The Shattered Shards

by Stephen J Wolf

  Gabrion lay in his chamber, breathing slowly and at ease. The crystalline barrier leading to his chamber had fallen and so Dariak was able to walk right in and crouch beside his friend. He took Gabrion’s hand and whispered his name to awaken him.

  The warrior hadn’t spoken aloud in some time so he sputtered at first, but then he looked at the mage and smiled. “Thank you, Dariak.”

  “We need to find Randler, and we have to be ready for a fight,” Dariak warned.

  “What happened?”

  Dariak briefly explained. “And once the others hear of Kerrish, they will deny me the right to take the jades.”

  “But it was an accident.”

  Dariak nodded. “More than that, my father already knew the dangers of firegnat serum and the mages here are trained to deal with it. Kerrish should have known to respond differently. He was a true master in his craft. Unless…” A look of dread appeared on Dariak’s face.

  “Unless what?” Gabrion asked when the mage fell silent.

  “Unless he did it on purpose, in order to prevent me from obtaining the shards. Unless he was seeking to end our journey here and now. I was scheduled to face him in battle after freeing you, but he wouldn’t have won. Maybe this was his way of defeating me.” As he said the words, they felt true. “That must be the case,” he decided. “Gabrion, are you strong enough? Can you stand? This won’t be easy.”

  He did so, responding to the tone in Dariak’s voice. “What next, then? We have to alert our friends, don’t we?”

  “Yes. I must also abscond with the jades that are here. We won’t be able to get them any other way.”

  “Can’t you petition with the leaders or something?”

  Logically, he knew he should try, but he also knew that with numerous members of the Council already against him, the sudden death of Kerrish would only incite them further. “My father’s legacy has lost favor among the mages. I don’t know why. I don’t have the respect here that I once had. My initial petitions were refused. Conditions will only be worse after this. I—” But he stopped, shaking his head.

  Gabrion stared at him for a long moment. “Your goal is to unite the kingdoms, Dariak. Don’t you think that warring within your own country and among your own kind is the wrong way to go about this? There has to be another way.”

  “True,” he conceded, falling silent for a time. “Very well, I will seek out Pyron. Go find Randler and alert Quereth and the others that they should prepare for a sudden and immediate departure.”

  Gabrion’s brow came together, noting one particular name missing from the list. “What of Kitalla?”

  Dariak reached into a pocket and withdrew the metal jade that Kitalla had obtained back in Grenthar’s domain. “She left us, Gabrion. I do not know if it’s forever or just for a time, but leaving me with this says much.”

  The warrior winced. His Trial had made him face his growing feelings for the thief, and though he hadn’t yet resolved them against his love for Mira, this loss was a painful blow. “Where did she go?”

  Dariak shook his head. “I was on the floor when she stormed out. Her comrades headed toward the castle, so maybe she went to find them. Otherwise, perhaps she ventured back to Marritosh with the army.”

  Gabrion considered for a moment. “If she needed to get away from us, she wouldn’t have gone to the army,” he decided.

  “Marritosh is a bit closer, so she may have gone if she felt she needed supplies.” Dariak frowned, his whole self feeling heavier than usual. “Gabrion, go, alert the others. I must speak with Pyron.” He gave some basic directions and then strode off toward the adept’s chambers.

  Some of the mages were surprised to see Dariak walking about and though they asked him of his success, he ignored them all. Back straight, eyes focused, he strode forth like he was the leader of the Mage Council and their words were intrusions to his business. The others were confused by his haughtiness, but they mostly accepted it, deciding they would hear about it soon enough anyway.

  As he went, he debated the wisdom of seeking the mage first. There was no guarantee that Pyron would really listen to his tale or that he would be believed by anyone who mattered. Facing Pyron was risky and it might lose him the opportunity to freely obtain the jade shards that were here.

  However, if he sought out and claimed the jades now, he would ruin his reputation with the mages entirely. Kerrish’s death would be viewed as intentional if he went off to steal the jades. Neither option suited him, but at least speaking with Pyron offered a chance for success and reconciliation.

  Not long later, Dariak knocked on the door to Pyron’s chamber. “A moment,” grumbled the old man from beyond. Dariak could hear the shuffling of a chair and, moments later, the portal opened.

  Pyron stared down at Dariak and raised an eyebrow. “You return, Brother Dariak. I assume this means you were successful? Surely you aren’t here already to call for the first of your mage battles?”

  “Master Pyron, we must talk.”

  “Come in then. We were having breakfast, if you’d like some.”

  Dariak hesitated on the use of the plural. He looked over the old mage’s shoulder and he saw several Council members munching away on bread and jam, sipping juice, and telling stories about spells they claimed to have invented. “Master, I would prefer to speak with you alone.”

  Farrenok was among those assembled, and he saw Dariak trying to cower in the doorway. “What’s this, Pyron? Has our little visitor given up trying to rescue his friend?”

  Old Lorresh slammed a mug on the table, “Well, mage? What is the outcome, then? And why isn’t Kerrish with you?” The wrinkled face scrunched in suspicion.

  There was no way to avoid the inevitable without rousing more distrust, and so Dariak explained. “I was able to help my friend, but there were complications.”

  Utensils and cups scattered to the table. “What happened, Dariak?” Pyron demanded, his voice sated with anger.

  He opted for the truth. “While I was working, Kerrish kept insinuating himself into the energies and distracting me from my mission. His goal seemed more to learn what I knew than to help empower the process so that I could save Gabrion.”

  “Slander!” Farrenok accused.

  “It isn’t,” Dariak insisted. “He kept pushing my thoughts in other directions, which would have been disastrous to all three of us in there.”

  “So you say!” Lorresh shouted. “No one has attempted such an undertaking before. How were you to know what the danger was?”

  “Silence!” Pyron snarled. “Dariak, go on.”

  “I used a spell to temporarily distract him, which allowed me to continue my work.”

  “That’s impossible!” Shelloni sputtered. She was one of the mages on Dariak’s side, but this sounded preposterous to her. “Once your mind is locked with the diamond, you cannot cast spells.”

  Dariak shrugged. “It was a lot like being in the midst of a battle but thinking about cooking a meal at home. I sent some thoughts back to my body to cast the spell, and it did. Meanwhile, I kept making progress with Gabrion.” The explanation was simplistic but clear enough for the time. “Later, though, Kerrish took direct control of my friend and tried beating me within Gabrion’s mind. I then sent another spell to—”

  “Master Pyron! Master Pyron!” an adept called, running toward the assembly. Usually, the elder would not have tolerated such an intrusion, but the girl’s urgency was palpable. “It’s terrible! Master Pyron!”

  “What is it, Gianne?” he asked in a soothing voice, meant to calm her hysteria.

  “The empowerment chamber! It’s all ash and cinders! And… and… Master Kerrish. He’s a charred hulk. Dead.”

  The gathered mages shrieked in horror, turning to Dariak, “What did you do?”

  Dariak stayed strong and he looked Pyron in the eye as he answered. “I must not have concentrated well enough when I tried to stop Kerrish’s second intrusion, but I pulled firegnat serum out instead of the spi
ders’ eggs I was seeking.”

  “You killed Kerrish? With a fire storm?” Farrenok asked. He didn’t let Dariak answer before shouting out, “Murderer!” The other mages erupted into babbling.

  “It was an accident,” Dariak insisted. “He must have used the wrong counterspell against it—”

  But it was no use. The other mages were in an uproar, and those who had sided with him stared in horror at this realization. Farrenok and Lorresh wasted no time spinning the tale to make the act seem intentional; that Dariak wanted to slay Kerrish when he was defenseless.

  “It’s one less foe he would face now that he succeeded with the Trial,” Lorresh raged.

  “Leave it to the wanderer to kill a man while he is entranced!” called another.

  “Any number of you could have been there to support and protect him, but you were all cowards,” Dariak retorted.

  “He—he threatened my life if I offered to help with the empowerment,” one mage invented, pointing at Dariak.

  “Me too!” someone seconded.

  “He would have killed all of us if we had been there!”

  “Yes, he wanted us there! Easy kills!”

  “Poor Kerrish!”

  Pyron was unable to restore order with words alone. He summoned the energies and dropped a veil of silence over the gathering, which outraged them more. His arms swung wildly and he fused their feet to the floor to keep them from storming him or Dariak. “Silence and be still,” he commanded. He turned to Dariak. “This is a serious crime against us, Dariak.”

  “It was not my fault, entirely,” the mage defended. “All mages here know the signs of a firegnat spell, thanks to my father,” he added for spite. “Kerrish augmented the spell on purpose.”

  The accusation angered even Pyron and it pushed him over the edge. “How dare you, Dariak! I tutored you as a fledging mage and have championed you since your arrival, but I will not tolerate such a claim. May your poor mother never learn of this, for her sake.” He refused to listen to any of Dariak’s words, deciding that the young mage was twisting the truth now. He drew his silencing spell over Dariak before he could have a chance to deflect it or defend himself further. “You will pay for your crime, mage. You will answer for the murder of Council member Kerrish.”

  Dariak had known his confession would not be received well, but if he could have spoken to Pyron alone, he might have been able to explain properly. Words would have sufficed. He hadn’t set up any protections against spells, partly because he was exhausted, but also because Pyron would have at least listened before bringing the situation to the Council. Now, with the eager eyes of nine other mages, Pyron could not just hear the tale. The master mage whipped his arms around, pulling spell components from his pockets with such dexterity, only a practiced mage would have noticed. And with a jolt, Dariak collapsed, his body enwrapped in thick, magic-resistant chains.

  “Your friends will share your fate, Dariak,” Pyron declared, “for it seems now that your intent was all along to infiltrate this place, to insinuate your crew among us, and to eliminate your former adversaries among the Council. From striking out against Master Farrenok at the Council meeting to this heinous murder of Master Kerrish, your actions have shown you to be a rogue among mages. Your comrade could not survive his healing Trial without your assistance, and even the lowest of thieves have come through them in the past. It shows us the caliber of your character more than you know.”

  Farrenok snarled, speaking up now that Pyron had removed the silence shroud from them. “To the border guardians, I say.”

  “No,” Lorresh argued. “Quite the opposite! Do not let him feel magic’s warmth any longer. Seal his powers.”

  Shelloni had tears in her eyes, but her jaw was firm. “I once admired you and your father, Dariak. But these atrocities must be repaid.” She turned to the others. “You cannot seal his powers, for we have seen others break through the seal, and this one is wise and resilient enough to find a way. No, I say he should feel the bite of a sword through his heart.”

  The other mages called out other tortures and torments to use against this traitor. Pyron let them carry on, eying Dariak as he lay on the ground, but unable to read the man’s eyes. At last, the elder had heard enough. “The final punishment will be decided in Council. Dariak will be an example to other mages not to reach above their stations and not to seek retaliation within our ranks. The rights and privileges afforded to Delminor’s kin will be hereby revoked.” The others agreed. “Gianne,” he said next, “send word. Capture and bind his companions. All of them. Then alert the king for a guard escort.”

  “It will be done,” she said, bowing her head and running off.

  On the ground, Dariak lay in a tightly bound heap, tears streaming from his eyes.

  Chapter 22

  Within Magehaven

  Gabrion left Dariak to go find Randler. Luckily, the mage had given clear directions, and it wasn’t long before he located the bard’s room. Knocking on the door, Gabrion walked in, a little surprised to see that Randler wasn’t alone. Frast was there too and they were talking over the remains of a pastry they had shared.

  “Gabrion!” the bard exclaimed. “Then Dariak was successful!”

  “Yes, but there’s trouble.” He explained the situation briefly, immediately dampening the relief in the room. “There isn’t much time, from what Dariak said. We have to hurry.”

  Frast stood up abruptly. “I’ll alert the mages. You two should go support Dariak. It sounds like he’ll need it.”

  “He was adamant that everyone is ready to leave right away,” Gabrion said, shaking Frast’s hand in gratitude. “Be safe.”

  “You too,” the mage said, running off.

  Randler was already on his feet, rummaging through the room and gathering his things. “There shouldn’t be anything for you to get together, Gabrion. I believe all of your belongings are still with you?”

  The warrior checked his equipment, noting a strange tone in the bard’s voice. “Yes, I have everything.”

  “Good. That will save time.” He wrapped his lute in a velvet cloth before storing it in its case.

  “Need any help?”

  “No, you’ve done enough,” Randler said. Then he shook his head before Gabrion could respond. “Sorry, I need a little time to sort this out. My thoughts, that is. But that will have to wait.”

  “I don’t follow.”

  The bard stood up and shrugged. “Let’s say that I heard some of what Dariak said to you in your Trial and I didn’t care to hear it, or what it meant.”

  Gabrion’s brows furrowed for a moment, then he understood. “Randler, it’s—”

  “No, Gabrion,” Randler cut across. “Not now. And it’s Dariak I need to speak to about it, in any event.” He hefted his pack onto his back and stepped forward. “For now, let’s go to his aid.”

  There wasn’t time to argue. With a stern nod, Gabrion turned and followed Randler as he hurried across the room and out the door. They didn’t go very far before a strange occurrence stopped them.

  “Randler! You’re glowing.”

  The bard turned and gasped. “You are too.” They looked at each other and their skin had faded to a greenish hue that started to shimmer. “It’s showing through our clothing too,” he noted with a frown. “This can’t be good.”

  As they looked around, Quereth ran up to them, his skin also bearing a verdant glow. “Good, you’re still here. Frast is alerting the others, but we don’t have a moment to lose.”

  “What is this?” Gabrion asked, lifting his hand.

  “Some kind of light marker they’re using to identify those who don’t belong here. I don’t know how, but they have managed to illuminate the life force within us.” Quereth stepped forward and adopted his most ominous presence. “This means we will not be able to hide here. They will know exactly where we are and they will find us.”

  “It doesn’t matter,” Gabrion dismissed. “Dariak needs us and we’re going to get h
im.”

  Footsteps echoed not far away and three acolytes sprinted into the room. “There they are!” Arcane words sputtered from their mouths and a variety of spells flew across the floor toward them. Gabrion sidestepped a web-like projectile and Randler dropped to the floor to avoid a thick black ooze, but neither was ready for the spark ball that exploded over their heads and rained down on them. The glittering sparks bit and stung violently and made it hard for them to get their bearings. Quereth, on the other hand, had protections in place and he was already casting various counterspells.

  After setting spell shields for Gabrion and Randler, the older mage focused his attention on the acolytes. They shouted their spells to add power to them, which signaled to Quereth that they weren’t particularly experienced, which was helpful. He pulled a parchment-wrapped package from his pocket and hastily opened it as he sputtered the words, “Fethrinus incarsatier magilliar ruptus.” With that, he threw one of the dried frog tongues from the pack and as it drifted through the air, it expanded and erupted into a veritable swarm of flies. The acolytes had never seen the spell before and they were immediately distracted and unable to retaliate.

  Quereth turned to his companions. “I know your intentions are to save Dariak, but there is nothing you can do for him now.” He interrupted Gabrion as he tried to object. “This tower is filled with hundreds of mages who have practiced magic for years and are much more experienced than this lot. I cannot fight them all myself, and without powers, you two will soon perish.”

  “We can’t abandon Dariak,” Randler said.

  “You won’t be able to hide with this magical green light,” Quereth said, fumbling in his pocket for more spell components. The acolytes were succumbing to the swarm, but he knew they were just as likely to break free of it.

  “My jade,” Randler said, pulling the shadow jade from his pouch and calling for its darkening strength. He set a thick globe around himself so he could be completely obscured from view. “There.”