by Jeff Inlo
Instantly, she broke off her examination of Heteera's spell.
"He's right. It's not Lief."
Heteera would simply not accept this condemnation of her spell.
"No, you're both wrong! I summoned an the spirit of an elf, not a dead slink ghoul. I would know the difference!"
"If it was Baannat, don't you think he could fool you?" Ryson asked.
Enin finally spoke, though he remained seemingly distracted as if something in the distance pulled at his attention.
"Something else may be at work here," the wizard stated in almost a mumble. "We must not jump to any conclusions."
Ryson did not want to contradict the wizard in front of everyone else, but he had to make his case.
"Enin, Lief-the real Lief-told me you should know the truth. He said you would understand that no spirit could be recalled to this land."
"Not if it didn't wish to be summoned," Enin admitted, "but if Lief felt the need to remove the dark creatures from this land, he would have viewed Heteera's spell as an opportunity, an open door, and he would have walked through it willingly."
"Would he also be willing to kill Holli, Sy and me? Could a spell or even prolonged exposure to the evils of another dimension have warped his true soul? Could it make a spirit act so out of character?"
"No, it couldn't," Enin acknowledged.
Ryson then pointed to the elf guard.
"Look at Holli, Enin. Even I can see it in her face now. She knows that wasn't Lief."
Enin looked into the depth of his elf guard. He touched the magic and shared her awareness. She had previously given him permission to do so as he saw necessary. She knew he would not abuse the privilege and it would allow her to protect him far more efficiently. He could share her concerns directly, understand her motives without question, and act in a fashion that would allow them to co-exist.
In return, Enin had shared his magical knowledge and his energy with Holli. Beyond simply training her in understanding magic and casting spells, he enabled her to grasp the vast energies he could summon. This magical link permitted Holli to maintain focus on the wizard's safety and well-being across untold distances. It kept them connected and in a sense of harmony.
As the wizard joined with his guard's consciousness, he saw the certainty in her mind. It was not Lief Woodson they left in the dark realm.
"I see," Enin muttered.
There was, however, one gap that could not be explained. While Holli was certain the spirit was not Lief, she was not sure it was Baannat, and that remained a doubt Enin would have to erase for himself.
"If it is Baannat, we need to be absolutely sure, and there's only one way to do that. I will go see him now."
Holli almost objected, but it was Sy who called out.
"Wait a minute! Are you saying you're going into the dark realm?"
"It must be done. We must know for sure."
"Unless I missed something, that's not an alternative. When this whole thing started, when we decided that vessel had to be destroyed, you said you couldn't go into the dark realm. You said it would cause a horde of monsters to flee into this existence. That's not a good thing."
"You did not miss anything," Enin agreed, "but the circumstances have changed."
"Does that mean dark creatures won't come bounding across to our side of the portal?"
"Of that I can't be sure, but it no longer matters."
Sy looked at the wizard with a baffled expression.
"Excuse me for saying so, but I think it matters quite a bit!" Sy finally revealed.
Enin almost laughed. He might have, too, had the concern of Baannat's return not hung so heavily upon him.
"Sy, it is a joy to know you. I know you're worried about your people in Burbon. I'm worried about them, too, as well as the people here in Connel. You must, however, look past your immediate concerns and understand the depth of the circumstances. If Baannat has somehow returned and decided to reign over the dark realm, then my appearance there means nothing. If he wants to send every menacing, dangerous creature into our land, he will do so without hesitation."
"What if it's not Baannat?"
"Whether it's Baannat or not is actually no longer material. Something disguised as Lief Woodson has tricked a powerful sorceress into casting an unwise spell. That spell was then used to collect vast amounts of magic twisted for evil purposes. All of that magic is now at the command of an individual that tried to kill you, Ryson and Holli. This deceitful phantom seems to control an army of monsters. Ryson is now certain that the specter is Baannat. I can determine if that's true. Should we just sit back and wait for a catastrophe, or should I act now?"
"Are there any alternatives?" Sy asked.
"I'd be willing to listen to them, but you must offer them quickly, and remember, caution is a luxury I can no longer afford."
"I don't like any of it, but I guess there's no choice. Hard to believe you once didn't like to act," Sy stated without intent to insult.
Enin took no offense.
"People can change, even for the better," the wizard offered. He then looked upon Heteera. "You will stay with Holli and you will cast no spells until I return. Do you understand?"
"Yes… but it's not Baannat," the sorceress whispered.
"Let's hope you're correct."
Chapter 12
Willing himself into the sky, Enin flew to the spot outside of the Lacobian where Holli closed the portal. While in flight, he bent the space around him, utilizing the magic to reach the area almost instantaneously.
After landing, he didn't have to examine the ground for tracks. The echo of magic was strong. Looking beyond his natural sight and focusing on the magical vibrations, his mind's eye could pinpoint the exact location of Heteera's now extinct portal. Holli had indeed closed the rift, but whispers and memories of the spell hung in the magical energy.
Hoping to gain some insight into Heteera's limitations, Enin examined the casting's attributes and envisioned the obvious results. The spell was beyond deficient, it was reckless and disruptive. The portal clearly would have lacked proper substantive connections between dimensions. He noted its imperfections; its inability to remain stable and its fluctuations in and out of existence. He found the spell almost offensive-a dangerous break in reality and a genuine waste of energy.
Before moving on to his ultimate goal, he took one moment to spread the strands of his awareness to the surrounding lands. The emptiness saddened him. It was not just the lack of dark creatures that he noticed. It seemed as if all life had fled. Birds, lizards, rodents, and insects now avoided the area. He wondered if at the next rainfall, even as sparse as it was in these badlands, the raindrops themselves would refuse to reach the ground he stood upon.
Unwilling to waste too much time on such reflection, he quickly cast his own spell, opening a new portal that mirrored the one that Heteera created. He established it in the exact same spot, but this rift would remain permanent until he saw fit to close it. It made a connection to the previous location in the dark realm, but it would not fluctuate in and out of existence. This new gateway was also somewhat smaller, about the size of an open door, just enough room for Enin to float through. He saw no reason to make it any larger.
The wizard sighed with even further sadness as he entered the twisted realm of pain and agony. There was life-and magic-here, but it felt heavy to him, almost suffocating. More disheartening was the almost total lack of hope. Death and destruction bred here, he understood that, but beyond a very narrow desire for survival, nothing else existed in this plane to offer a reason to live. He sensed desperation in the magical energies. It weighed him down, like difficulty breathing in thick, humid air. He wished to be free of it as soon as possible, but there remained work to be done.
Checking the immediate area, no dark creatures of significance waited in the area to challenge his arrival. Those few beasts that hid in the shadows skulked away from the wizard, unwilling to risk an encounter they would surely lose.
Enin did not feel it necessary to place any protection around the rift and he turned his attention to finding the spiritual entity that had to be identified.
He took flight into the gloomy skies, keeping a watchful eye for birds of prey, but determined to follow the path of magic to the cave in the ravine. He could sense the energy and it called to him like a beacon. He glided down between the cliff walls and came to a halt just outside the tunnel entrance. He peered inside, but he knew the cave was empty. It was at that moment he heard a familiar voice.
"Hello, brother."
It came from above. Enin searched upward with both his eyes and his magical perception. The apparition did not even bother to maintain its disguise. The form of Lief Woodson had dissolved and the familiar form of Baannat, the slink ghoul, was now clearly evident.
Enin tapped into the magic, extended his perception to measure the aura of energy surrounding the ghoul. He let his feelings grasp it like tendrils wavering in the wind. He recalled the many visits he made to the magical enclave Baannat had carved out before their final battle. In that pocket of inter-dimensional space, the wizards had challenged each other in contests of power. They knew each other very well and Enin recognized the presence of his enemy.
Still, he could not understand how the slink ghoul had escaped death, and as he looked up to the cliff ledge where Baannat stood, he openly questioned the ghoul's survival.
"You call me brother, as you have in the past, but is that really you, Baannat?"
"You mean you don't recognize me? I know you're probing me, examining the magical connection. Isn't that enough for you?"
"I'm not sure it is. For some reason my mind is not clear on the issue."
"You would actually admit that to me?"
"It does no harm. I've always been prone to distraction. If you are Baannat, you would know that."
"And what can distract you here?"
"A memory. You died, and of that, I'm sure."
"Are you sure?" the ghoul hissed.
"We battled. You were the stronger, but you could not reach me and the delver cut you in two. That was no illusion, no trick."
"No, not an illusion, not a trick. I was beaten, but where did I go?"
"I don't understand," Enin admitted,
"I'm asking you where I went," the slink ghoul snickered. "Is it that difficult of a question?"
"You did not go anywhere. You were dead."
"Yes and no."
"What kind of answer is that. Are you trying to confuse me?"
"There is no need. I won't hide the truth. Not only is there no need, there is no cause. You'd figure it out on your own. That's why you're here."
"I'm here to determine if you are truly Baannat. Everything within me confirms that you are, but it doesn't answer the question of how you survived."
"I didn't survive, but you gave me the chance to return."
Enin considered the assertion. It was difficult. Something was clouding his thinking. Maybe it was the distorted aspect of the realm, but he found it challenging to concentrate. Some things, however, remained clear in his mind.
"I gave you no such chance," Enin stated firmly.
"No? Think back. We fought in a dimensional pocket of pure magic. That's how you used the human female to shield yourself. She was immune to magic. By the way, how did you find her? Such an ability is extraordinary. Totally immune. I think that's more exceptional than your magical strength."
Enin did not want the subject changed.
"I'm not talking about the woman. I'm asking how it's possible for you to have returned. Will you answer openly or must I pull the magical remnant of memory from you forcibly?"
"No need to be so hostile. My, you have become so aggressive as of late. I will tell you freely-mostly because I find it amusing. You see, when I spell it out for you, you'll realize your own hand at work."
Enin grew tired and angry. He willed himself through the foul, heavy air and came to rest directly in front of Baannat, who appeared neither physically whole, nor completely spiritual in form. The slink ghoul seemed to be hovering on the brink of existence, nothing more.
"Yes, by all means get a closer look," Baannat encouraged. "The delver defeated me, I can't debate that, but think closely on all the aspects of the event. You say I died, and perhaps I did, but it did not occur in one realm or the other. I was killed in an envelope of magic. The accursed delver cut me in two sure enough, but you made a miscalculation."
"How can cleaving you in two be a miscalculation?"
"Right before the delver struck me with his accursed sword, you opened a portal to this realm, remember? When my power began to wane in our battle, you created a gateway for dark creatures of this place to enter my magical sanctuary. They did, of course, and they feasted on the remains of my body. And where did they go?"
The human wizard recalled the incident, and slowly, he began to understand.
"Ah, you can almost see it now, can't you?" Baannat laughed. "The shreds of my carcass were taken away by creatures you invited into that space. That's why it was your miscalculation. Yes, they fed on my body-and my magic-and returned to their own realm. But I am a slink ghoul, and my core is malleable. Parts of my body merged in different ways with the beasts that ate me."
Enin did begin to understand, but only a little. The cloud lifted to a degree, but the fog remained.
"That answers only how part of your body could survive, but your essence was destroyed."
"Was it? I was killed in a space of pure magic. Not in this realm of darkness and not in your land of light. My death took place in a transitional field that I created, and so my essence was caught in that field. It might have stayed there forever, or it may have eventually faded into nothingness had my body been truly destroyed. I'm really not sure, but I know that the sorceress gave me another chance."
"Heteera," Enin whispered.
"Yes, very powerful, but not very careful. She called on the echoes, opened a nice link of which I took hold. As she watched the history of our battle, I took refuge in the powerful magic that surrounds her. Unfortunately, I lacked the strength to do anything more. I was not whole. As long as she did not notice me, I could remain. The magic is too much for her. So much power and so little control. It was actually very easy for me to conceal my presence from her."
"So that's it," Enin sighed.
"Only part," the ghoul laughed in delight. "Don't jump too far ahead. You don't have the entire picture yet. You see, I was still not whole. Parts of my body existed within the creatures of this dark realm-those creatures that feasted on me-and my consciousness resided in the magic of a sorceress. I had to reconnect them, but how? Care to guess?"
"The spell to recall Lief Woodson," Enin stated sadly.
"That was certainly an opportunity I couldn't resist. It was almost too good to be true. The foolish woman called on a spirit to help her, the spirit of an elf legend, but she has no control. It was easy for me to utilize the spell for my own needs. The spell gave me the power to exist outside of her magical reservoir. I took the form of Lief Woodson as she saw it in her memory and the rest was child's play."
"You convinced her to open a portal to the dark realm."
"Of course I had to get my body back, but I lacked the power to kill dark creatures. I could find the ones that fed on my corpse, but what then? I needed a way to kill them and regain what was rightfully mine. I also needed a way to collect the magic that also belongs to me. I had Heteera cast a spell that took care of both problems. She reanimated the remains of dead goblins and turned them into the vessel required to collect my body and my magic."
"And then you needed Ryson to destroy it."
"Not destroy it. Open it up for me. And you sent him to me. How ironic is that? You all did exactly what I wanted you to do. It's like I wrote the script and you all willingly played your parts. This is not the first time I've accomplished that, so don't be so surprised."
Enin shook his head.
"So you sa
y, and that might explain much, but you know I can't trust you."
Baannat's smile twisted into a hateful sneer and he willingly revealed the full measure of his desires.
"No you can't, but trust no longer matters, brother. We are now at war."
"That war is over. Ryson won."
"Yes, he did," Baannat admitted with another hiss, but with no further humiliation. "You often talked of destiny and how it was the cursed delver's fate to meet me in battle-to defeat me. Well, as you said, he won, but that was him. The war with you, however, goes on."
Enin sighed. He saw Baannat not as an equal, not even as an enemy, but as a shell, and an incomplete one at that.
"And what am I at war with? You're not a spirit, of that I'm now sure. You're not the ghost of Lief Woodson. You're not even the full spirit of Baannat. You are a slink ghoul, only partially whole, alive once more, but not fully. It's almost as if you exist and don't exist, much like Heteera's portal."
"Very much like her portal."
"Which means you lack the power to defeat me in any kind of war. Even with all the magic you usurped from the dark creatures through your vessel, you still cannot match me."
"Not true," the ghoul said with great confidence. "A war is made up of battles. We battled once before, I made a mistake. I tried to fight you on my own, but you brought allies. You wouldn't face me alone."
"That's because it was Ryson that was destined to defeat you."
"And he did defeat me, as I've already acknowledged. That destiny is complete. I no longer have to concern myself with battling a fate already decided. Now we face a new beginning. I now have my own allies, an entire realm of them."
Enin looked about the hills, cliffs and ravines. He could see some of them, but he felt almost all of them-a multitude. They were vicious and cruel creatures and the wizard could sense their willingness to please Baannat. They would follow the wishes and desires of the ghoul. Somehow Baannat had gained control of this realm. It was no trick. The link between them all was as clear to the human wizard as if he could pluck them like guitar strings.