by Tom Larcombe
Anguis flew down towards the wizards, who were obviously fatigued.
“Anyone else coming through?” Merlin asked when Anguis landed.
The small dragon shook his head.
“Let's close the portal. After three. One... Two... Three...”
When Verruckt let go of the spell, he collapsed to the ground, groaning. Merlin and Nimue were in better shape. They lowered themselves to a sitting position as the extended effort left them light-headed.
Merlin handed out the food and water he brought along and after eating the wizards were in better shape, if not yet fully recovered.
“That will do,” Merlin said. “Now Anguis, tell us how it went.”
“They're alive. At least most of them are still alive. They wouldn't trust me though. They said Ave has sent multiple messengers to taunt them, tell them what she's doing, and twice to offer a means of escape. When they tried to escape, she revealed herself to them and dashed their hopes. They fear this is more of the same.”
“Did you learn anything about the portal spell she used?” Merlin asked.
“Yes, they were willing to talk, just not willing to attempt escape. Here, I'll show you mind-to-mind.”
A flood of images and thoughts invaded Merlin's brain. He shook his head to clear it when Anguis finished.
“I'll have to take some time to review that before it will be of use. Was there anything else they said or did that might be useful?”
“How much information did you expect me to get in half an hour,” Anguis asked.
“Half an hour? You were gone more than a full hour.”
“I was? I was sure only half an hour passed, I was keeping track because I know you said holding the portal open would be difficult.”
“Either you made an error in keeping track of time or it runs differently on the other side of that portal.”
“I think your second guess is more accurate,” Nimue said. “Anguis is very accurate at keeping time. He used to help me with rituals and potions, some of which needed exact timing. He never let me down.”
Anguis nodded in agreement.
“I'll believe you both, I was leaning that way anyhow. So, how do we get them to leave then?” Merlin asked.
“They did say that the only way they would leave was if the portal were fully open. They said it takes a while to seal shut again if fully opened and they could be sure to get everyone through if it were opened all the way.”
“Good, then maybe the information you brought back will allow us to get them out,” Merlin said. “But right now I think we need some rest. I'm exhausted so I'm sure the others are also.”
“I know I am,” Nimue said.
Verruckt flopped onto his back and groaned.
* * *
Chapter 21
When they arrived back at the campsite, Gunter presented them with a surprise. The temporary shelters that graced the site when they left in the morning were now more similar to small cabins. Wood planks lined the outsides and the roofs were now made of the same materials positioned with a slight slope for drainage.
“It looked like we were going to be here a while longer. Since the weather's growing colder, I thought we might want something a bit less drafty,” Gunter said.
“They're wonderful but where did you find the materials?” Nimue asked.
“The barn,” Gunter said. “It looks as bad as the house but it's of much more recent construction and the materials are still in good shape. Although every time I go in there I get edgy. I'm afraid the roof is going to fall on my head or something, I guess.”
The only thing the small cabins lacked were real doors. Verruckt teased Gunter about that until Gunter finally replied.
“The only hinges over in the barn were big enough for a hangar door. The ones from the house are all corroded and I don't trust them. I'll make some out of something, it's just going to take a while. Then you'll have a real door also.”
Gunter's complaint set Merlin to thinking.
“Gunter, can you show me those hinges you were talking about?” he asked.
“Sure, come on over. They're inside and set into the floor for some reason. If they actually worked, they'd support half the floor of the barn.”
Merlin groaned inwardly, his suspicions mounting.
Gunter led him over to the barn and Merlin noticed the feeling of unease the ex-German soldier had complained about a few days earlier.
“You told me you kept feeling uneasy, were you near the barn those days? I can feel it myself now.”
“I might have been, I don't remember. I've been all over the place, so...”
“Well, let's see the hinges.”
Gunter opened the barn door and walked in. When Merlin followed, he felt himself cross a threshold. On the other side he was surrounded by a miasma of negative energy that was permeated with an all too familiar hint of madness.
“Oh, demon shit,” Merlin muttered under his breath. Louder, he added.
“Never mind Gunter, we need to get out of here.”
“What's wrong?”
“I'll tell you outside.”
Once they were out of the barn, Merlin turned to Gunter.
“I think those hinges do work. If I'm not mistaken, Ave's draconic body is hidden under the barn. When we walked inside I was hit by the equivalent of Praesagium's energies, but a negative version of them. There's some sort of spell on the barn keeping those energies in there. It looks like a tiny bit of them manages to leak out, or she's just been there so long it's affecting the surrounding area.”
“So that would be why I felt uneasy over here and why I get edgy inside even if the building looks safe?”
“That would explain it.”
“So, now what do we do?”
“We go tell Nimue and Verruckt and discuss things.”
* * *
“So what you're saying is that a fully grown dragon has herself a lair under the barn? And that the dragon in question is the one that's been causing all the trouble and is responsible for the portal? Do I have that right?” Verruckt asked.
“Yes, that's what I believe. I didn't go down to check, but the feel of the magic was the same as when I encountered her efforts before,” Merlin said.
“So, we go down there, kill her, and all our problems are solved, right? It's easy.”
“No, it isn't that easy,” Merlin said. “First off, I think the portal spell is tied to the body. If the ends of the strand were headed towards the house, then they were also headed towards the barn. Secondly, the dragon is currently possessing a human female body and that body has the ear of someone high ranking in the German forces. We don't know if killing the draconic body will destroy the part of her possessing the human.”
“If you say so. I still think that if the body is defenseless we should kill it.”
“I said it was dormant, not defenseless. With the traps we've found on everything else, would she guard her body any less diligently?”
“I suppose not. So now what do we do?”
“That's what Merlin was asking us, why he told us. So he could get our thoughts on it,” Nimue said.
“Well if we can't just kill it, I don't have any other ideas off the top of my head. I'll need to think on it,” Verruckt replied.
“That may be our best bet. What do you think Merlin, should we sleep on it overnight? Then we can discuss it tomorrow.”
“Some time to process our thoughts might be good. I still need to review what Anguis gave me as well.”
“Then we sleep on it,” Nimue said.
Merlin was up late going through the images and memories given him by Anguis. When he finally went to sleep it was well past midnight. He woke in the morning and just relaxed for a while, listening to the pleasant birdsong streaming in from outside. When he consciously realized what he was listening to, he jumped up and left the cabin.
The bird was nearby, or more appropriately, the birds were nearby.
He muttered under his br
eath, but Nimue saw him and came over to hear what he was saying.
“Damn, we must've dispelled the aversion ward with our portal casting somehow,” he said.
“What do you mean?” Nimue asked.
“Have you heard birdsong since we've been in the valley? Do you hear it now? The birds couldn't come in while the ward was up, but just listen.”
“Well, that's... unfortunate,” she said.
“Gunter,” Merlin called.
Gunter came over and Merlin spoke to him.
“You're going to have more duties now I'm afraid. It seems that something we've done has removed the aversion ward, so now we'll need to keep an eye out for patrols. Since Anguis has been raiding, I'm guessing that they'll still be in the area.”
“There's a good spot on top of the hill that gives me a view of the entire valley. I can keep watch from there. We'll have to arrange a signal in case I see someone though.”
“We'll think of something for that. It needs to be something anyone entering the valley wouldn't notice,” Merlin said.
“Is there something you can do with magic? Maybe somehow let me talk to your mind like we did before?”
“Possibly/ we can't have it broadcast out in general, but I might be able to craft something that would only connect to Nimue, Verruckt, and myself. I'll give it some thought later on today. For now though, just fire a single shot from your rifle if you see anyone. They'll know that we know they're here, but that can't be helped, yet.”
Gunter nodded, picked up his rifle, and headed for the hill.
“Nimue, I'm going to need to go through the information Anguis brought me again today. I think we just acquired a deadline. Can you and Verruckt restore the stretched area of the portal spell? That should be easier than stretching it out in the first place.”
“I'm sure we can do that. We'll get right on it,” she said.
{I heard what you said Merlin. I'm sorry if my needing metal has caused us problems.} Anguis sent.
{Don't worry about it Anguis, I'm pretty sure that Ave knows someone is meddling here now. She would even if you hadn't been raiding. It might just save her a day or two on her response time now, assuming she uses humans instead of showing up herself.}
{Well, I'm sorry anyhow, is there anything I can do to help?}
{Since you don't need sleep I may ask you to take most of the watches. You aren't trapped in one spot. You can fly overhead to keep an eye on things, plus you can contact us without aid.}
{I can do that. I'll be happy to.}
Merlin settled in and watched Ave cast the spell over and over in his mind. Nimue returned several hours later with good news.
“The spell went back to its normal form easily. Almost two weeks work undone in just a few hours.”
“We know more about it now and we know that there are still dragons in there to save. So it wasn't a waste,” Merlin replied.
“No, it wasn't wasted, it's just dismaying to see how much resilience her magic has.”
Merlin tugged his chin, wondering how much to tell her. Nimue noticed the gesture and knew what it meant.
“I recognize that sign. It means things are worse than I think. Tell me all of it,” she said.
Merlin sighed.
“As best as I can tell, she didn't anchor the portal spell to anything. Those two strands are the anchors for the spell and are still connected to her. It would explain why she left her body here and just took another one. So we can't seize control without taking it from her directly.”
“Is there another way to open the portal again?”
“I had hoped that she anchored the spell to something so we could take control that way. But the only way to open the portal is to have control of the spell. There are a couple of possibilities I'm working on. Verruckt's innate talent for draining magic and the draining knife may be of use but even so, it's going to be harder than I hoped.”
“Well, let me know what I can do to help.”
“I know that you use your spells in stages to allow you to control more magic than you normally can. If you could rough out some plans for me to control the amount of magic necessary for opening the portal that would be a great help. Even if I were full of energy and all my crystals and the scale were full, I think I might still need a boost. Your skills in that aspect may be the difference between success and failure.”
“I'll get started on it. Good thing I've been teaching you how I do things,” she said.
“Yes it is. It will prove very useful.”
Merlin spent most of the day carefully digging out a trench that cut across where he determined the two anchor strands ran towards the barn. Then he prepared an alarm system that Gunter could use. When Gunter triggered the alarm it would send the word 'alarm' repeatedly to the three wizard's minds until they sent a reply acknowledging it.
* * *
The next morning found Merlin and Verruckt at the trench dug the day before.
“Verruckt, you're sure you can drain this without causing yourself a problem? You checked for traps in this area of the strand?”
“Yes Merlin. I've yet to find anything I can't drain without harming myself. I looked and the continuity in this section of strand is unbroken.”
“I'll be setting the knife to draining the other strand, can you try to match its rate?”
“That, I don't look forward to. The thing is filthy. But yes, I should be able to match its rate. Can we get on with this?”
“One last thing before you start. Nimue and I think that a link to the other dragon we met will allow the strands to shift anchor more easily so...”
Merlin took the two scales that Praesagium gave to him and Nimue, then drove them into the dirt on the edge of the trench closer to the cliff. He could sense the strands, and he carefully positioned the scales so they were barely touching the edge of them.
“Now you can start,” he said.
Merlin pushed the knife into the dirt on one side of the trench, making sure to get the tip into the strand of magic anchoring the portal to Ave. He placed the sun crystal beside it, not knowing if the shadows in the trench would be enough to allow the demon free reign. Verruckt placed his hand on the ground at the bottom of the trench on the other side. His fingers penetrated the dirt and he gave a shocked gasp when he made contact with the strand.
“I would've said this was vile magic before seeing the knife and that monstrosity in the cellar here. I can tolerate it though,” he said.
“I'll be back to check on everything in a little while,” Merlin said.
Merlin returned an hour later.
“How are you doing?” he asked.
Verruckt grimaced.
“I'm doing fine and I know just how fast that knife drains now so do me a favor and put some big chunks of rock between it and me. That thing, combined with the magic in this spell strand, is making me nauseous.”
“I'll get right on that.”
Merlin searched the area and hauled several rocks, as large as he could carry, into the trench. Some of the loose dirt went in around them to hold the temporary rock wall in place.
“Is that better?” he asked.
“Much,” Verruckt said, “they call me crazy, but the one who cast this spell? She makes me look utterly sane by comparison. If this is what happens to those who are crazy after a few centuries, I may need to make an effort to be more sane. The magic I'm draining is bad enough, with the knife added in I was being pushed over the edge.”
“If it gets too bad, just stop. But if you do, pull the knife out as well.”
“I'll be fine Merlin, I can handle the magic from the spell strand.”
“Just use your judgment. I don't want you injured doing this. I'm afraid we'll receive a visit soon, now that the aversion ward is gone, and I'd prefer you were available for any such encounter.”
Verruckt nodded and returned his focus to the task of slowly draining the power from the portal spell. Merlin walked back towards camp.
At th
is rate, it will take a month before the spell is drained far enough for me to take control as the anchor, he thought. But I can't think of a better option.
Merlin fidgeted around the camp, trying to find something useful to do. With Gunter on watch, Nimue had taken over the cooking duties and was currently working on lunch. He felt her watching him as he paced around feeling useless.
“Merlin, you'll wear a hole in the dirt with your pacing,” she said.
“I need to find something to do. I feel useless, like I'm not needed.”
“You know you're needed here, by me if by no-one else. Aren't you doing a few things now anyway?” she asked.
“No, not really.”
Nimue pointed to where his crystals were laid out in the sun.
“What are those over there then?”
“Just my crystals charging.”
“So recharging your energy levels is doing nothing?”
“No, but you know what I mean,” Merlin said.
“I'll tell you what. This soup doesn't need any tending for the next hour or so. How about we go in our cabin and recharge both our personal energies some?”
Merlin blushed at her forward advance.
She's right though, he thought, a leisurely romp would certainly help charge both our personal energy levels back up some.
He held out his hand to her and the two of them entered their makeshift cabin.
* * *
Feeling recharged, Merlin put himself to good use over the next couple of days. He took one of his crystals and experimented with a spell that would allow the holder to indulge in the mental communication that wizards took for granted. Once he perfected it, he added the spell to Gunter's crystal.
“Remember, the energy drain from the communication will lessen the length of time you can use the shields in it, so use it sparingly if you're giving an alarm,” he said.
“Can I test it out a bit and familiarize myself with it?” Gunter asked.
“Certainly, if you keep the communications short then it should charge back up from being in sunlight for a day or so.”
“So I simply think at the crystal while holding an image of the person I want to talk to in my head?”