Joint Intentions (Book 9) (34 page)

"Stop dwelling on the negative. You have other experiences, experiences that have helped you grow. Think about all the things that have happened since the magic has returned. Not all of it has been a tragedy, or even a hardship. Just a few moments ago, you were defending your sword. You know that it's more than just a weapon. It's a testament to the blessings that can be found... if you look for them."

"It may be enchanted, but it's still a sword. How does it help me understand my soul?"

"By showing you how things can change. Whether you want to admit it or not, you helped transform that weapon."

"Change is your focus, not mine."

"True, but how can you ignore everything else that's happened to you? You may not have an ebony core, but you have the pure-bred heart of a delver. You've seen so many things. You've met new individuals, have new friends enriching your life. What about your relationship with Holli... or the entire elf camp in Dark Spruce Forest? What about the dwarves and their cities which you have explored? How many delvers have had the opportunity to walk through two dwarf cities?"

"I can't say."

"But can you say it didn't thrill your delver soul?"

"Of course it did, but I'm talking about what's happening now. Linda could be in danger, someone is after her, you can't deny that."

"I have no intention of denying it."

"And what about Rul Saattan? He's not going to be a real pleasure for anyone."

"Rul is the combination of Baannat, Ansas, and Reiculf," Vraya reminded the delver. "I've seen you defeat all three."

"But now they're combined."

"That doesn't mean you're still not capable of defeating Rul."

"You think this is going to be easy?"

"No, I don't. I meant what I said. I'm terrified by what Reiculf has done... and what Rul might do. We are at the onset of a nightmare, but bad dreams end. Things change. They always do."

Before Ryson could ask anything more,  Holli moved up quietly from behind.

"Enin has located Neltus," the elf guard announced. "We need to retrieve him."

Holli said nothing more. She turned about and expected the delver and sorceress to follow.

"You found him faster than I expected," Vraya noted, as she and the delver returned to Linda and Ryson's home.

"You can thank Jure for that," Enin praised the elder wizard. "He realized he shouldn't be looking for just remnants of pure crimson spells. He believed Neltus would be absorbing as much magic as possible, focusing on pulling a great deal of energy from the land. We started looking for a buildup of crimson energy accompanied by quick bursts. It was an easier trail to find."

"I imagined what it would be like to have my own core removed and then restored," Jure offered. "I'd probably cast a few spells just to feel what it's like to shape the magic again, but I'd want to fill it up with energy as quickly as possible. After being empty, I'd want to feel the surge of power at its fullest."

"That's not necessarily good news, is it?" Ryson wondered. "If we're going to go out and get him, he's not going to just surrender."

"No, he's not," Vraya agreed.

"I was hoping he'd be casting a bunch of spells out in the desert somewhere," the delver continued, "using all his magic, not storing it. He can be pretty dangerous when he stands and fights."

"We are prepared for him this time," Holli stated. "He will not catch us off guard again."

"Where is he?" Ryson asked.

"He's in the Sotakan Badlands, north of the prairies of the central plains."

"That's another reason we found him so fast," Jure explained. "He was right in an area Enin said he would be. No forests, no oceans, just a great deal of rock. Once I started looking for large flows of pure crimson energy, it was almost impossible to miss. All I had to do from there was let Enin focus on the magical swells to find Neltus' signature. We have his exact location."

"We should leave immediately," Enin suggested. "If Rul Saattan is looking for Neltus, he'll probably be tracking crimson magic as well.  He'll have a harder time following energy in this realm while he's in Demonsheol, but he might stumble on it faster than we expect. No need taking any risks."

"Do we have a plan?" the delver questioned.

"Jure will teleport all of us to the badlands," Holli began, but Ryson interrupted her before she could continue.

"Not Linda. She needs to stay here."

"But I'm immune to his magic," Linda responded. "I'll probably be in less danger than you."

"Maybe, but someone tried to get you out into the desert. We can't just deliver you to a place that might be just as bad."

"Ryson is correct," Holli agreed. "You may still be in danger, and we need to focus on Neltus. We must also consider the spirit of Sy Fenden."

"He's not here."

"That does not mean he is not watching, or listening. He would not let you leave Burbon for the Lacobian, and we can not afford to have him stop us now."

"And you need to look after Stomps," Ryson added.

"Alright," Linda allowed. "I'll stay behind, but you're going to bring him right back here anyway, aren't you?"

"That is my intention," Holli revealed. "What happens then will be up to Sy."

Once more, the group paused. Each individual looked about, wondering if the ghost captain might appear. Again, nothing. If the spirit of Sy Fenden was watching, he made no indication he approved or disapproved of the plan.

After the momentary silence, Ryson offered his concerns.

"I'm more worried about what happens when we meet up with Neltus in the badlands. How are we going to deal with him?"

"As I said," Holli responded, "I am prepared for him. I will ask Vraya and Jure to cast binding shields over Neltus. Energy from both black and white magic will keep Neltus from teleporting away on his own. It will also mute his casting abilities. Unable to escape and unable to pose a significant threat, we will teleport him back to Burbon. We will force him if he resists, we have sufficient power."

"It's a sound plan," Enin agreed.

"As long as Sy shows up to take Neltus' core," Ryson reminded them.

"I do not believe that will be a problem," Holli noted, "but if the spirit of the captain fails to appear, we will devise another way to deal with Neltus."

Ryson shrugged, as he hoped Sy would come to their aid. The ghost captain arrived when they needed him in the past. The delver had to believe Sy would come through once again.

Holli took the bow from her shoulder in case such force was necessary, and then motioned to Jure.

"You know where we have to go," the elf guard affirmed. "Let us delay no longer. Bring us to Neltus."

Jure nodded. The elder wizard quickly cast a teleportation spell which took hold of  Holli, Enin, Vraya, and Ryson. He placed himself in the flow of magic as well, and they  were all pressed out over Burbon's walls, through magically compressed space, and into the badlands to the northeast.

They arrived on hard dry ground at the base of a butte with a sharp rising cliff-face behind them. Ryson scanned the horizon to see dry terrain molded over time into several steep slopes with sparse vegetation. The soil was rich in clay and sedimentary rock, and the only plants he could see were clumps of spindly prairie grass dotting the landscape.

A light breeze was blowing from the west and the delver noted a lack of dust being kicked up from the surrounding grounds. The sky to the far east was changing slightly from black to dark blue. It was almost unnoticeable, but the delver's eyes picked up the slight distinction. While the sun would not be rising any time soon, there was enough light on the eastern horizon to dim some of the fainter stars.

Holli focused on finding the crimson casting wizard. It wasn't difficult. He was standing in the middle of the high plain in front of them. As Neltus glared at them with obvious resentment, the elf guard issued an immediate command.

"Jure and Vraya! Cast your spells now!"

In near unison, both magic casters raised their arms. A wide circle of white power and a black ring of sheer energy appeared in the darkness. The stark blackness of Vraya's magic was deeper than the night sky as it contrasted against the brightness of Jure's white energy. The two circles spun in opposing directions and did not intersect at their initial casting, but when they were flung toward Neltus, they crashed together to form a thick gray dome which covered the crimson wizard.

Neltus did not move, made no attempt to counter the spell. He didn't even examine the pulsating wall which surrounded him. He continued to glare through the magical force field with growing disgust. After but a few scant moments, he made his anger known.

"What is wrong with you people? Don't you ever know when to give up? How many messages do I have to send you?"

"What messages?" Ryson asked, unable to contain his curiosity.

"You know what I'm talking about. You're not that dense. I had a feeling you'd end up getting Jure and Holli out from under the sand I dumped on them, and I was pretty sure you'd all follow me too. But I really thought the contrarian would convince you to give up any thought of following me further. He has a way with those things."

"We
convinced him
to help us," Holli replied bluntly, as she placed her bow back over her shoulder. It was no longer needed. Neltus was trapped and she sensed no other dark creatures in the area.

"I have no idea how you managed that," Neltus admitted, "but I already knew you found a way to survive. When I saw you free Enin from the pit demon, I knew you needed more convincing."

"You saw that?" Ryson questioned. "How?"

"I planted a sight spell on the demon before I left the Lacobian. I placed an insignificant anchor on its back as it was leaving—just a flick of the finger—but enough to keep watch over it. I knew where it came from, knew who was ultimately responsible for its arrival in the desert, and I wanted to keep an eye on it in case it came after me. As it turns out, it was more concerned with Enin."

"So you saw us send it back to Demonsheol. Did you send it back at us... create the portal which allowed it to come back into the Lacobian?"

"Of course I did. I was trying to get you off my back. I thought a pit demon would be enough to convince you, but you still won't give up. I'm not sure how else I can say it; I'm not going back to Burbon... and I'm not giving up my magic! Not ever again!"

"You do not have a choice," Holli stated firmly, and then issued another order to Jure. "Teleport him back."

Jure immediately cast another spell. His ring of white magic sailed across the hard ground of the badlands, but it fizzled when it hit the energy dome which surrounded Neltus.

"I'm not going anywhere," Neltus stated defiantly.

"You managed to deflect one spell," Holli allowed, "but there are three of us who can cast spells against you. You will run out of power before we do."

Neltus said nothing further, but Jure noticed something in the magic which made him probe the remnants of his own failed spell. He traced the magic back to Neltus and examined the energy which countered his own incantation. When he felt the power coming off the dome, he knew they had made a grave miscalculation.

"No, he won't," the elder wizard stated with obvious concern, and the statement surprised the elf guard.

"How is that possible? You alone have more energy than he does, as does Vraya. The two of you combined could eventually drain him of all his magic."

"Not now. He's using the shield we placed around him, using it to protect himself."

Holli looked back at the magical dome, but it was Neltus who offered an explanation.

"You're far too predictable, elf witch," Neltus sneered. "I knew you were coming. Didn't you realize I'd feel Jure's attempts to find my magic? The moment he started pulling on the crimson energy out here, I knew you'd be showing up. And I also knew the first thing you'd try to do was contain me, keep me from attacking... or running. You did exactly what I expected you to do."

"What is he talking about?" Holli demanded of Jure.

"He must have had a spell already cast around him before we arrived. He was never going to run. He
wanted
us to try and contain him."

"Has he altered the shield?"

"No, he's actually strengthened it. He prepared the ground around him to interact with the spells Vraya and I cast. The land is feeding the dome with its own energy."

"The land expects to be altered, expects to have its aspects shaped by other elements," Neltus willingly explained with a grin. "It always has. The wind, rain, ice, rivers; they all shape the ground, change the landscape. It doesn't mind. Sometimes it becomes weaker, erodes and gives way, but sometimes it grows stronger, harder. It forms mountains. It's just a matter of how it reacts. I instructed the land to react to a spell of containment to ensure just that. All the strength of these badlands are now in this shield you put around me. You might have cast the spell to hold me, but now you can't defeat it."

"He's right," Jure admitted. "The magic we cast was meant to contain him, to keep him from teleporting away, now it's keeping me from doing that very thing. He's basically locked himself in there."

"You've always been smart with the magic," Neltus congratulated the elder wizard. "Too bad you don't question orders. You should have checked the grounds before doing what the elf witch told you to do. Predictable, just like the elf."

"If we can't break the shield, then we shall remove it," Holli vowed. "Vraya, Jure! Cancel your spells."

Both tried and both failed.

"You think I'd make it that easy for you?" Neltus laughed. "It became as much my spell the moment their magic touched the ground. It's something I learned from Baannat. He used his energy to keep my portal open, turned it into his own. All of us have to be willing to cancel this shield, and I have no such intention. The only other way it fails is if both Jure and the sorceress die, and then it won't matter."

"He's correct again," Enin advised. "We can't cancel it. We could try to weaken the spell by pounding against it, but in a way, we would be fighting against our own magic."

"Can't we just wait him out?" Ryson asked. "He can't stay in there forever."

"How long will we wait?" Vraya wondered. "The magic which feeds the shield is coming directly from the surrounding grounds. He's not using his own power."

"Would you like to see me use my own power?" Neltus asked, his smile growing larger and his eyes blazing with maniacal glee.

Neltus raised his arms and a ring of red energy spun from his hands and plowed into the ground under his feet. The rock and clay rumbled with energy as the magic rolled beneath the surface and passed under the walls of the shield. Once the surge of energy was clear of the barrier, it unleashed its full potential.

Rocks and boulders of all sizes began to fly toward those Neltus opposed. Rather than crush them with one wave of solid stone, he delighted in pelting and pounding them mercilessly with a hailstorm of rocks.

Ryson reacted first, but there was little he could do to protect all of his friends. He might have been able to shield one or two, but the deluge of stone was too vast to deflect every rock. He believed reaching Neltus was the only way to stop the assault.