she had
some power to change things. She took a spell that should have failed and made it work in a different way. He was going to have to be careful around her.

  As for Calibot, Elmanax knew of only one sword that could repel magic: Wyrmblade. He knew the legendary dragon sword had fallen into Gothemus’s hands. The thief had stolen it from the Wild Lands right out from under the nose of Sear, the Dragon King. Somehow, Calibot had gotten hold of it. As long as he wielded it, he was dangerous.

  However, he also was clearly inexperienced in its use. It had been easy to turn the sword’s defensive capabilities against him.

  And as for the lover, he was a human. He’d stood gaping at the battle occurring around him. He was no threat whatsoever.

  Together, though, they could not be allowed to retrieve Gothemus’s body and do whatever it was the magician intended. Elmanax needed it to figure out how to unlock the magic that kept him barred from Gothemus’s tower and the Eye of the Dragon. Calibot and his friends had to be stopped.

  The plan was simple. Teleport himself back to the tomb and deal with them. He’d kill the woman first while he had the element of surprise. That would prevent her from being able to use whatever wild magic she possessed on him. Then he would disarm Calibot and kill him too. His lover would flee or fight, and that would determine whether he lived or died.

  Satisfied with his intentions, he got up. He snapped his fingers and disappeared.

  ***

  He arrived in the subterranean room seconds later. It was dark and abandoned. Gothemus was gone. So were Calibot and his friends.

  Elmanax ran over to the slab on which the body had been resting and investigated it despite himself. He knew it was pointless, but he couldn’t help it. He couldn’t have failed. He couldn’t have!

  “No!” he shouted, throwing his head back.

  His voice echoed off the stone walls. He slammed his hands down on the slab. Traces of ash puffed up into the air.

  Ash?

  He examined the stone more closely. Yes, there was ashen residue on it, leaving only one explanation. They had burned the body. How long had Elmanax been out?

  He felt the stone. It was still warm. Elmanax couldn’t say how long it had been cooling, but it wasn’t so hot as to have had a fire on it recently. Still, the pyre hadn’t happened too long ago.

  How did they manage it? Wouldn’t they have been choked to death by the smoke down here? Wouldn’t someone have caught them?

  Maybe someone had. Maybe they’d been arrested already. He needed to see Vicia. He needed to find out what she knew. If Calibot and his friends weren’t in custody, they had to be stopped before they could get out of the city. He snapped his fingers again and disappeared.

  ***

  Vicia nearly jumped out of her skin when Elmanax materialized in front of her. He didn’t bother to apologize. He didn’t have time.

  “Have you arrested them?” he demanded as she put her hand to her heart.

  “What?”

  “Have you arrested them?” he repeated.

  He threw her a glare to unnerve her. He knew she was afraid of him, and he needed any advantage he could get at the moment.

  “Arrested whom?” she said.

  She didn’t look afraid. She was confused. He bit his lip to keep from shouting at her.

  “Calibot and his friends,” he said.

  Vicia’s confusion deepened. Elmanax knew what she was going to say before the words came out of her mouth.

  “Why?”

  “They’ve stolen the body!”

  He couldn’t keep himself from shouting anymore. He was too frustrated with her. She looked alarmed.

  “What? When?”

  “I don’t know,” he said. “Recently. We need to seal the city and hunt them down before they get away with him.”

  “All right, calm down, Elmanax,” she said. “They can’t get very far. It’s not like you can easily conceal a dead body and just take it out the city gate without the watch asking a few questions.”

  “They cremated it!” he yelled.

  His voice echoed off the walls of her private chamber. She became confused again.

  “How?” she said. “Someone would have noticed a body burning. There’s smoke and the smell.”

  “I DON’T KNOW! It doesn’t matter how they did it. What matters is they did, and they are no doubt attempting to leave the city right now, if they haven’t escaped already.”

  Vicia nodded. Elmanax wanted to throttle her. Did she not understand the urgency of the situation?

  “I’ll alert the Council immediately,” she said.

  “To hell with the Council of Elders!” Elmanax shouted. “Alert the watch! You’re on the Council. Use your personal authority before they escape. We’ll sort out the details later.”

  “Good thinking,” she said with another nod.

  Elmanax threw his hands up in the air in frustration. Did he have to think of everything?

  He chewed his lip. Hopefully, they weren’t too late. He couldn’t stand the thought of having his revenge stolen.

  Chapter 13: Escape from Eldenberg

  Calibot didn’t like how long things were taking. They’d been waiting at least fifteen minutes for the stable hands to retrieve their horses. How hard could it be? You went to the correct stall, got the animal out, saddled it, and brought it to its owner. The fact that they hadn’t seen a horse yet made him very nervous.

  “Do you suppose they’re onto us,” he asked Devon.

  “I’m not sure,” he answered. “They didn’t act strangely when we requested our mounts, and they’ve had plenty of time to call for guards to come arrest us. But I can’t imagine what the delay is. It’s very odd.”

  Calibot nodded. His eyes darted around, looking for trouble. He didn’t see any, but he wasn’t entirely sure what he’d be looking for. He put his hand on the pommel of his sword. The feel of it gave him comfort in a way he couldn’t describe.

  “I wonder what’s taking so long,” Liliana said.

  Calibot looked at her incredulously. She had her usual passive expression. It was all a curiosity to her. She perceived no danger at all.

  He was about to say something snide to her when their horses appeared, led by three stable hands. The lead one was a little older than the other two, but they all looked to be fourteen years old or younger.

  “Here you are, lords,” the leader said.

  He smiled cherubically. He had curly, brown hair like Calibot’s. In fact, Calibot thought he looked like a younger version of himself. For some reason, that made him angry.

  “What took so long?” he snapped.

  The youth appeared confused – as though no one had ever asked him such a question. Calibot grew angrier. That was exactly the look he’d have given his father had this been years ago in the tower and his father scolded him.

  “We were still brushing one of the horses when you arrived,” the young man said. “It seemed prudent to finish.”

  “And it didn’t occur to you to send someone to tell us what was happening?” he said, trying and failing to keep the bile from his voice.

  The look on the stable hand’s face told him everything he needed to know. No, it hadn’t occurred to them. Eldenberg may have been run by a council of wise magicians, but their groomsmen weren’t very bright.

  “I think we should be leaving,” Devon said.

  “Are you sure that’s wise?” the stable hand said. “It’ll be dark in less than an hour. You’d be much safer spending the night in the city.”

  No, they wouldn’t. Not once the Council of Elders discovered what had happened.

  “I’m quite sure,” Devon said. “Thank you so much for your fine care of our animals.”

  Calibot sighed. The sense of relief was more powerful than the bitterness he’d been feeling. He forced himself to relax.

  “Thank you,” he said, taking the reins of his horse from a blonde-haired boy, who might have been twelve from the look of him.

  Momen
ts later, they had mounted and ridden off. The relief he’d felt at the simple explanation for the delay in getting their horses was quickly replaced by an increasing sense of dread. How long would it be before someone discovered what happened? There had been a body in the small, subterranean chamber. Now there wasn’t. Someone would notice that eventually.

  And what about the gnome or whatever it was they’d fought? Who was he, what was he doing, and had he had a chance to warn the Council? It looked like Liliana had destroyed him, but Calibot had seen her blow nearly every spell she’d cast since meeting him. It was illogical to assume she’d gotten this one right. And weren’t fairies immortal? Could they even be killed?

  No, Calibot was convinced they needed to get out of Eldenberg as quickly as possible. Every moment they were inside the city walls instead of outside them made him feel as if a noose was tightening around his neck. He fingered the sword again, taking comfort in its touch.

  As they wound through the streets, he became tenser. The crowds were beginning to thin with the approach of night, but a lot of people were still out. It was slow-going towards the gate. He wanted to crack the reins, dig in his spurs, and take off at a gallop, trampling anyone who got in his way. He couldn’t though. Not only would that call attention to them and tell the watch where to find them, there were just too many people for it to be practical.

  When they got to the gate, something was wrong. There weren’t many parties attempting to leave the city at this time of day, but the watch had those who were queued up. They were far enough away yet they couldn’t hear what was being said. All they could see were the guards questioning people.

  “I don’t like this,” Devon said.

  “Why not,” Liliana asked.

  “Because the only reason to question people leaving the city is if you’re looking for someone,” he said. “It’s usually not a problem to leave. It’s coming in when you have to answer questions.”

  Calibot wrapped his hand around Wyrmblade’s hilt. He felt a small charge go through him. A soft hum of power began coursing through the magical sword.