Joint Intentions (Book 9) (3 page)

"What do you mean?"

"People hear things all the time, but they don't always listen. If you stop listening long enough, you don't even realize you can hear something."

"That's an interesting perspective," Ryson allowed. "Maybe you're right. And if so, it's even more reason for me to do what I have to do."

He looked up at the sun once more. The days were growing shorter, the sun setting earlier. He was losing daylight and he didn't want to delay his departure any longer.

"Time for me to go."

"Be careful and take care," Klusac offered.

Ryson looked first to the west, to Dark Spruce Forest. He would not be venturing near the heavy woods—a sanctuary for dark creatures—and he worried more about the citizens of the town than for his own safety.

"Since I'm not going to be scouting the forest for a while, you should probably limit any excursions into the woods. River rogues were pretty active the last time I went out. Sy can protect the town, but the woods are still dangerous."

"There's little need for us to go into the forest. We've collected all the wood we'll need for the dormant season. We'll leave Dark Spruce to the elves."

"Good idea," Ryson agreed with a nod, and he took his leave of the captain.

With graceful ease, the delver moved through the gate, across the clearing which surrounded the town, and over a dirt road which cut through the farm fields to the north. He immediately turned east. In order to gain the answers he sought, he knew he had to speak to individuals more willing to delve into spiritual matters.

He had to leave Burbon, a town of order. The citizens had their individual beliefs, their faith, but they kept it to themselves. Such discretion was understandable, but it would impede the progress of his quest.

He had to return to the place he had previously called home. In Connel, a growing city with an ancient history, there was a place where he could discuss certain elements with greater ease.

As Ryson raced eastward, he recalled when the magic first returned to Uton. The Sphere of Ingar released a burst of energy which breached Sanctum Mountain. The freed magic caused a rolling tremor which signaled a new beginning. Everyone's life changed on that day, including his own.

After the quake, he had gone out to explore the lands, to determine the cause of the upheaval. That quest began in Connel, specifically at the steps of an ancient building, a place where he needed to return. In order for him to move forward, he knew he had to go back to where it all began, to the Church of Godson.

Sy Fenden's influence did not end with Ryson Acumen. The return of Burbon's captain as an apparition had greatly affected another, though not in a positive way.

Neltus once cast spells of great power. Crimson energy had crackled through his essence as he sharpened his focus over rock and dirt. There was a time when every grain of soil and sand bent to his wishes. His distinct connection to the land offered him power and insight which stretched over every mountaintop and reached below the deepest dwarf mine.

He lost that connection when Sy Fenden's ghost removed his magical core. The removal saved the town of Burbon, and perhaps all of Uton, but it left Neltus powerless, unable to cast spells with his own magic. It was a condition Neltus chose not to endure. A decision made, he would risk everything and anything to restore his power.

It took a great deal of effort and money to find what he needed. And while Neltus was not used to hard work, he had wealth to spare. After a long search and a little persuasion, it seemed he was finally nearing the end of his own quest.

The boy before him was old enough to take care of himself, but still inexperienced in many facets of life. He was easy to manipulate, and more importantly, blessed with a substantial core of the magic Neltus craved.

Neltus cared little about the boy's well-being. He only wanted what was inside the novice spell caster. In making his proposal, the coreless wizard had briefly explained what he desired and offered a large sum of wealth in return.

The boy, Dimi, had found the proposition enticing, but as they neared the final moment of completing the bargain, he worried about the cost.

"Will it hurt?" Dimi asked, wondering if he had accepted too little in return for giving up a portion of his magical core.

"You'll hardly notice," Neltus lied.

If he told the truth, Neltus believed Dimi would back out of the deal, and that was not an acceptable course of action. He would not allow for any change of heart.

The boy thought otherwise.

"Before you start, I want more gold."

Neltus rubbed his forehead in frustration. The boy's simplistic request was almost insulting. Dimi had the power to find all the gold he needed, if he just learned to focus his power. The foolish boy cast in dark crimson, and the land would give up all its secrets to him, just as it had once done for Neltus. Fortunately for Neltus, Dimi lacked the desire to hone his craft. The boy cast in a misshapen loop with angles and twists. His spells lacked direction, and his incompetence diluted any influence or power.

When the magic had flowed through Neltus, he had managed to cast in a near perfect circle. It was pure red and concentrated enough for spells of tremendous power. With such spells, Neltus developed a tight bond with the land, and the very ground had revealed to him deposits of great wealth; gold, silver, and various gems. Though the magic was no longer within him, his memories remained intact. He knew the locations of many vast treasures, and he would use such wealth to regain the power that was taken from him.

Neltus reached into his pocket and removed a small sack tied at the end. He pulled at the strings, loosened the opening, and poured out half its contents. Several gold nuggets rolled across the table before him. He also retrieved two diamonds of considerable size. He put one of the gems next to the loose pile of gold.

"That's more wealth than some people see in a lifetime. You can add that to what I have already given you. I will also give you the remainder of the bag and the second diamond once we have completed this task."

Dimi quickly gathered up the precious rocks and shoved them into his pocket. The additional payment calmed most of his concerns, but not all.

"You're only going to take a small portion of my core, right?" the young and misguided spell caster questioned.

"You'll barely notice what I remove."

The response was mostly accurate. Neltus planned on removing half the boy's magical core, but since the young spell caster was so inept, he believed Dimi would barely notice the sizable loss.

"And you're sure you know how to do this?"

Neltus fumed, but he needed the boy compliant in order to complete the task. He lacked magic of his own and Dimi would supply the power for the deed. If the boy remained skeptical of the undertaking, he might hold back, and such doubts could jeopardize the process.

"You have heard of Enin, yes?" Neltus asked.

"He was the most powerful of all of us," Dimi declared, "but I heard he lost his power as well."

"He lost it in the same fashion I did. It was removed during a battle between the two of us. Do you understand what that means? I was skilled enough that I fought the most powerful wizard in the land. Only the interference of a ghost led to my loss."

"What does that have to do with me?"

"The reason we fought is because I once took a slice of Enin's core. Do you think I could have succeeded in that if I didn't know what I was doing?"

"Is he the one who showed you how to do this?"

"No, it was another, a powerful sorcerer. His name was Ansas. Have you heard of him?"

The boy's uncertainty turned to apprehension.

"Ansas was evil!"

Neltus almost agreed, but he had come face to face with absolute malevolence, felt ominous wickedness throughout his essence. Reiculf, the daokiln, had invaded the totality of his being, and at that moment, Neltus appreciated true evil. Though Ansas was certainly devoid of consideration for others, the sorcerer was not quite in the same category.

"A mischaracterization," Neltus replied. "He was arrogant, powerful, self-absorbed, but I wouldn't necessarily call him evil."

"He wasn't good!"

"No, he wasn't."

"And I've heard rumors he's stuck in Demonspawn."

"They're not rumors... and he
chose
to remain in Demonspawn. He wished to fight Reiculf. Reiculf is evil. Pure evil. Would evil fight itself?"

"Evil fights everything."

"And so does arrogance, and that's what Ansas was. Arrogant! So arrogant in fact, that he made sure he perfected every spell. He cast pure ebony magic in a perfect circle. You're aware of that, yes?"

"I heard he was obsessed with purity," Dimi admitted.

"He was. That's why he chose me, and it's why I chose you. When the magic was inside me, I could cast in pure red magic, and so can you."

"But my spells are terrible."

"That's due to your skill, not the magic. Unlike you, I didn't lack skill. That's another reason Ansas chose me. He realized I knew what I was doing. Do you think a magic caster as conceited and as powerful as Ansas would teach his spells to someone who didn't know what he was doing? Put aside your fears. You've been paid far more than is appropriate for the magic I will take from you... magic which you are clearly incapable of utilizing properly."

Dimi could not argue. He was a horrible spell caster, so incompetent he tended to avoid using the magic which flowed within him. He did not wish to discuss his inadequacies, but he feared his shortcomings might lead to catastrophe.

"What about me? Even if you know what to do, I don't. Like I said, my spells are terrible."

"But that's the point. You're not going to cast a spell."

"But I'm still not sure what I have to do."

Neltus dropped his head into his hands and rubbed his face with both palms. He knew Dimi was immature as well as incompetent, but he didn't think the boy was as dense as the gold in his pouch.

In previous days, Neltus would have made incessant fun of the boy, insulted him with overflowing joy, but Neltus' days of irritating, aggravating, and infuriating others with unparalleled glee ended when he lost his magical core. Unfortunately, life was no longer a game for the powerless wizard. His irreverence was replaced with frustration, and that frustration was quickly turning into desperation.

In order to avoid striking the lad, Neltus turned away. He cursed silently over and over. Eventually, he released enough anger to face the boy once more.

"Do you know how to pour water out of a jug?" Neltus demanded.

"Of course."

"Then you know what you have to do. The magic is the water. Your core is the jug. You don't have to do anything else with it. Pour the magic out of your core and let me shape it."

"So I pour it into you?"

"No! Absolutely not!"

The rebuke shocked Dimi and the boy stepped back. He considered leaving, but then he looked upon the sack of gold and the second diamond. He didn't want to give up what he had already gained, and he wanted more.

He didn't mind losing the magic. It never served him as he hoped. Every spell he cast fizzled. If anything, the magic flowing within him caused him far more grief than contentment. The wealth Neltus offered would allow him an easier life, a life where he wouldn't have to work on enhancing his skills.

"I don't know what to do!" Dimi wailed.

Neltus steadied himself. Building trust and communicating was difficult for him. He would have rather mocked the boy, but he couldn't afford to lose the opportunity. He could see Dimi wanted money, that was beyond apparent. Wealth in the form of gold and gems remained easy for Neltus to obtain. It was the magic he wanted, and spell casters with a deep red hue were difficult to find. He didn't wish to start his search all over again, so he pressed down his natural tendencies and actually sounded comforting.

"I know it's hard for you, but you can do this, really. Your deficiencies do not lie in the magic itself. They come from your inexperience with spells, but you are not casting any spell. Your previous... difficulties... have no bearing on what we're about to do. To put it simply, your spell cannot fail because you're not casting a spell. Do you understand?"

"I think so, but where do I send the magic?"

"Just push it out of your core without specific influence. You need to focus on one thing and one thing only... allow the magic to spill into my spell, not into me. Without a core, I can't hold it, not even for a moment. There will be no magical link between us because there's nothing to connect us. But you have to maintain focus. If you don't concentrate, the energy will break away and dissipate."

"But how do I focus on a spell that I don't cast?" the young man wondered.

If Neltus still had his magic, he would have buried the boy in a mound of dirt and debris, but somehow, he managed to contain his anger and offered an answer.

"I've explained it to you. You don't cast a spell. You don't try to create a link. You just push the magic out of your core with a desire to be bound to a spell, any spell, the closest spell. It will hover around you waiting for direction. I might not be able to absorb the magic, but I can shape it as long as its source allows it. That's what you have to do. Send out the magic and let me shape it. Nothing more. Do you understand?"

"I think so."

"Just give it a try. If it fails, the magic will just end up flowing back into you. Alright?"

Dimi nodded.

Neltus placed both of his hands on the boy's shoulders. He could not cast a spell to reach into the boy's core. There was no magic within him to mold into a spell and no core to attract the energy that flowed freely across the land. If he was to succeed, he had to take hold of the magic offered up by another. He had to wait for Dimi to create the opportunity.

Despite Neltus' condition, he still knew inherently how to shape magic, and he, just like anyone else in Uton, could use enchanted items. In essence, he believed the boy would work in the same measure.

"Begin," Neltus commanded.

Dimi pictured a jug of water, and he placed that image in the center of his being. In his mind, he allowed the water to turn into magic and then he began to tilt the jug. Magic began to spill out of his essence, but he did not shape it in anyway. Surprisingly, it was far easier than he imagined.

"I can do this!" Dimi shouted with delight.

"Of course you can," Neltus allowed. "I told you, you're not casting a spell, and it's the crafting of spells where you are weak. Now, I will start directing the energy with my own spell. It's going to feel a bit strange, but don't fight me."

Neltus could not absorb the magic in any fashion, could not make it his own energy, but he was able to shape it. It was like he was placing his hands in another artist's clay. He could not possess it, but as long as the magic remained clear of Dimi's influence, Neltus could mold it as he wished.

For the first time since the ghost of Sy Fenden had stolen his core, Neltus felt the energy bend to his will. He felt almost rejuvenated. Magic was his to command. Even as he could not drink in the energy, he could finally cast a spell of his own design.

He shaped the magic so that it would reach back into Dimi's essence. He continued to pull at the energy in order to strengthen his spell even as he probed for the boy's core. When he made contact, he could barely restrain his emotions.

The heart of Dimi's magic was far more substantial than Neltus had hoped. It was pure red and pulsing with power. Neltus knew that once he took a portion of it for his own, it would form a solid foundation for his newly developed center, a strong core deep in dark crimson hue.