Joint Intentions (Book 9) (14 page)

For his part, Neltus eyed the apparition somewhat suspiciously but with a growing hunger. A small portion of his cowardice began to bubble to the surface, almost caused him to pull away from the ghost captain, but the overwhelming desire to regain sway over crimson energy kept him in place. As the spirit of Sy Fenden stopped directly in front of him, he could sense the pulse of magic,
his magic
, just beyond his touch, and his longing for the energy grew.

The apparition bent slightly over and placed one ghostly hand through the surface of the ground and into the soil. His other hand speared toward Neltus' chest. In connecting the land with the hollow of Neltus' essence, Sy Fenden recalled every last particle of the dark crimson core he had taken. He restored it to its place of origin without reservation.

Simultaneously pulling his hand out of Neltus' chest and the ground, Sy stood up straight and then disappeared.

Holli, spurred on by the need in the desert and Sy's command to leave as soon as possible, did not wait to gauge Neltus' reaction. She grabbed the crimson casting wizard by the arm and looked to both Klusac and Linda.

"We will return when Enin is safe."

She said nothing more. She raised her free hand and unleashed a spell of teleportation which took her and Neltus from the small town and sent them back to the Lacobian Desert.

Linda, still unsure of everything which had just occurred, looked to Klusac. Due to her immunity to magic, she could never feel the energy, but she was very good at reading expressions. She saw more than uncertainty in the captain's face.

"This isn't going to turn out as she expected, is it?" she asked.

Klusac remained a stoic individual. He had fought in many battles and knew, despite the odds, it was never wise to predict an outcome with any level of certainty. Any number of factors could affect the results of even the most basic confrontation. As such, he was somewhat hesitant to agree with the delver's wife, but he decided it would not be prudent to hide the truth from her.

"I didn't reveal everything Sy said to me. Some of it was not meant for the elf's ears. Sy really is uncertain of what dangers wait in the desert, but he knows they are there. Events which do not pertain directly to Burbon are somehow hidden from his view."

"You already said that... to all of us, including Holli."

"True, but Sy revealed to me that the elf would have to learn that there are things beyond her control. Based on what was going on, that's not something she needed to hear... and Sy agreed. To reveal that would have created doubt in her mind over any decision she might make. I couldn't do that to her."

"But what was she trying to control? It sounded like she was just trying to save Enin."

"True, but she was also trying to fix everything on her own. I know the feeling. When you're in charge, you want to make sure everything goes the way it's supposed to, that everyone is safe. It doesn't always work out that way. Accidents happen whether we want them to or not. Beyond that, some things are meant to happen that aren't accidents. They were just meant to be, even tragedies."

"You think this is going to turn out to be a tragedy?"

"I'm not sure, but I am certain it would have been a mistake for
you
to go into the desert. It might have even cost you your life. The desert is not safe for you."

Linda did not dwell upon her own safety. Her mind quickly turned to another.

"Ryson's in the desert," she whispered.

Captain Klusac was quick to offer comfort in another fact.

"That's true, but there was something else Sy told me when your delver left for Connel. He said that Ryson's fate was in his own hands once he stepped beyond Burbon's walls. Ryson's been able to take care of himself before. This isn't any different."

Neltus delighted at the surge of power flowing through his essence. Feeling very much like he did when the magic first returned to Uton, he embraced the warmth of crimson energy crackling within his restored magical core. He began absorbing energy immediately upon his arrival in the Lacobian, and just as it had done in the past, the land spoke to him. It revealed to him the secrets behind every dune, within each crevice, and below the sandy surface. Happily, he reached for it all. He was like a child greedily feeding on heavily frosted cake and gleefully tearing open elegantly wrapped presents.

He could feel the ripples of energy surging through the desert, and there was no place in Uton he'd rather be. In the desolate lands of the Lacobian, there was little to distract him from the crimson energy flowing out of the sand. There was no forest of thick trees filling the open spaces around him, no pools of water glistening in the distance, and no storms swelling in the early evening sky overhead. There was only rock and sand, and he grasped at everything the Lacobian had to offer. He called to the red magic and filled his core with all the energy he could absorb.

Neltus, however, was alone in his delight. Those who had waited for the elf's return believed the rotund wizard would be left in Burbon. They assumed Holli would escort another back to the Lacobian, one who disregarded magic through the aspect of immunity. They expected to see the delver's wife, but she was no where to be found.

Ryson questioned the elf before anyone else could speak.

"Where's Linda?" the delver demanded.

While not wishing to ignore the delver, the elf guard was trained to immediately assess her surroundings. Before responding to Ryson's question, Holli quickly scanned the desert grounds.

Thankfully, the dathit had not escaped. It stood stone still, staring at Enin as if waiting for some stroke of insight. Enin also remained motionless in the giant's palm, conscious but unable to communicate with any of those on the desert floor. Jure had moved slightly away from the others and appeared to be surveying the ground for his own purposes, probably looking for a suitable place to create the crater which would be cleansed of magic. The algor stood near Ryson, but said nothing upon Holli's return. It just stared at Neltus as if it was trying to unscramble some complex puzzle.

Relieved that Enin was still alive and the dathit still within reach, the elf finally responded to Ryson's question.

"Linda remains in Burbon. The ghost of Sy Fenden would not allow her to leave."

"Sy?" Ryson questioned, astonished by the elf's revelation. "Wouldn't let her leave? Why not? Is she alright?"

"She is safe, and the spirit is determined to keep her that way. He believes there is danger in the desert unknown to us. Sy can not, or
will
not, identify the threat, but he is convinced it exists."

"Was he referring to the dathit?"

"No, it was another threat. He said you were unaware of it, and you are clearly aware of the pit demon. Whatever it is, he believed it endangered Linda to the point that he would have actually fought me if I tried to bring her here."

Ryson quickly turned to the algor.

"But you said Linda would be in no danger!"

The algor ignored the delver's accusation. He continued to stare at the crimson cored spell caster, and the tailless lizard said nothing regarding Linda's safety.

Jure quickly returned to the side of his companions.

"Sy believes there are dangers hidden in the desert?" Jure wondered aloud. "That's probably true. It's no where near the safest place in Uton, but what could be more dangerous than a dathit? And why would he be concerned about Linda? She's immune to magic. What could possibly harm her out here that we couldn't handle?"

"I am uncertain," Holli revealed, "and the ghost of Sy Fenden offered little in the way of explanation. The spirit only claimed he made an oath to protect the delver's wife."

"Well, I did ask him to look after Linda and Stomps," Ryson revealed.

Jure looked back up at the unmoving dathit and decided further discussion about the delver's wife would have to wait.

"So what do we do now?" the elder wizard asked, looking for new direction. "Without Linda, we can't go ahead with our plan."

"That is not necessarily the case," Holli advised. "I believe the plan may still work, but we will now have to rely on Neltus."

The delver could not restrain his surprise.

"Neltus? What can he do? Why did you even bring him back?"

"Sy restored his core. With his..."

"That's right,
friends!
" Neltus interrupted, but the emphasis he placed on his words made those gathered in the desert extremely uncomfortable. "I'm back to what I was. My core has been returned, and I'm ready to use it."

Jure eyed the crimson casting wizard with obvious mistrust.

"Let's hope you've learned something from your mistakes," the elder wizard counseled.

"Learned? Oh, I've learned a great deal... a great deal indeed. For instance, I know quite a bit more about this algor than the rest of you. Why don't we ask him if his plan will still work?"

Holli found the tone of Neltus' voice alarming. She wondered if Neltus could sense something from the algors in their sandstone sanctuary.

"Will the algors still help us?" she asked of the lone algor by Ryson's side.

The algor did not respond. It simply stared at Neltus with confusion as well as what plainly appeared to be searing contempt.

"Will they?" Holli repeated.

"He can't really answer that question," Neltus advised, "because he was never connected to the algors in the first place. And if he's not connected, how could he possibly know if they'll help us at all?"

"What are you saying?" the elf guard demanded.

"Don't look to me. Ask your friend the delver. In a way, he
is
connected with the algors. They consider him one of their pack, their brood, their flock, or whatever it is they call themselves."

Ryson wasn't sure how to respond. To a degree, Neltus was correct. In a fashion he did not quite comprehend, the algors viewed the delver as a member of their community. He had fought beside them, mourned with them over their losses, and somehow understood their strange inner conflict between a desire for solitude and a need for fellowship. In return, they embraced him and welcomed him into their fold.

Despite their willingness to accept him, there were limitations. Even while he could feel a sense of belonging with the tailless lizards, he could never quite communicate with them through their communal bond. Algors might have shared knowledge, but they didn't share all they knew with him.

"I have no idea if they're willing to help us," Ryson confessed. "I'm not connected with them in that way."

Neltus kept his attention on Holli.

"What he says is probably true," the crimson wizard allowed, "but that's not the point. I'm more concerned about this so-called algor next to him. I'm wondering if Ryson feels a bond with this particular individual. I also wonder about your instincts, elf guard. What do you think of an algor who just happened to be walking out alone in the desert when we appeared? Rather convenient, wasn't it?"

"You are the one who brought us to this spot," Holli responded, keeping her suspicions centered directly upon the crimson cored wizard as opposed to the algor.

"True, but I had absolutely no idea there would be someone, or something, out here waiting for us. Someone's been watching us... someone knew we would end up near the algor cliffs. He wanted to make sure there was a welcoming committee."

Holli grew frustrated. They were getting no closer to freeing Enin from the grasp of the dathit, and Neltus was speaking in riddles.

"What is it you mean to say? Who has been watching us?"

"If I tell you, you might not believe me. It would also give far too much away. But like I said before, ask the delver. Tell him to use his keen senses. Tell him to look deeper than the algor's outer skin, to smell the air for the whiff of something demonic beyond the dathit. Ask him to listen, really listen. He can hear the heartbeat of an algor... if he focuses. Ask him what he really hears."

Ryson didn't wait for the request. He listened intently to every sound wafting through the desert, picked through them, identified them, and discarded those unrelated to his cause. After but a few moments, he knew Neltus was right. The heart of an algor did not beat in the creature before them.

He sniffed the wind, caught the unpleasant scent of the dathit. The unmistakable  aroma of twisted malice overpowered everything, even the surrounding desert and the all encompassing sand, but a delver's nose could distinguish many smells. Ryson pressed through the waves of harsh odors until he found a hidden trace in the layers of overlapping scent trails. He instantly recognized it as demonic in nature, but it did not come from the towering dathit.

Realizing the algor was not what it seemed, Ryson looked closer. Everything about its appearance seemed perfect... too perfect. There were no flaws, no distinctions which would mark the algor as an individual, and in that, Ryson knew the algor was a fraud.

As much as they belonged to a community, each algor strived for a certain level of complete uniqueness. In some very small manner, they all wished to stand alone. But the creature in the desert stood like a living portrait of a common algor, with every brush stroke designed to match the accepted essence of algor attributes.

"He's right," Ryson alerted Holli. "It's not an algor."

"No, it's not," Neltus revealed, "This has all been a trap."

Holli turned an accusing glare at the crimson casting wizard.

"You are responsible for this!"

Neltus responded to her allegation with a hostile admission of a half-truth.

"I am
not
responsible! I've been setup, just like you. We've all been played for fools!"

Holli realized that Neltus was not talented enough of an actor to fake such raw anger. She could see in his eyes he believed his own words, but she needed more information before she could act.

"Who is responsible for this?"

Neltus decided it was time for him to begin the final stage of his own scheme.

"You want answers? Have Jure reveal what this pretender really is. And then you will know what you're up against."

Holli had her suspicions about the imposter, but she knew Neltus was right. She had to confirm her fears.

"Jure!" she commanded. "Unveil this creature. Show its true form!"

Jure had replenished enough of his energy to cast a spell of amber magic meant to shed light on the imposter and remove any hint of an illusion. He thrust a white ring of power toward the algor standing before him. The pale magic encircled the creature, and then the energy radiated with a crisp golden glow.

Initially, the spell had little effect. Other than blurring the algor's appearance for a brief moment, Jure's target did not alter in its form. It did, however, resist viciously against the spell, confirming the accusation that it had something to hide.

While the conflict raged, Holli swiftly considered each detail of the struggle. The algor imposter was able to challenge and, if at least momentarily, successfully counter the power of Jure's spell. Few magic caster's utilizing illusionary magic would have been capable of such a feat. Further, when they first stumbled upon the algor, Jure had not noticed any indication of a magical flow surrounding the creature. She immediately discounted magic as the source of the imposter's disguise.

There were dark creatures—shape shifters of different types—that were certainly capable of taking the form of an algor, but she believed she would have recognized them despite their appearance. She could sense nothing around the imposter to indicate the presence of a disguised intruder. Whatever it was, it was able to mask its identity on several levels.

She then recalled Neltus' request of the delver. He had told Ryson to smell for the scent of a demon. In that, she found her answer.

"Jure! Alter your spell. It is not simple illusion which allows for the imposter's disguise. The creature is a doppelganger. Force it to reveal its form!"

The spell would require more energy, but Jure was willing to proceed. A doppelganger was most dangerous when it took the identity of another. To force it back into its true form would minimize it as a threat.

The elder wizard did not end his initial spell. He simply changed its base from the golden energy of light to the ebony magic of transformation. The modification in the spell actually increased its potency as it became more than a demand for change. It had become the very essence of alteration.

The bright golden magic turned dark yellow, almost brown, and then pure black. It enveloped the doppelganger and tore at its outer layers. As it did, the demon entity could no longer struggle against the spell's influence. It failed to maintain its disguise.

The veneer of the algor dissolved and the true form of a doppelganger was revealed. A demon of dark blue color stood before them. It held to a slender form, shaped very similar to that of a tall elf. Its head and back, however, were covered with thick spikes, like the quills of a porcupine.