Mastering the Elements: Elwin Escari Chronicles: Volume 2

by David Ekrut

  Zarah would leap out, seizing Air. As she formed a javelin of crackling energy, Abaddon would turn. He would speak an incantation. And she would disintegrate. A breeze would spread her ashes to the wind. Jesnia would die with a ball of energy through her chest.

  She glanced at the other possibilities, hoping for some chance that she could prevail. She watched herself die alongside Jesnia twenty different ways and saw herself captured all the rest.

  There was no hope to defeat him.

  And if she died here, there would be no one to warn the world that Abaddon had returned. He was responsible for the dragons. And killing him would be the only way to end this.

  “We need to go,” Zarah whispered.

  Jesnia nodded fervent agreement.

  Holding her breath, Zarah backed slowly into the alley. She walked on her toes, following Jesnia. She moved quickly enough not to scuff her boot on a stone. Once they reached the open street, they walked faster but not so hastily as to stomp the road. After they crossed four more streets and turned down several alleys, Jesnia sprinted. Zarah kept pace.

  They reached the northern gate, the same she’d come through with Feffer just a few hours ago. He was always so brash. Why did he not think before acting? They could have carried the sword in the bag and studied it later. Why had he grabbed it like that?

  “There are wards,” Jesnia said.

  “This way.”

  She felt tears welling in her eyes as she climbed over the wall, but she forced them away. When her boots landed on the other side of Abadaria, she adjusted the backpack and walked north.

  “The abandoned town is this way,” Jesnia said.

  “I came from the north. I need to return to Justice. The King’s River is the fastest way to Alcoa.”

  “Our deal was to the abandoned town.”

  “I release you of your obligation.”

  Jesnia’s eyebrow rose. She gave her head a little shake. “You aren’t like other nobles. Don’t frown. That’s a compliment.”

  Zarah inclined her head gratefully. “Thank you, Jesnia. We are well-met.”

  Jesnia nodded and began to leave. She stopped. “Curse it all. I would feel remiss not warning you. There is an army headed toward Delcoa. It is not safe there. For all I know, it has already fallen.”

  “Yes. I saw. It was besieged when I passed through. I need to return home, and it is the only way I know.”

  Jesnia stared at her for several seconds, eyes considering. “I have estates in Karsdale, just off the Denbar River. Assuming you can access gold at the Lender, you can charter a ship from there. It will be safer than going north.”

  “Why would you aid me?”

  “Look. You are capable. That sword is more than ornamental. I can tell by the way you move. There are magi and dragons everywhere. We would be stronger together. And I do not like being indebted to people. You helped me. Let me return the favor.”

  “West then?” Zarah asked.

  “Yes,” Jesnia said. “West.”

  Jesnia took a deep breath and began walking.

  Zarah let her get a few strides ahead. She slipped one arm free of her pack and loosened the top to get a glimpse at Feffer. He laid on his side, next to the bed. His eyes looked straight at her, but he could not see her. Though his hands reached out, he did not feel anything.

  She examined beyond the bronze cask with her essence. She could sense his spark of life trapped somewhere within. Feffer was still alive. She knew it with all her heart.

  And this gave her hope.

  “You coming?” Jesnia called.

  In answer, she secured the bag and slung it onto her back, running to catch the warrior.

  ~

  Eleandarinius watched her brethren rise into the sky above their old home of Abadaria. So many awakening at the same time could only mean one thing.

  Abaddon had returned.

  Before any of the other dragons spotted her, perched atop the mountain, she incanted a teleportation. She pictured the image of her beloved far to the south, next to the forgotten castle and willed herself there.

  There were humans hiding around the square, looking up at Althimorphianus with awe in their expressions. She ignored them and looked to her mate shaking off his cocoon. His beautiful golden sheen mirrored her own. The orange around his scales was as bright as she remembered. His lithe body had lost none of its rippling muscles. And his tale and wings were the perfect lengths for the balance and grace she knew he possessed.

  He turned to her, eyes wide with surprise.

  She lashed her tail in greeting. He returned the gesture with a smile of his own. She postured with her wings, suggesting they fly away, but he pulled his own wings close to his body.

  “What is it, my love?” Eleandarinius asked in their native tongue.

  “I cannot go with you. I am bound to him as he is to me.”

  Her tail froze and her wings quivered. “I feared as much. How can we fix this?”

  “I do not know that we can. We must find a blood descendant, but Abaddon’s progeny died three thousand years ago. It is the reason he lost himself.”

  “But it is not true,” she said. “My time awake has not been idle. I have found the Librarian, and he has revealed much to me. Abaddon’s son survived the wrath of Maar. There are three living descendants, besides Bain.”

  His eyes widened and his wings quaked. “Abaddon will hunt them, as will those who follow him. When he learns of your aid, he will come for you.”

  She wiggled her tail in amusement, “I will find the descendants first. Despite his years within the Infinite Plane, Abaddon is only human. I do not fear the little man.”

  “You should,” he said, tail going still. “While we languished in our cocoons, he has grown strong. Even now, I feel him far to the north and west, beckoning me to him. It is difficult to resist the call.”

  Her tail froze. “Truly? He can control you?”

  “No. It is not control. Telepathic suggestion. He could push me back into the slumber. I do not understand how I know this to be true. But it is.”

  Her wings quivered of their own accord.

  “You see now,” he said, wings going flat. “You will need allies, but I cannot aid you. Do you know of others who were awakened before Abaddon’s rise?”

  “Galthiadronus is free,” she said, “but he wishes to dominate the humans and destroy the elementalists. I do not see him aiding our cause.”

  “This has ever been his desire. I imagine our slumber has only increased this passion.”

  “Yes. And with you and Undrithianous linked to Abaddon, he will only grow more bold.”

  “You cannot let that happen,” he said, wings twitching. “You must convince him the humans are the only way to defeat Abaddon and free the rest of us.”

  “Why would Galthiadronus help me at all? Abaddon enslaving you and the others will aid his cause.”

  “You must convince him that Abaddon is a threat to all Arinth. If the human vessel is not defeated, Galthiadronus will not get what he wants.”

  “What if this is not true?”

  “He must believe it to be true. Or we are lost. I must go.”

  Althimorphianus exposed his neck in a show of love then lowered his wings in a farewell. She mirrored his actions and watched him go. Only when he incanted away did she turn her attention to the humans.

  “You,” she said in the human tongue. The woman behind the shrubs squeaked. But she stood quickly and ran into the courtyard, black robes fluttering as she moved.

  She stammered and stuttered as she said, “H-h-how c-c-can I help you, great one?’

  “Would you be so kind as to answer a few questions?”

  “Of course, great one. Ask me anything.”

  “This was once Abaddon’s castle,” Eleandarinius said. “How have yo
u come to be at this place?”

  “Bain Solsec led us here long ago.” Eleandarinius could see the pride in the human’s aura. “This castle belongs to him now.”

  “Does it?”

  She nodded. The poor little thing did not know the fate of her master. Eleandarinius gave the human a sympathetic smile with her lips rather than her tail.

  “That is very interesting,” Eleandarinius said. “Bain has two sons. One has been lost for some time, but the other lives here. Is this true?”

  She had heard as much from the Librarian, but it was good to trust the integrity of the humans by asking questions with known truths.

  “Yes, great one. The Lord Eldest is marching north, conquering the guardians and the wicked king of Alcoa. Elwin has been lost to us for some time.”

  Eleandarinius nodded for the human’s benefit. Such an odd gesture, so close to the dragon expression for love. But the little creatures did not know any better.

  “What of the brother, Jhona? It is believed he might still live.”

  “Aye, he was banished, but I know not where.” Her aura showed shame and disappointment.

  “Have no worries, human. You have been most helpful.”

  The woman smiled, aura growing brighter. Eleandarinius leapt into the air and hovered above the castle while considering her options.

  She needed but one of Abaddon’s descendants to reverse the link. Once she freed her love from the bond, she could kill Abaddon’s vessel.

  Could she find the brother? No, it would be easier to use one of the sons, but the youngest knew some of the words and would be difficult to track. If the human was telling the truth, the oldest moved with an army she’d passed over on several occasions.

  Eleandarinius incanted to the west and began her hunt.

  ~

  Tessaryn watched the battle from the window of an abandoned home across from the dracon statue. As soon as her simulacrum had fallen dead, she felt the link of the incantation break and stopped chanting. She could see the face of the broken simulacrum, eyes fixed toward the sky. The face would be recognizable. That was all that mattered.

  At the sight of Tessaryn’s death, the magi paused for half-a-heartbeat, long enough for the elementalists to gain an edge. As she’d predicted, Bain’s loyal servants died most gruesomely, while Bain and his son were forced to flee the massacre. They would bring back Abaddon. She would be free of the Seeker and his web of servants now.

  She had not gotten all of her insights from Abaddon’s thumping messenger, whoever in the abyss that was. She could scry the future as well as they.

  No one questioned the authenticity of the body. Galivant gave her simulacrum and the other dead magi the barest of glances as he ran after the Solsecs. Once they passed through the square and beyond sight, Tessaryn exited the home.

  She retrieved her journal and a few artifacts from the others and incanted a dimensional folding, leaving the Farseers and Keepers to fix their own problems.

  ~

  Ricaria paced in front of the fireplace, trying to eke out as much warmth as she could from the small flames. Karsdale was never warm, even in the summer, but she hated this place in the winter. Despite the snowstorms, refugees flocked to this cursed city.

  Perhaps it had been wise of the Norsceltic Council of Matriarchs to restrict taming to the noble lines. And even those tamed sparingly, which was why the Awakening had done so little damage to the nation. With the turmoil to the south, the Norscelts were poised to become the new pinnacle of power in Arinth, and they knew it.

  They should make Ricaria a baroness for her part in elevating their nation. If not for her discoveries, the dragons would still be slumbering. It was a bitter tonic to swallow. She could not go back in time to change what she’d done, and it was up to Ricaria to right her own mistakes. She would. She’d divined a path to fix this.

  Ricaria had begun by writing down her own secrets in her incantia. She would need a new identity going forward.

  Coin, her poorly spun alias, was dead. It was probably for the best. She’d managed to vex the Circle of Makers with the counterfeit coins, and the gold had put her careful plans into motion.

  She blamed Jesnia all the more for forcing her to come to this cursed place. The huntress would be here soon enough, and she would not be alone in this fight. With the daughter-heir and the huntress, she could make amends.

  A gust of wind knocked against the windows and rattled the wooden shutters. The air whistled through the leaky boards, pushing aside the wooden panel and thick curtains, renewing the chill. Ricaria stomped to the window ready to slam the shutter closed but stopped.

  It was an hour until twilight, the time in which she’d calculated Jesnia’s arrival. At the far end of the wide street, she saw a train of three wagons appear. There was no mistaking the woman with the fantastic bow, driving the lead wagon. A small child sat next to the woman, flipping a knife as if it was a toy. The daughter-heir drove the second, and a boy no older than sixteen summers drove the last.

  Ricaria realized she was thumbing the scar on her hand again and forced her fingers to be still. She still commanded full use of the hand, but the cold made it ache. Wrapping her woolen cloak more tightly around her, Ricaria closed the window just enough to see out.

  Jesnia stopped the wagon before her home and frowned up at the four-storied structure. Snow covered the roof, but there were patches where the weight of the snow had knocked the wooden tiles loose.

  “You live here?” the boy said, joining her as she climbed down.

  “I come here most summers.” She produced a key and opened the front door.

  “It’s pretty big for just one person,” the boy noted.

  “Dragons take me,” Jesnia muttered, stepping across the threshold. “Where in the abyss is my maid?”

  Having gone inside on several occasions, Ricaria understood why Jesnia covered her nose. The bounty huntress walked to the nearest chair and lifted the urine stained sheets, assessing where stray cats and dogs had made their marks.

  “Ugh,” the older boy said. “I thought you had someone taking care of this place.”

  “I did as well,” Jesnia said.

  “Where’s the nearest inn?” he asked.

  “We can suffer through the smell for one night,” Zarah said, coming up beside him.

  “Yes,” Jesnia agreed. “No need to waste coin.”

  “You can’t be serious,” the boy said. “All this gold, and you’re still as cheap as a beggar counting coppers.”

  “Keep your thumping voice down,” she said. “And if you wish to keep your fortune, you act as if you do not have one. Had I not caught up with you in time, those bandits would have taken it from you.”

  “And whose fault is that?” he demanded. “You abandoned us. Remember?”

  “Come on,” she said. “Bring our chests inside. Once we throw out the sheets, it won’t smell as bad.”

  “I think rats might have died in the walls,” Zarah said, covering her mouth with her sleeve. “Narrow passages run through the walls at the castle in Justice. Rats get in them and cannot find their way out again.”

  “Good to know,” Jesnia said, going into the home.

  The children crowded into the anteroom, all guffawing at the smell but not turning back. Once the door closed, Ricaria shut her window.

  She would give them a few minutes to settle in. Once Jesnia secured her gold in the vault, hidden in the basement, she would be more amenable.

  Ricaria gathered several artifacts and wards of protection. As the fire died behind her, she found her courage and stepped out into the cold.

  Taking steady breaths, she crossed the street and knocked on the door. It was the little girl who opened it, just as Ricaria had foreseen.

  “Hello, Britonya. Please tell your mistress, Coin is at the door. We have much to discu
ss.”

  ~

  Bain could feel the hard scale of the dragon beneath him and the air rushing around him. His hands gripped the scales on the back of the dragon’s neck, holding his body in place. Seeing the beauty of the countryside passing beneath him, he could almost forget what had happened. But when he tried to turn his head to get a better look at the river, his neck did not move.

  “Oh Bain,” Abaddon said. “Child, you do not hate me. You love me. I am your Father.”

  No, that was not true. Bain had been deceived. If he could manage any semblance of control, Bain would fling himself off the dragon and kill them both.

  “But then who would destroy the guardians?” Abaddon laughed.

  Was any of it real? Bain wondered.

  “No,” Abaddon said. “You were ever a tool. I needed a willing descendent to offer himself to me. No others would suffice. But do not lament your decision. Together, we will rule this world.”

  Why are you doing this?

  “You should know this better than any, child. Because my story was unfinished. The life I had dreamt was stolen from me by the petty posturing of lesser men. I lost all I held dear for duty and honor, as you did.”

  You stole my future. I lost my wife and children to your ambitions. And this is how you repay me?

  “I promised you immortality, and you will have it. Your name will be revered for generations to come. By the time I am finished, people will hear the name Bain Solsec and tremble at his greatness. There will be ballads and bard’s tales in every tavern and inn. Can you not see it?”

  That was never my desire. I only wished to save my people. What will become of my savants? The elementalists?

  “Do not fear for them. Their lives will not be wasted. You used almost all of my essence in the Spending. I need them to restore myself.”

  That is impossible.

  “Not at all. That which can be done can be undone. Locked within Ricaria Beratum’s mind is the key to restoring my essence. I will retrieve her. Together, we will continue the work I began three thousand years ago. The world will kneel beneath my rule.”