Spellscribed: Ascension (39 page)

“What ewer?” Bridget asked.

Wrach stepped forward. “The great golden thing that Endrance discovered the mages were guarding.”

“What’s so bad about it?” Bridget replied.

“The Ewer,” Endrance began while trying to clear his head “it carries a powerful necromantic spell within it. They intend to anoint the mountain with it and corrupt every living soul in Balator into the undead.”

Shocked silence filled the immediate area. Even the remaining wolves perked their ears.

“I haven’t been able to confirm it, but I’ve reason to believe the mountain has a source of power up near the top.” Endrance summarized. “It could be a nexus of geomantic energy. The snow melt trickles through the source, picking up some of its heat and power, and diffuses as it runs through the mountain to the reservoir in the first bowl.”

“How can that be possible?” Bridget asked. “We haven’t noticed any magic… stuff in the water.”

“You wouldn’t.” Endrance replied. “Because you’ve grown up around it all your lives. But the signs are right in front of us.”

“What signs?” Selene asked.

Endrance pointed at Bridget. “Their bodies.” He locked eyes with Bridget, and something about his eyes made her clamp down on her desire to object. “Look at your average height for a Balatoran. It’s over six feet. That’s almost absurdly tall for a group of people. Consider also, the average build. Even children, on average, have more muscle power than any other human we’ve encountered.”

“Your people have grown up on a mountain that has been steadily feeding you magic in a small trickle. It’s in the water you drink. It’s in the food you grow. Tell me, in your tales of the past, did the people have trouble surviving on the mountain?”

Bridget nodded. “The first ten years were the worst when we settled. People fell ill. We decided that it was the act of mages trying to destroy our only city.”

Endrance shook his head. “How did the ones who got sick eventually die?”

“Tales say they burned up inside. Turned feverish and hot, and many went mad. Some had their skin begin to seep blood.”  Selene recited.

Endrance nodded. “When our mages are trained, one of the first and most important things we learn to do is how to handle power flowing through our bodies. It’s not natural for the human body to have more than an iota of power. The meridians are not capable of handling the excess; and it can cause nasty side effects, and even death. I’ve been trained to handle it, but were I to put even the small amount of power I use in the weakest of my spells into a normal human, they would most likely die.”

“Why haven’t you noticed this before?” Bridget protested.

“Look, it wasn’t really important or a pressing matter; so I never investigated it.  But the whole point of this is that your bodies have adapted to the power latent in your water and food.  If they corrupt the source of that power, your people can be hit harder than if the walls of Balator had come down entirely.”

“That does sound bad.” Bridget said. She turned to Selene. “Think you’re up for one more trip?”

Endrance looked at the two, puzzled. Selene nodded. “Yes, we should be able to get back.”

“Trip?” Endrance asked.

Selene smiled at him, and then her face took on a look of extreme concentration. Endrance became more concerned when he heard a sound like bones popping their joints. Leathery black bat wings sprouted from Selene’s back. Wrach and the remaining wolves
tensed, their hands on their weapons.

“No!” Endrance protested, waving them away. “It’s all right! She can do that!”

“I knew there was something strange with her smell.” Wrach muttered, glaring at the mage. “You knew she was infernal?”

“She’s only half,” Endrance reasoned. “And she is on our side.

“Your side, perhaps.” Wrach growled. “You choose dangerous mates.”

Endrance felt a twinge in his chest. “You’ve got that right.” He replied mutely.

He turned to see Selene’s wings had grown out completely, stretching nearly twelve feet each. She folded them up against her back awkwardly, taking several attempts to get them to sit comfortably. She looked sheepishly at him.

“Sorry,” she apologized. “I’m still getting used to them.”

“You didn’t tear your skin open this time. That’s good.” Endrance said. “And I take it you could fly while carrying Bridget?”

“Yeah.”
Selene said with a nod. “We had been trying to get it figured out while you were out here being stupid.”

“Hah.”
Endrance half-laughed. “That’s true. Can you get back to Joven and tell him to prepare to protect the higher reaches of the mountain?”

Selene nodded. “Yes. I’ll let him know.”

Bridget walked up to Endrance and put her new hand on his shoulder. It smelled faintly of willow. She smiled, but her eyes were threatening. “You get back as soon as possible, and be careful, or I’m going to punch you again.” She menaced.

Endrance gulped.

The two women walked towards the edge of the forest, falling out of sight shortly after. Endrance turned back to Wrach and shook his head. “I… I’ve got nothing.”

“You should go.” Wrach said. “We must find and tend to our dead.”

“Thank you, Wrach.” Endrance replied. “I’m sorry about Gnaeus.”

Wrach shrugged. “He’s a tough one. If there was a chance he survived, then he is alive out there somewhere. If he didn’t, then I will take over as Alpha. Please remember his wishes when this is all over.”

“If we win this, I’ll personally ensure that the king knows that it isn’t your kind at fault.” Endrance guaranteed. “I promise.”

Wrach watched him wearily for a few seconds and nodded. “I will choose to believe you, mage. Good luck.”

Endrance walked out of the forest, unsure of what to do next.

I think I was knocked out for a while, master.
Gullin said, 
I am sorry for that.

It’s not your fault, Gullin. I was not good enough to win.

At least you survived.

But Gnaeus died saving me. He could have saved himself more easily.

Endrance quickly relayed his memories of the events after the fireball exploded. Gullin shook his head, crooning sadly.

That was my fault.
Gullin stated. They walked towards the mountain. Any Atastos that had been nearby had apparently vacated. Dawn was only minutes away. Endrance could see the sky brightening over the horizon.

It wasn’t your fault;
Neither of us knew what that mage was capable of.
Endrance reasoned.
And you were trying to save me.

Well at least you were immune to the fire.
Gullin replied.

Yeah, how did that work anyway?

You were only hurt by the force of the explosion, not the flames.
Gullin replied.
While you are bonded to me, you can enjoy the benefits of some of my powers, just like I can use yours.

It’s a shame I can’t fly like you.
Endrance said remorsefully.
I could sure use a quick way to the top of the mountain.

Have you tried?
Gullin asked, his tone sounding like he was asking a question with an obvious answer.

Of course not! People can’t fly.
Endrance replied.

Selene can fly.
Gullin countered.

Selene has wings.

And so do I.

So are you trying to say not only can I use your immunity to fire, but I can also have wings?

Gullin gently pecked the side of his head.
Took you long enough.
The bird replied.

How?

You will have to activate the second circle of the familiar spell.
Gullin instructed.
Normally, familiar synthesis is only capable with a ritual circle and a lot of powerful foci, but you are fortunate to have the circle on your person.

Okay.
Endrance agreed.
I’ll try it.

Marshall your reserves of power.
Gullin advised.
We do not know how much you may need to cast it until you activate the circle. If you have any power left in your bracers then I suggest you use that, too.

Endrance found a reasonably flat expanse of snow covered dirt. Kneeling, he took off his coat. The front of his shirt was ruined, so he tore off the rest of it before beginning. Endrance closed his eyes and focused on the spell scribed on his back. The first circle was not responsive, since his familiar already existed. He could feel that there was a part he could activate to immediately banish Gullin, but that wasn’t important at the moment. He pushed his senses further along the spell, and found the trigger for the second circle.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, and started feeding the spell power. He had already been through so much that night; he might as well top it off with possible death by spell circle malfunction.

The snow around him melted almost instantaneously. The dirt thawed as waves of heat rolled off of him. Endrance gritted his teeth as he kept careful control of the amount of power he was feeding the circle. He wasn’t going to let it take control like it had before. The second circle shifted across his back, the inside growing new spell lines across his meridians. It must have hurt, but Endrance could only feel an itching sensation while the spell completed its design.

The lines formed a simplistic image. Split down the middle, half the silhouette was of a man, the other a bird of the same size. The lines, having been completed, started to glow with golden light. The light turned into golden flames as the circle expanded to fill the space of the entire spell on his back.

Gullin, who had been circling nearby, broke into a dive as the sigil changed into a strange rippling vortex of gold and red light. The familiar unflinchingly dove into the circle. As the bird vanished into the spell circle, Endrance felt a great heat tear through his body for a split second, rippling across his skin from his back to his front.

His body burst into crimson flames. The spell was not complete, and he was concentrating so hard he had not even noticed. As the spell wound down, the flames blasting off of him with inferno intensity tempered down into discernible form.

When the spell completed and Endrance opened his eyes, he had been transformed. His physical body was the same, but red flames in the shape of feathers covered his body. The flames weren’t very bright, almost opaque. A beak of red fire covered his lips, and his hands had birdlike talons.

Well, this is most certainly a strange sensation.
Gullin observed.

Endrance looked about. Snow had melted for nearly twenty yards in every direction. The light he was giving off was dull and red, like a fire on the verge of dying. Endrance felt Gullin’s presence in the forefront of his mind.

Gullin, where are you?

I am technically home.
Gullin replied.
But only my physical form has been returned. You are a vessel for my essence.

So I can do what you can do?

With practice. For now, let us fly.

How?

Let me take care of the fine details for now.
Gullin instructed.
For now, just will us to fly!

Endrance did so. Flames erupted behind him, forming a pair of wings with an impressive wingspan. The wings beat, and he was launched into the sky like a bolt of fire.

It was frightening, but still in some ways Endrance felt a thrill as he shot into the sky. He cheered, arcing towards the mountain.

Is this what you feel when you fly?
Endrance asked.

Of course.
Gullin replied.
It is amazing, is it not?

It’s fantastic!

Well, don’t lose sight of our goal. There will be plenty of time to soar the sky when this is over.

Oh, right.
Endrance replied. He searched the mountainside as he closed in on it. Selene and Bridget must have made it to Joven, but where could they be?

An explosion rocked the streets of the seventh bowl. Endrance stared down at it, unable to see any detail beyond the bloom of the explosion. His eyes felt strange for a split second, and then suddenly he was able to see the street as if he were only a few feet above it. He spotted Joven and the two Draugnoa with two dozen warriors to support them squaring off against several of the large Atastos Endrance had fought before, as well as the masked mage. Behind the mage were several Atastos hauling the Ewer.

Fear shot through him. How did they get that far up the mountain already? He knew that they would be overwhelmed easily.

Without thinking, he willed himself into a dive. His fiery mantle responded swiftly, and he was rocketing towards them, even as the mage was raising a hand to fling a spell. Endrance felt the synthesis drawing on his power, but it was a manageable rate. Fire built up in front of him as he closed. He came in low, streaking near the ground to hit the mage from the side.

The masked mage must have noticed the sudden increase in red light and turned to him just before Endrance hit him at full speed. He had the satisfaction of seeing the mage’s eyes behind the mask widen in surprise before he impacted. A scream of rage trailed on Endrance’s lips as he kept up the speed even after hitting him.