Joint Intentions (Book 9) (37 page)

"I couldn't help wonder if it was possible, but now I believe it was a mistake to ask. I shouldn't have tied it together with Neltus, but I did. It's all connected, always has been, but that doesn't excuse my selfishness. I'm sorry. You're right to be angry. I shouldn't have said anything."

"But it has been said," Jure noted, "and I understand why. I think we can all agree that Neltus is not at the heart of this particular issue. We'll deal with him no matter what the answer, but it's a question which still needs to be asked. Is it possible for Enin's core to be restored without endangering the land?"

Jure looked to Sy, as did Ryson. Enin could not manage to raise his gaze from the ground. He waited for an answer like a condemned man awaiting sentence.

Klusac had his own feelings on the matter, but it was not for him to decide. He looked to Sy for the answer, and once he obtained it, the captain of Burbon's guard explained the response to Enin with only mild regret.

"Rul Saattan is a combination of Reiculf and Ansas. Sy knows you're aware of that, but he wants to remind you of certain decisions you have made. You, Neltus and Ansas were all linked through the echoes of magic. Because of those links, you are vulnerable to Rul, even more so now. Rul may not need you in order to enter Uton, but he can still take you against your will. If your core is restored, he could use your power in unimaginable ways. With the vast energy within you, you would be a great threat to all the land."

Enin never looked up. He expected as much, but it was hard to hear.

"I understand," he stated with obvious sadness.

Ryson recognized the pain in Enin's voice. He didn't disagree with the decision, but he did feel growing sympathy for his friend. The delver believed he might have been too harsh, and he offered sincere regret for Enin's fate.

"I'm sorry," Ryson stated. "I know you weren't ignoring what happened to Holli... you couldn't. It's just that..."

"No reason to apologize," Enin replied through a heavy breath as he finally looked back at the delver and smiled.  "We were just looking at things from two different perspectives. You were focused on what was important. I was only thinking of myself. It's not important now. You were right. Rul Saattan wants Neltus, and we have to make sure he doesn't get him."

Enin looked toward the ghost captain, even lifted Neltus' slumped body a bit higher to indicate it was time for the spirit to remove the core.

"Please take it now."

The apparition floated forward. Sy eyed the crimson wizard carefully, appeared to peer deep within Neltus' face. After but a momentary hesitation, the ghost quickly plunged both hands into the center of the rotund wizard's chest.

As Sy attempted to pull his hands free and remove the magical core, his ethereal hands remained locked within the center of Neltus' body. It was as if Neltus' essence closed upon Sy's wrists like some spiritual snare, took hold with an ever tightening grasp and refused to let go.

Those around the spirit watched in growing dismay as the ghost of Sy Fenden began to struggle. There was no sound, but they could not dismiss the violent tremors rippling through Sy's ghostly form.

The ghost captain attempted to release his hold of Neltus' core in order to break free, but even as his ethereal fingers loosened their grip, the clutching force pulled tighter against his ghostly arms. Sy displayed no signs of panic, but the expression of the ghost captain revealed a growing sense of uncertainty.

That same confusion rose precipitously among those who watched the mounting struggle.

"What's happening?" Ryson demanded.

Klusac focused intently upon the spirit, but he received no communications from the ghost warrior and revealed as much.

"I don't know. He's not responding to me. He's not saying anything."

"It looks like he's stuck, but how can that be? He's a ghost."

No one could answer. They simply stared as the spirit remained locked in place by some unseen hold.

Ryson turned to Enin, as both of them stood on opposite sides of Neltus and continued to hold the wizard upright.

"What if we pulled Neltus back?"

Enin couldn't see how such a move would make a difference. It was a physical reaction to a spiritual phenomenon, but he doubted it would make things worse.

"We could try," Enin agreed, and both began to draw Neltus' unconscious body back and away from the spirit struggling to break free.

As the rotund wizard's body was nudged backward, the ghost captain was pulled right along with it. The spirit's struggle intensified, and the force which held him grew tighter and more forceful. Even as Ryson and Enin increased their efforts to move Neltus away, the spirit's arms were drawn in deeper. The apparition turned its ghostly head back to the captain of the guard.

"Stop!" Klusac shouted. "He's getting pulled further inward."

Ryson and Enin halted their attempt in unison, both baffled by the growing dilemma.

"This doesn't make any sense," Jure noted. "Sy's a spirit. How can he be stuck?"

"He has offered no explanation," Klusac revealed. "He just told me they needed to stop moving Neltus."

"That's what I'm talking about. How can moving Neltus affect a spiritual being in such a manner?"

No one knew the answer, but Ryson openly wondered if some other force was at work.

"Could Neltus be fighting against him?" the delver questioned as he looked to Jure.

"I don't see how. The spell I placed on him should leave him in no condition to even understand what's happening."

"Maybe Neltus put a spell in his core before we arrived in the badlands, just in case we captured him. He knew we were coming for him, and maybe he wanted to be prepared. He cast those other spells before we showed up... the one which took over your shield and the one that tethered him to the ground. He said he wasn't going to give up his core. He knew what we would do if we brought him back to Burbon."

"Would that be possible?" Jure asked of Enin.

"Defensive spells are always an alternative. Neltus could have cast a trap spell and fed it with energy from his own core."

"Would it be that simple to capture a spirit? I would think it would take tremendous energy."

"It would," Enin agreed.

"Then maybe all we need to do is wait," Ryson suggested.

"No!" Vraya shouted, finally offering her own assessment. "We can't wait. We have to free him. Now!"

The sorceress did not explain further. She raced behind Neltus and placed her hands on his shoulders. An ebony circle rolled down her arms and struck Neltus in the back. When it did, an opposing force of great power erupted and sent her flying backwards across the grass covered clearing.

"No," a cruel voice rumbled from out of the darkness. "You will not be able to free the ghost warrior. He is mine now, and I will have him."

Rul Saattan's towering figure moved across the farm fields with the prowling steps of a beast on the hunt. The broken and withered corn stalks snapped and crackled under his heavy feet. With his back to the heavy shadows of Dark Spruce Forest, he came out of the darkness like a plume of smoke too thick and heavy to rise high into the blackened sky. He stepped into the clearing which surrounded the exterior of Burbon's wall but had no intention of entering the town. As he moved closer to those gathered near the north gate, he stood bathed in the flickering glow of torches held high by guards standing in the towers and behind the battlements.

As the beast revealed itself to human eyes for the first time, those who beheld the creature could not imagine a more haunting image of unquestionable evil. The form of the demon lord presented the darkest qualities of three figures merged into one. The massively hateful grayness of a daokiln mixed with the twisted cruelty of a slink ghoul, and both were brought together by the presumptuousness of an arrogant human.

The creature's face appeared to fluctuate incessantly between those three expressions of malice, and the flickering light of the torches added a disturbing sense of disfigurement to the beast's sinister sneer. Rul glared at the guards who raised their bows. His presence alone defied the pathetic humans to unleash their useless weapons.

Captain Klusac held up his arm.

"Hold your fire!" he commanded.

The captain realized too much confusion already existed. A hail of arrows against a monster of unknown power would only complicate matters.

Rul dismissed the captain and his soldiers as inconsequential. He placed his full attention upon those gathered around the unconscious wizard and the struggling spirit of Sy Fenden.

"You have done far better than I expected," the monster congratulated. "You managed to capture the crimson wizard, incapacitate him, bring him here, and even convince the ghost captain to attempt to extract the core; all without my influence. I believed you might be helpful to my cause, but I never imagined you would have been so successful in reaching this point, especially so quickly."

"Are you responsible for this?" Ryson demanded.

The massive beast turned his head toward the delver as its features twisted into a frown of annoyance. Rul said nothing at first, simply stared at Ryson with a shifting mix of disgust and indifference. After long painful moments, the creature finally replied with a growl of impatience and a hint of condescending amusement.

"I am no longer bound to answering your questions, Ryson Acumen, but I will indulge you all the same. What is it you wish to know?"

"You know what I'm talking about."

"I need you to be more specific."

"Was this all some kind of trick?" Ryson questioned. "Were you working with Neltus?"

"You hear far better than any human, but you do not listen well at all. I just admitted you succeeded without my influence. In fact, I am responsible for very little which has happened here. You are the ones who went off in search of Neltus. You brought him back here. I had nothing to do with any of that. Back in my realm, I informed you Neltus was hiding from me. Why would he hide from me if we had joined forces?"

"Because you're a treacherous creature."

"I did not lie to you when we spoke in Demonsheol, and I do not lie to you now."

"Then explain what's happening right now, and remain truthful."

"What do you wish explained? You have been the driving force behind what has occurred, not me."

"What about Sy? He's trapped."

"Yes."

"So you admit you're responsible for trapping him?"

"Partially responsible. Remember, you brought Neltus here and presented him to the ghost captain."

"So why are you doing this? Are you trying to keep Sy from removing Neltus' core, trying to save the wizard?"

"Of course not. Why would I save such a fool?"

"To use him."

"Of course I want to use him, but I have no desire to
save
him."

"You're not making sense."

"Neither are you. You ask multiple questions at the same time. I answer the one I choose to answer."

Vraya finally rose up from the ground. She moved quickly but carefully over to the others, giving the beast a wide berth. She already knew what had happened. She stared into the beast's unforgiving eyes as she revealed the truth.

"You took control of Neltus' core," she accused Rul.

"It was within my power," the beast admitted freely. "The echoes of Ansas' magic remain within the crimson wizard, and as you know, Ansas is a part of me. I took that which is mine."

"I knew it!" Ryson claimed. "It's like I said, you're trying to use him against us."

"No," Vraya countered. "He wanted to use Neltus against the spirit. It was a trap. I sensed the change in the wizard's essence. That's why the spirit can't pull free. Rul altered the core, turned it into a spiritual snare."

"You are very perceptive," Rul allowed.

"Perceptive enough to know what you mean to do. You may not wish to
save
Neltus, but you'll still use his core in other ways."

"I never said I wouldn't. I will use it in any fashion which benefits me. Did you expect me to do otherwise?"

Ryson believed the admission validated his own accusation.

"I knew you wanted to keep Neltus' core intact."

"What I wanted," Rul Saattan contradicted, "was for the ghost captain to reach into Neltus' essence. What I get from the crimson wizard's core beyond that is simply a bonus."

"So you
are
responsible for trapping Sy!"

"I never denied it, but then so are you. You brought Neltus here, offered him up to the ghost captain. You did most of the work. I only hoped you would find him for me. I was prepared to do the rest. You saved me the trouble."

"But why? Why are you doing this?" Ryson demanded to know.

"Because I want to open my new realm to other spirits, and this is the easiest way I know how. Neltus' core was pulled into spiritual existence. It is a doorway, one that I can use to guide those moving from one realm to the next. By trapping the ghost captain within that core, I've opened the door."

"You're not just opening a door," Vraya charged. "You're setting more traps. Spirits that are freed would never enter your realm of their own accord."

"You don't really believe that, do you?" the wicked creature chided the sorceress. "You would be surprised at how many will willingly enter my domain and pledge their service to me. There is no shortage of wickedness in this existence, especially among men."

"Then why was this necessary?" Ryson questioned.

"Because there was no path for them to follow. Those who are willing to bow to me need the proper guidance. If I leave them to their own designs, they will only end up in oblivion. That is not where I want them."

"But you're not just going to take those who choose to walk in your path," Vraya stated, already seeing the demon lord's basic desires. "You'll take others as well, grab as many as you can, by any means you can."

"Of course."

"I can't allow that."

"And how will you stop me, sorceress? Your power is impressive, and I'm aware you have studied Ansas. But I
am
Ansas... just as I am Baannat and Reiculf. Do you really believe you have the power to stop me? Now, I grow tired of this chatter. I am here to take what is mine."

Ryson did not believe those who were with him had the strength to challenge the beast. In a move of desperation, he attempted to negotiate with the monster.

"If you want Neltus, take him, but release Sy."

"I think not. Do you really believe I will let the first of my prisoners free? I will take him as a prize, and I will study his essence. Perhaps more doors will open."

"You can't do this," Ryson protested angrily.

"In a way, you were once right.  I could never have fought the ghost captain on his terms... in his territory, but when he reached into Neltus, he placed his hands in
my
territory. He is mine now, and I will use him as a beacon to bring even more spirits under my command."

Ryson turned to Jure and Enin, hoping to find some answer.

"Is there anything we can do?"

"Reiculf alone was beyond our power," Enin conceded. "It was only the barriers of Demonspawn which constrained him. With Demonspawn gone and his essence merged with that of Ansas and Baannat, there is little we can do."

"We can't just let him take Sy."

"The fact that he has the power to trap the spirit is an indication of his strength."

"It pleases me to see you understand reason," Rul offered to Enin with a twisted smile. "Fighting me here would have led to many deaths. Your intuition has probably saved your life."

"I am only trying to save others from making a grave mistake," Enin responded. "If, however, you are willing to trade Sy's freedom for my life, I accept."

"You would make such a bargain?"

"Willingly."

The great beast paused, but only momentarily.

"And I willingly reject it," the monster decided. "You are nothing to me. You are an empty vessel."

"No! I am not. My core may be gone, but my spirit remains."

"And you may keep it... for now. I have what I came for, and more, but I will not leave you empty handed. Since I am taking something from you, I should leave you with something in return... a gift, if you will, a gift from Demonsheol. Enjoy it."

Through the strength of his will, Rul Saattan unleashed a great force which yanked Neltus free from Enin and Ryson's grasp. The hefty wizard was pulled through the night air like a feather pressed upward by a strong gust of wind. The spirit of Sy Fenden remained attached to the wizard, his ethereal arms still ensnared in the crimson core. The ghostly form flew over the ground toward the demon master, but not by its own power. The will of Rul Saattan claimed them both.

The ghost captain struggled more violently, both against the force which pulled him across the clearing and the magical snare within Neltus' core which gripped his spiritual arms. Sy could feel his strength draining away as both he and Neltus came to a halt, suspended over the ground like puppets on strings held too high in the air. He stared into the face of Rul Saattan, and he saw his fate.

Ryson believed he heard the ghost captain scream as a portal opened up at the edge of the clearing. The delver tried to move with all his speed, but it felt as if he was running through molasses. He could not reach the spirit or Neltus in time as both were plunged into the center of the portal.

Rul followed quickly after and disappeared into the gray shadows of Demonsheol. The portal closed before Ryson could reach it. The delver leapt through empty air and remained in Uton.

As he landed on the fields of dry and crushed cornstalks, he immediately noticed a second portal opening up to the west, much closer to the edge of Dark Spruce Forest than the northern gate of Burbon. The new portal was far larger than the one Rul used to depart, and Ryson quickly realized why.

Three dathits stepped out of the rift and stood between the forest and the walls of Burbon. They moved slowly through the northern cornfields at first, their faceless heads turning about as they appeared to survey their surroundings even though they lacked eyes to see. To Ryson's dismay, they finally fixed their attention upon Burbon, and all three moved toward the outer wall.