Chapter 116: Pursuit
I started to walk with Konstantin when Zyna halted me, "Eryk, good job protecting me. Castile suggested I give you one of these as a reward." She placed an essence in my hand. "Do not get yourself killed," she smiled and returned to talk with Castile, Delmar, and Adrian. It was a constitution
essence and I sent it my dimensional space. I was considering giving it to Ginger as it would allow her to live a longer healthier life.
Konstantin walked beside me as we entered the woods. Flavius was already ahead of us to the left. When everyone was out of earshot, Konstantin asked, "You know I serve a Praetorian Guard?"
I cautiously replied, "I do."
"She has asked me to recruit you," he said to silence. "It would mean spending a few years in the Hounds as preparation. I will tell her you declined her offer." I did not reply. Konstantin added, "It is what I would
have advised you anyway. It is a life service, no matter how appealing they make it sound. If she asks you personally, tell her I asked you and offered you ten thousand gold for ten years of service, but you still declined."
I laughed. "Ten thousand gold does not do you much good if you are dead."
Konstantin smirked. "I keep telling people you are not as dumb as you act. Now, tracking the hill giants to where they were summoned should not be too difficult." How did I ever act dumb?
It was easy to follow the broken branches and large footprints pressed into the earth. The two giants were summoned to the north. As we moved, Konstantin constantly reminded me to move in stealth, using the trees for cover. It caused me to move slower, and Flavius slowed his pace as well to not get too far ahead. My training with Maveith had greatly improved my ability to move stealthily. Konstantin even noted my improvement with a grunt.
The path was well-marked as we moved further and further from the company. After about five miles, Flavius came back to us to confer, "The ritual summoning circle is just ahead. I do not think the summoner is still there, but there is a cave."
Flavius had deferred to Konstantin, who gave it some thought. "I will
explore the cave. You two find cover and stay close." Flavius did not argue
and moved off.
The summoning circle was large, almost fifty feet across, and was charred into the flattened grass. It looked like the summoner had fed the hill giants after summoning them to contract them. The grass was stained red, and
there was a deer head and giant elk antlers within the circle. The cave that Flavius found was just fifty yards away. I took cover behind a boulder. The woods were to my back, as well as a quiet stream. I figured a splash would alert me if something came at me from behind.
Konstantin moved along the rock face to the cave and waited for a long time, listening outside the cave before entering. After a moment, the cave lit up from a glowstone. Konstantin waved us over, and we moved inside. The cave was only twenty feet in depth and fairly small. A fire pit was in the center, and Flavius was digging in it with his hand. He sighed, "Been out at least half a day. We should head back and let the mages know."
Konstantin shook his head. "We will find the tracks and follow them. The summoner should be exhausted after summoning those two brutes. He is vulnerable, as I killed his two hounds. We can catch and take him out if we are fast enough."
There was some tension in the air. Finally, Flavius caved. "I have a flare. I can signal Master Mage Sebastian."
"A flare?" Konstantin said with amusement evident. I sensed something between them, and maybe it had to do with Sebastian. "Use it. We will continue tracking the summoner."
We went to the clearing with the summoning circle, and Flavius fired off the flare. It was not gunpowder but some other alchemical concoction. A tail of blue fire propelled it in the air, bursting into a bright green star—
without any sound. "Wait here for the drakes," Konstantin said as he waved me to follow.
When we got to the edge of the clearing, Konstantin slowed. "Why are we leaving Flavius behind?" I asked, concerned.
"We are not. We are searching for tracks leading away from here. We will circle wide and hopefully find something. Most elves have a fair amount of woodsman training, but we should come up with something." Konstantin studied the ground as we moved. He paused near the stream. The stream
was wide, with soft sandy soil along its edges. Even I could see the tracks, but that meant nothing, as they could have just been getting water here.
Konstantin studied the tracks for a long while before announcing, "They left through the stream. Either up or down. I do not know. Down is the direction the hill giants went, so I am assuming upstream. You take that side, and I will take this side."
"How are you so certain?" I asked, not seeing it in the mess of tracks.
"There are two sets of fresh footprints here. The smaller one appeared to be the one getting water for the camp. The larger prints only occur once, leading to the water but never away from it." Konstantin revealed.
"I thought you said the summoner was alone?" A cold feeling washed over me. Were we walking into a trap? Maybe there were more elves out and about.
"It is a small woman. Maybe she was sleeping when I spotted him the first time. If she is also a summoner, then we need to be double quick about eliminating the threats," Konstantin said firmly.
A drake landed in the summoning circle. It was one of the legionnaires, not Sebastian. We headed over as Flavius was conversing with him. The rider
gave us the update, "The other drake survived the crash, but the legionnaire broke his neck. The Master Mage is healing the drake. I will be escorting it to the estate to get another rider. We should be back in two days. Master
Mage Sebastian will be staying. I will inform the High Mage of your location." The drake rider mounted ready to take flight.
Konstantin informed him, "We are going to be following that stream," he indicated the wide, shallow water. The rider nodded and burst into the air. I was buffeted by sand and dirt. I did not like the landing and takeoffs of
these beasts. I spat out the crunchy sand and moved to the stream with Konstantin.
Konstantin took the left bank and Flavius the right bank. I was the rear guard, ordered to stay fifty yards back and not make a lot of noise. The two experienced scouts weaved along the banks, looking for where our quarry might have exited the water. About two miles up, Konstantin found the location.
We crowded around him in an expanse of rocks. "What?" asked Flavius.
Konstantin pointed to a small puddle in the center of an exposed rock. "They must have rung out their clothes here. It has not rained in a few days, and the rock is exposed to the sun. It should have been completely dry." I
was glad that Flavius looked as doubtful as me. We split some sticks to lay on our path so the company could follow us. Laying the fresh white wood face up made easy markers to spot. That ended up being my job.
We spread out on the rocky ground and searched away from the river. A triumphant Konstantin found a footprint a mile from the water, heading off into the thick woodlands. "They are heading west," Flavius noted. "Deep into the wilds."
Konstantin grunted. "They know we are out here. They must have heard the combat or seen the drakes. Look," he pointed. "They sprinted into the tree line. We have to push, or they will get too far ahead. We are maybe six
hours behind them now." Konstantin was already moving, and Flavius huffed in disagreement but followed. I arranged a split stick that indicated our direction and followed.
Konstantin was going at a light jog and pointing out signs of passing as he went. The elves were making mistakes now that we were getting closer.
Flavius just nodded as he moved with him. Flavius grumbled that he was a good animal tracker, but tracking elves was a different game. I knew Konstantin had been a Hound, so maybe he gained his skills tracking
humans there.
We moved miles into the woods, and I had trouble keeping up because I had to split sticks and lay them as we went. Running and trying to split a stick with a knife was not advised, and I was glad I could heal myself.
Konstantin halted up ahead, and Flavius took cover. I crouched and approached them.
Konstantin nodded to me and pointed to blood grass, and I understood. The red sap from the root was dripping from a damaged leaf. I had harvested enough of the plants to know the sap only dripped for about fifteen minutes before hardening enough to seal the damage to the leaf.
All three of us were still as we listened. I filtered out Flavius' breathing and then my own heartbeat. My heart was racing more from adrenaline than fatigue. I didn't hear any birds, which meant they were also on alert. The
mage summoner and his companion had to be close. Both Konstantin and Flavius removed their bows and notched an arrow. Flavius went right, and
Konstantin left. That meant I was in the middle and was going to be the bait
—something I was familiar with. At least I had my air shield. With my sword drawn, I moved forward, searching with my eyes and ears.
I lost track of Flavius and Konstantin as I moved. I paused once again, seeing dripping blood grass. There was a lot of it here. I started to think they intentionally left the trail to ambush us. No, Konstantin would have thought of that. I kneeled by the dripping grass and moved the dead leaves. It was definitely a male-sized footprint. I looked into the woods, scanning and listening. I flicker of movement in the trees to my right—it was Flavius about sixty yards away.
I was about to take a step and paused. Something was tickling my mind— something I had seen or done. I looked up and scanned the trees. They wouldn't have been dumb and climbed a tree? I split my vision from the ground to the trees. There! On a massive tree, its trunk over six feet in diameter, there was a thick branch about twenty feet off the ground. Two figures lay prone on it, covered in brown cloaks.
If there had only been one of them, I would have overlooked it, but two brown lumps were very suspicious. A bow twang to my left made me know Konstantin was fighting something—more elves? Flavius' bow sounded as well. I looked up to see an enormous spider rapidly descending toward me.
I slashed and rolled away, using the rebound from my strike to gain distance. The crunch on my blade told me I had removed a leg, but a second spider was also coming for me. I created an air shield over my head to prevent the attack and backed away. Soon, I had a trio of spiders on the ground, advancing in unison now. Their bodies were no bigger than a cat but their chitinous legs made them appear much larger and threatening. One walked awkwardly from the missing limb.
The two brown lumps suddenly leaped off the branch to the ground, rolling as they landed. One of the spiders coiled, drawing my attention. As it leaped at me, I barely had time to establish my air shield. It crunched into the shield and fell to the ground. I lunged and stabbed its abdomen and wrenched the wound open before retreating further and making sure I did not have any more visitors from above.
"They are poisonous!" Flavius yelled a warning from my right.
My eyes darted from the spiders to the canopy to the two elves running away. Maybe they would have stopped to fight us if they knew we
numbered only three. Blue ooze leaked from the spider I had stabbed, and it was struggling to move and would soon be dead. The second spider leaped, but I was ready with an air shield and hacked its carapace, cracking it and taking three legs with a piece of the carapace. The wounds were serious enough to finish it off as it struggled feebly while it bled out. My last opponent was the injured spider, and it could not do its leap attack, missing a limb.
I pressed forward and stabbed it in the mandibles. One of its legs flashed and stabbed me through the thigh. I had not expected the quick attack, and the pain flared. I hacked the leg off and fell on my ass, cursing. I worked
the spear-like spider leg out of my thigh, blood oozing with the removal. I applied my spell form to heal the muscle and skin while keeping on alert. I could hear Konstantin fighting, but it was quiet from Flavius's direction.
With my leg healed, I ran to help Konstantin. He was hacking into the last of his spiders—four in total. Two had arrows in them. I declared, "I saw the elf pair. They were wearing brown cloaks. They ran when the spiders
attacked."
Konstantin nodded and kicked the spider. "Summoned creatures. At least no variety of spiders I have seen before in the Empire." He looked around.
"Are you okay?" He indicated the blood on my pants. "Is Flavius alive?"
"Just a scratch, used a salve I had purchased in the capital." I ignored his focus on my leg and looked back to where Flavius had been fighting, "It was quiet on his side, so I came to help you first," I responded.
Konstantin nodded and retrieved his bow. We both raced to check on Flavius. Flavius was leaning against a log and breathing heavily. A pair of spider fangs were lodged in his vambraces. I counted four dead spiders around him. I guess I had received the lucky draw with just three spiders.
Flavius looked up with glassy eyes, "Some type of disorientation poison. I cannot stand without falling over."
Konstantin asked, "Can you hear me fine, or is it muffled?" "Muffled," Flavius huffed.
"Seasickness poison. You should live. You are going to lose your hearing in
a few minutes and may bleed out your ears, but you will live, and it is healable," Konstantin informed the scout.
Konstantin stood and looked in the direction of the fleeing summoners. "Okay, Eryk, it is just you and me then. Let's go." He started off after them, and I had an incredulous countenance on my face and I hesitated for a heartbeat before joining him.
Chapter 117: Familiar Faces
I followed Konstantin as he moved quickly through the trees. I knew he was experienced at this, but he seemed too aggressive—too excited. Why not wait for the company to catch up? I was sure Zyna could handle the summoner by herself. "There!" he whispered harshly to me. About two hundred yards ahead, the brown cloaks were moving steadily.
We were gaining ground quickly, and I guessed a mage was just not as fit as a legionnaire. Konstantin noted, "Expect them to make a stand when they
realize they cannot outrun us." I nodded and focused on the pair. The shorter one was probably a woman and in superior shape. Maybe she was not a mage then. She was definitely waiting for the taller one, as it appeared she could outrun him if needed as we got closer.
Both elves tossed their packs on the ground when they noticed us gaining on them. I hung back just a little, and as we reached the packs, I slowed for half a step and sent them into my dimensional space. Konstantin was in front of me and did not see me take them. He suddenly dropped to a knee and fired an arrow in a smooth motion. He missed the tall one by inches. He cursed to call out the poor quality arrows, "Harpies' tits, the fletching was
loose," and resumed pursuit.
Konstantin was right about them making a stand. The cloaked figures leaped over a massive downed tree and stopped running. Konstantin did not stop running. When we were just fifty feet from the log, the elf woman stood up and launched a fireball from her hands. Konstantin swore, "Demon shit!" but there was nowhere to hide. I jumped prone and placed an air shield in front of me. Konstantin was four strides in front of me, trying to get out of the path of the flaming sphere by diving right.
The fireball crashed where he had been standing a second ago and exploded. Konstantin was thrown into the air by the blast. The fire, heat, flaming leaves, and blasted earth washed over me, briefly making my location an oven. My lungs hurt from breathing in the hot, dry air, but other than that, I escaped unharmed as the pings of small stones stopped echoing on my armor. Konstantin was not as lucky. He was rolling on the ground thirty feet away in some pain and dazed while trying to put out flames on
his exposed clothes. He had also lost his helm, and what remained of his salt-and-pepper hair smoked about as he rolled.
A blue bolt of light shot from the cloaked woman and struck my air shield, causing it to become visible briefly. I recognized the type of bolt from the dungeon. Castile had used a wand that cast arcane missiles like this. I added another shield as mine was about to expire. She launched two more missiles, and they splashed uselessly against the first air shield but shattered it. The mage stopped firing the arcane bolts, and I sprinted for Konstantin, ready with another air shield if needed. She fired another missile, and I thought there was no way it would hit me.
Then, the damn arcane arrow changed directions, and my armor got a blackened scorch mark on the back as it thudded into me and caused me to stumble briefly. Konstantin's face was burned and blistered again—first a hellhound and now a fireball. His face was an angry red, blistering, and his facial hair, which had just started growing, was gone again. He had protected his eyes, at least. I dragged him behind a tree for cover, taking two more arcane arrow strikes. One burned my armor, and the other connected with my arm, burning deeply into my bicep. The smell of my cooked flesh hit my senses, and my mouth reflexively salivated. What a Pavlovian response to have in battle!
I didn't dwell on the wrongness of it and focused on the pain, and I got both of us to cover. Konstantin had signs of a concussion. He was unable to
focus his eyes and was speaking nonsense. I didn't have anything that would help him. I healed my own injury and realized I didn't have much aether left. I did have enough to use my dimensional space to kill one of the mages if I could get close enough, but that meant I wouldn't be able to use my air shield again.
"Dropped my bow," Konstantin sounded irritated and angry, but at least he was now coherent.
"Doesn't matter; the string was burned up in the heat," I said, peeking around the tree and studying the enemies. I decided to whine a little, "Why did you think it was a good idea for the two of us to go after two mages?"
Konstantin croaked out, "Thought he had to be out of aether after summoning the giants and spiders," he groaned as he moved to look around the tree as well. "If we wait long enough, the company should reach us in a few hours. Do you have any water?" It was the closest I would ever get to Konstantin to admit to being wrong.
I realized he had probably inhaled a lot of hot air and produced a canteen from my dimensional space for him. He drank the entire canteen of cold water and tossed it away. "I feel better and I can still move. I can distract them while you circle that way," he indicated the upturned roots of the tree they were using for cover.
"They possess a wand that shoots arcane arrows, just like the ones Castile used to have, Konstantin. You wouldn't stand a chance." I pointed out the scorch marks on my armor to reinforce my point.
Konstantin studied the burns and nodded, thinking. Konstantin was not a person that was good with waiting. I checked for the fifth time around the trunk. "One of them is running, Konstantin." He twisted his body and craned his neck to see.
"It is the taller one—the male summoner. We cannot let him get away," Konstantin growled. "He is slower, so the woman is covering his retreat." He grunted, getting to his feet in obvious pain. "I will draw her attention. Get to her as quickly as possible. I don't think I can run, wrenched my knee on landing." He did not say more as he hobbled to the right at a light jog.
We could have just waited for reinforcements, but Konstantin needed to have his win. How had the man survived for so long?
He meant to bend over for his helmet as he moved, but his leg gave out on him, and he stumbled to the ground. An azure missile burned into his armor. I thought, "Fuck it," and ran to the right, using the distraction he was giving me. The cloaked elf fired a blue bolt at me. I managed to get behind the roots, and it slammed harmlessly into them. I was now at the base of the downed tree she was behind. I moved around the corner to peek. The elf woman was sprinting away.
I looked back at Konstantin, who was hobbling but had his helmet on. The small elf was running to catch up with the summoner, and I thought it would be stupid to chase her as the other one could have set up another ambush. "Get her! Her wand is spent! I will be right behind you!" Konstantin yelled at me.
I started running and mumbling to myself, "Don't let them get away, Eryk. Gather herbs in my place, Eryk. Time to practice your fighting, Eryk. Eryk, you are the decoy for the scary monsters. Go with a prick mage and fight a storm giant. Chase after the fleeing mages by yourself, Eryk." The shorter elf was not slow, but my longer stride had me covering the ground quickly. I
wanted to catch her before she reunited with the summoner. She moved from the thick-trunked forest into a sparser wooded area with evergreens.
The scent of pine needles assaulted me as I sprinted and closed the distance. My adrenalin-fueled sprint was going to overtake her.
We hit a descent into a small ravine, and I used gravity to close quickly on her. Before she reached the bottom, I was swinging my blade into her back. Déjà vu occurred as the elf spun and parried my attack with a dagger. Her momentum took her into a roll as she crashed into the bottom of the ravine and skidded across the dried pine needles on her knees facing me.
I surfed the pine needles to a stop ten feet away. The elf's hood had come down as she stood to face me with a long dagger in one hand and a short parrying dagger in the other. She looked familiar as her chest heaved for oxygen—but that was impossible. I left that elf burnt and dying at the aqueduct. Her face showed surprise as her eyes got bigger and bigger— nope, it was definitely her as she recognized me too.
In elvish, she said something to the effect, " Don'tyoutaintmeagainwith your evil magic, legionnaire ." Although, that may be a cleaner version of it.
I sought for the elvish words I had been learning from the scholar, "Surrender. I will kill you—not." I would have paid closer attention if I knew I was going to need to use the Elven tongue.
Her eyes narrowed and got hard, and in accented Telhian, she said, "Your elvish is terrible. I will not surrender." She did not attack and seemed more ready to run again than fight. Then again, the last time we met, I had stored her in my dimensional space for two days.
Thankful to be speaking Telhian, I said emotionlessly, "Yeah, I only started learning your language a week ago. But you do either need to surrender, or I will have to kill you." I was already planning to rush her if she started to form a fireball. I needed to keep my aether for the summoner so I would
have to kill her quickly. She was very nimble and would probably rely on her speed.
Our standoff ended when a drake crashed through the pine canopy, showering us in both pine needles and broken branches. The confusion allowed Sebastian's drake to crash into the elf girl, seizing her in his jaw, crunching her body, as her bones audibly cracked. Its long neck whipped
her into a rock. Her body crumbled, full of oozing puncture wounds. Still mounted on his drake, Sebastian asked, "Was that the summoner?"
A little stunned and shocked, but I answered. "No, Master Mage. She was just a guardian, I think. The summoner is close. Just a few minutes ahead of me in that direction," I pointed. He looked down at the elf, sneered in contempt, and took off into the sky, showering me again in more pine needles. I moved to the elf girl and was about to pull out the collector but thought better of it. Sebastian and Konstantin were too close.
The young elf's body was broken and bleeding. Her skull was probably fractured, and her torso was crushed, a few bones showing visibly. Her chest was not rising or falling. She must be dead. I could store her and get her essence later when I was sure Durandus was not around. Greed
overcame my judgment. I listened and didn't hear anything, so I moved the elf into my storage.
She must have been only mostlydeadbecause my aether bottomed out with the backlash. Crap, without aether, this was going to be a problem if I needed to kill the summoner. Konstantin was up on the ridge while I was trying to decide what to do, "Eryk, I saw Sebastian's drake. Is he here?"
I pointed, "He went after the summoner." Konstantin nodded, did not descend into the ravine, and hobbled in the direction I indicated. That man was too tough for his own good. I took a deep breath and picked up the elf's two daggers—the smaller of which appeared to have runic writing. The long dagger was also shiny steel but did not have any markings other than
the smith's mark.
I looked at the scene. If Sebastian returned, he would probably wonder where the body went. There was nothing I could do about it now with no aether. I moved down to the end of the ravine and climbed out to join Konstantin.
It did not take me long to catch him, and I could see the drake in the skies circling and searching ahead of us. Konstantin's voice was labored, "Is the elf woman dead?"
"The drake crushed her body and tossed it into a boulder. I collected her
weapons," I replied, indicating the two short blades in my belt. He nodded, looking pleased one opponent was handled. The thick evergreens thinned to grassy hills dotted with large trees. We could now easily see the drake about a mile away circling one tree.
Konstantin grinned and sounded elated, "Looks like Sebastian has treed our prey. Let's get closer, but let the mage do his work."
We slowed to a walk and watched the drake circle a two-hundred-foot pear- shaped tree. When we got within a hundred yards, we took cover behind another tree, Konstantin pulling me aside, "Best to remain here in case Sebastian decides to burn down the tree."
Sebastian circled the tree, tormenting the summoner taking cover under it. Konstantin suddenly pulled me back hard, pointing into the distance, "Don't move and hide yourself from that!" A creature was still far away but was already bigger than the drake that Sebastian was riding.
"Is that a dragon?" I asked numbly and in awe while pressing myself down.
"Could be a juvenile dragon, but I think it is a wyvern," Konstantin said emotionlessly. Sebastian finally noticed the massive beast and realized he had turned from predator to prey.
Chapter 118: Aerial Ballet
The wyvern made the drake look small in comparison. Sebastian turned hard and low as he flew his drake among the scattered trees. The wyvern did not pursue but instead landed at the base of the tree where the summoner was. Konstantin and I used the trunk and lower branches for cover, only barely looking at the scene in the distance. The summoner emerged from the tree and stood before the wyvern, which towered over him, its serpentine neck getting within a few short feet of the brave summoner.
"How is that not a dragon?" I whispered with some awe and fear. Just the head of the red-burnt colored wyvern was larger than the summoner.
"I would guess that beast has a fifty-foot wingspan," Konstantin said studiously. "Dragons can get much larger. Maybe we will get lucky, and the wyvern will eat the elf."
I was hoping he would eat the Master Mage instead, so I would no longer have to worry about him pursuing his brother's collector.
The summoner seemed to converse with the beast before it bolted back into the air after Sebastian and his drake mount. The buffeting wind knocked the summoner to the ground. When the wyvern disappeared over a hill, I asked, "What should we do? If we go after the summoner and the wyvern returns, we will be caught in the open."
Konstantin considered and grumbled, "If I had my bow, I could easily hit him from here." I had multiple bows in my dimensional space, but taking one out would reveal to Konstantin the extended size of my space. I did have spare bowstrings in my space that I had forgotten about. The strings were small, and I had recovered enough aether to take them out. I moved
the bundle of bowstrings to my hand and was about to hand it to Konstantin when a shriek echoed beyond the hills.
Sebastian and his drake came speeding over the hill and targeted the elf. He barely got back under the cover of the tree as the drake turned away and
rose into the sky. I asked in disbelief, "Did Sebastian defeat the wyvern?" My question was answered when the dragonkin appeared again in pursuit of Sebastian. It was clear to see that the drake was faster and more agile than
the wyvern. They both took to the skies in a display of aerial acrobatics. I
had to admire the Master Mage's riding skills. He would let the wyvern get near but prevent it from getting too close. The drake even puffed a thin stream of fire at the wyvern, scorching its head slightly. This only enraged the beast to pursue the firedrake with more intensity.
I placed the bowstrings in my pocket. If I gave them to Konstantin, then he might decide to take a shot at the wyvern, and the last thing I wanted was
the attention of a fifty-foot-long dragonkin. "Why doesn't the wyvern just breathe fire in retaliation?" I asked.
Konstantin had an answer, "Wyverns cannot breathe fire. Only dragons and drakes." We watched the show through the thin canopy of fall leaves. After ten minutes, Konstantin said, "I think he is trying to wear it out. I am guessing, but its much larger body would tire more quickly."
Minutes passed, "Why has he not led it away from here or toward the company and Mage Zyna? I am guessing High Mage Zyna can kill it easily enough?" I asked while pressing to the ground. Konstantin had been worried the summoner might see us, so we had both been lying prone for
the last few minutes.
"I cannot tell you the mind of the Master Mage, Eryk," Konstantin said, watching the aerial ballet. "But...it looks like he is...that stupid bastard. I think he is trying to dominate its mind."
I rolled over to my back to look at the sky instead of craning my neck. The mage would position himself behind the wyvern and then pass close by, but he was not taunting the beast like I had thought earlier. It did look like he was trying to cast a spell...or use a spell form. Maybe Konstantin was right, and he was using mind magic on the creature.
"Will he succeed? How much longer until the company gets here?" I asked, watching the mage play cat and mouse with the massive dragon-like creature.
Konstantin watched the sky and surmised, "It would be quite the prize for him, and he wouldn't have to give the essence to Zyna. By keeping the
battle over the tree, the summoner cannot escape either. Very tactical of Sebastian."
I decided the moment was right to hand Konstantin the bowstrings. He looked at them incredulous, "You had these the whole time?"
I brushed it off. "I just remembered I had them. They were in my dimensional space."
"Where did you get these?" he asked, surprised as he immediately made to string his bow.
"Been carrying them around for a while," I said non-committedly. "Just don't go shoot at the wyvern and draw attention to us."
"I would not do anything so foolish. Do you have any arrows? Most of my fletchings are burnt," he said innocently.
"No, just the strings. Arrows do not fit in my dimensional space," I said as he inspected his nine remaining arrows, pulling the three best out.
Konstantin started talking to himself, "One hundred and twenty paces. The wind is light from the left." He notched his bow and studied the summoner under the tree, who was also watching the aerial combat.
The summoner did not seem to know what to do with himself; he couldn't flee, or Sebastian could make another attack against him. The summoner walked two steps to the right, and Konstantin launched his arrow. He missed high as the arrow whizzed over the summoner's head by inches.
Konstantin already had a second arrow notched, and seeing how he missed, he launched the second. The summoner had only turned and not moved.
The second arrow struck into his arm, pinning it to his side. Konstantin had launched the third arrow, but the summoner had already fallen to the ground and scurried behind his tree trunk. "Fortuna's cursed luck. If he had not turned, that arrow would have pierced his heart."
I was studying the sky to see if Konstantin's attack had drawn the attention of the combatants. It looked like they had missed the few seconds of action and were still in their dance. The summoner was slumped against the far
side of the tree. "I bet he has a healing potion," I said.
"He still would need to pull out that arrow first, and he has no leverage to do so," Konstantin was searching for his remaining arrows, but the fireball had damaged them all.
"Look." I nudged Konstantin's focus skyward. The wyvern was diving down and landed heavily a quarter mile away, on the other side of the tree the summoner was hiding behind. "We should run…"
"I agree," and Konstantin gained his feet and ran to the summoner. I was going to say, 'we should run back to the company.' Instead, I had to follow
Konstantin in what amounted to a suicide charge if the wyvern spotted us. I had serious thoughts of not joining him, but my feet took me after him for some reason.
It did not take much effort to catch up to him. As I passed him, I said, "If this gets me killed, I will haunt you till the end of time."
I reached the summoner first, and he struggled to remove the arrow. He jolted in surprise and pain at my appearance. I did not hesitate to press the point of my blade into his collarbone and down into his chest. He weakly grabbed at me as blood oozed out of his mouth. He dropped a potion in his other hand.
He was dead before Konstantin reached us. He was breathing heavily, and I took the potion on the ground, "I think he was going to drink this once he got the arrow out." Konstantin smiled as he broke the seal and drank the potion. The effect was immediate as his burned skin healed, and his knee
gave an audible pop. While he was healing, I turned my sights to the wyvern.
The wyvern was on the ground, and Sebastian was still circling fifty yards overhead. The wyvern was watching the drake almost hypnotically.
Sebastian landed far away, and I could tell his own drake was exhausted. The wyvern appeared to be breathing heavily from the aerial pursuit. Had the Master Mage tamed the beast?
It seemed to be a standoff, the mage assessing whether he had achieved
success and the wyvern staring him down, waiting. Sebastian dismounted and started to walk cautiously toward the wyvern. Shit, he had really done it then. I could see him weaving spell forms between his hands as he approached. The wyvern studied him as he stopped about twenty yards away. It lowered its head in a show of submissiveness.
Konstantin seemed to notice for the first time what was going on. I noticed he had taken the blade on the summoner's belt—Konstantin's missing runic weapon. I certainly hoped all his tenacity in the chase was not just so he could reclaim his weapon. "Looks like the mage did it. His standing in the Empire will rise if he commands that creature."
Sebastian stopped his approach, and I could see the confusion on his face even at two hundred yards away. He stepped back as the wyvern raised its head and—smiled? Sebastian whistled for his mount and turned to run, but he was too far away now. The wyvern bounded two steps, shaking the earth
and swallowing him whole. Blue arcs of defensive magic flared in its mouth, but that did not matter in the jaws of the beast.
Konstantin elbowed me, "Time to go." I was sickly enthralled by the crunching of bone. The drake charged the greater beast and was quickly slammed to the ground, trapped under its claw. "Eryk!" Konstantin hissed, already twenty yards away. He was no longer crippled and moving with his usual speed.
I took a step back, and the wyvern turned its head. Even at this distance, the eyes told me this creature was not some mindless beast. I turned to run and catch up with Konstantin. I heard the shriek of the drake before its life was snuffed out and then a terrible crash. I looked behind me to find the tree that the summoner's body was under had been knocked over, and the wyvern
was studying the body. I had not even extracted my blade.
"Run faster!" I heard Konstantin yell from in front of me. We were a quarter mile from the dense evergreen forest. I was waiting for the wyvern to come down and swallow me in one bite like it had done to the Master Mage. Was it odd that both brothers had died due to their own overconfident hubris?
Konstantin was faster than me, and I couldn't blame him for not waiting. Did I have enough aether to move the creature's head into my dimensional space? Maybe, but it was crowded in there. Perhaps a cubic yard of space— what body part, then? The heart—no, I would be dead before it mattered. It had to be the brain before it swallowed me. That was the only way out.
I looked behind me, and the dragonkin was taking flight and coming after me. I had no doubt about that. I told myself not to look and just run faster. The false safety of the pine forest was just steps away. The pine trees were suddenly in a gale of wind in front of me as the wyvern landed, crashing into some branches and shaking the ground as it cut off my escape.
The ground lurched from the landing, helping me stop. My heart beat so loud in my mind I couldn't hear anything. The scene in front of me seemed too surreal. An arrow shattered on the back of the beast's head. "Konstantin, run! Don't worry about me!" I yelled to him even though I did not see him. A second arrow shattered, and the wyvern didn't even turn around. It just studied me like a mouse.
At least the creature had not just crushed me from above. "You prefer to play with your food? Well, bring it on!" I said with bravado. No more
arrows came, and I hoped Konstantin was running. I did not want him to see this. I just needed the wyvern to get a little closer.
A voice echoed in my mind, "You killed Vaeril, my apprentice?" I understood that it was not the wyvern but someone talking through the wyvern.
My heart thudded. "Traeliorn?" I asked, gulping. If he was inside or controlling the wyvern, would it count as joined aetheric resistance? Would I even be able to use spatial power on the creature's brain?
The voice said, "Did you kill my apprentice?" The large black eyes of the wyvern had a depth to them.
How should I answer the powerful summoner behind the creature? "Yes." My answer was dry and factual. Even if I said no, he was not going to let me go. A large-scale claw stepped forward, bringing the head closer.
The voice echoed again, "Then, legionnaire, know that it was I who sent you to your afterlife for your crime. Traeliorn Kelran, Vaeril's teacher and friend." The wyvern roared, lunged with its powerful legs, and extended its neck at me. I focused on the skull's interior and moved a large piece to my dimensional space. It was a strong tug-of-war with the creature's resistance
—I knew immediately it was just the creature and not the mage. The
struggle hung in time, but I succeeded in claiming the brain. Unfortunately, the momentum of the wyvern's lunge slammed into my body.
I heard my bones break, and I was sent flying with a tumult of earth and stone as the beast collapsed. My only fortune was I had not been trapped
under the body when it struck me. My aether was bottomed out, and I had no potions on my person. I was also in severe shock as I realized my hand didn't work and my wrist was at the wrong angle.
As the pain started to ebb back into my consciousness, my only thought was I had killed a dragon—well, something that looked like a dragon. I laughed aloud, but the act enhanced the pain throughout my body and caused me to black out.
Chapter 119: Broken
I was cold. My body felt like I was left out in the snow naked. I was in the barn where I had arrived in this world. I was naked, and the air was freezing. My skin was goosebumped, and I felt like I was frozen solid,
unable to move. I tried to force myself to move, and pain erupted through my whole body.
The barn door rattled, and my eyes focused on the light bleeding through
the corners. The door suddenly burst into a thousand pieces, and a massive wyvern was perched at the entrance. My eyes shot open, and I stared at the sky. My body felt hot and cold at the same time, and I felt weaker than a mouse. I tried to move, but that was not going to work.
The pain was real but hidden behind a curtain of shock. I checked on my aether. I had been unconscious for about an hour based on my aether core recovery. I used my self-healing spell form to explore my injuries.
My heart was still pumping, and I was not bleeding anywhere on the outside. My chest cavity had blood from a lacerated spleen and liver—the most serious injuries. At least, I assumed that organ was my spleen. I healed that first. I then used as little aether as I could to work over my other damaged organs. I left the broken bones alone for now, as living through
this was more important. I had essentially been hit by a bus—not a speeding bus. If I had not woken up, I would have died.
A massive breeze of foul air washed over me. I craned my neck up a little. The wyvern was twenty feet away and still breathing, its chest rising shallowly and falling. Panic and fear welled up, but as my vision focused,
its eyes were wide, bloody orbs, and a steady pool of blood was coming out its nostrils. The wyvern's brain had forgotten to tell the body it was dead.
Well, that part of that brain must be in my dimensional space.
I relaxed on the ground. This was actually good news. Maybe if it was still breathing, I could harvest its essence later. I still had the essence given to me by Zyna from the hill giant. I reached into my space, brought it into my
hand, and immediately dropped it. That wrist was broken and was a swollen mass of blood. I focused on aligning the bones and repairing the damage.
While I was at it, I healed some cracked ribs that had been making breathing difficult. Not that I noticed.
I did not finish before I ran out of aether, but I could fish in the grass and collect the essence sphere. I had been planning to save this major essence of constitution for Ginger, but I needed it more right now. I placed it in my mouth and savored the tingly feeling spreading throughout my body. It was not going to heal me, but it should minimally help increase my body's ability to heal.
I relaxed into the grass, no longer worried I was going to die. Where was Konstantin? How much did he see? He had shot those arrows from quite a distance. It made me feel good that he had not abandoned me until the last possible moment. Once he saw the wyvern lunge at me, he probably assumed I was dead.
I waited for my aether to recover with my eyes closed, trying not to fall asleep. The breaths of the wyvern got further and further apart. When I did not hear an exhalation, followed by the foul air of its breath, I moved to get up.
Sitting up was not pleasant as I had a lot of healing yet to complete. Standing was not in the cards at the moment as I crawled to the creature's head. I had enough aether to remove the collector and use it. The head of the wyvern was larger than a horse, and memories of Sebastian being
consumed and chewed like a piece of gum had me hesitate in approaching. Air exhaled from the lungs again, very slowly, but the blood dripping from the nostrils had coagulated and was no longer flowing.
Leaning against the head, I placed the collector on top like a memorial death crown. I channeled aether into it and stepped back as the azure mist swirled from the body. The massive creature shivered like it was resisting its life force being taken from it. I watched as the collector wobbled
slightly, the beast shuddering in its fight against the collector. More essence was drawn than normal—maybe because it was still alive.
An apex essence formed and rolled onto the ground. The beast's abdominal cavity slowly collapsed as it loosed its final breath. It had been holding onto life like any creature would. Now, it was dead. I picked up the unfamiliar
sphere—azure-blue with white swirls. A two-tone meant it was most likely
an essence for a magic affinity. I used the head to help me stand and leaned against the creature while I rested.
If Konstantin or the company found me right now, I would look pretty badass. Of course, walking was going to be a chore. As aether became available, I started working on my hip joint. The socket where my femur sat in my pelvis was a mess. Thankfully, I did not need to be a doctor to figure things out. I just needed to know where the issue was and direct the healing spell form at it.
I took a tentative step. Then another. I healed some ligaments in my knee to eliminate a limp. I collected my helm nearly a hundred feet away. Then went to the dead summoner's apprentice. It had been almost two hours
since I had killed him. I tried the collector anyway, and it did not trigger. Extracting my blade from the body took a little work, and I cleaned it in the grass.
I searched his person for another healing potion and found three different potions secured on his belt. All were labeled in elvish, so I was curious to know if they were healing potions. I sent the potions, the collector, the two blades from the elf woman, and the apex essence into my dimensional space. I pulled out a canteen and filled it with rum from my space.
I sat down next to the dead summoner and drank. It had a mellow sweetness, but I was drinking it more for the alcohol to get the numbness of being drunk. After a few swigs, I offered the summoner some, but he was uninterested. I was waiting for Castile and the others to find me. I switched to water, not wanting to get completely drunk in case I needed my faculties. I healed injuries but kept enough aether available in case Traeliorn sent another creature after me.
I removed the baron's son's sleeping roll at sunset from my space. I weaved my way into the branches of the tree the wyvern had knocked over and set up a place to sleep. I figured any creature trying to get to me would have to break the branches and wake me. The alcohol made falling asleep easy enough after an extremely stressful day. I woke once during the night to an owl that was curiously sitting on a branch, hooting at me. I tossed a stick at it, and it flew away to leave me in peace.
I was up with the morning sun and continued my healing until I could move without pain. Zyna must have decided a fight with the wyvern was too difficult without the drakes, as they had yet to arrive. Konstantin would
have told her that Sebastian and I were made into wyvern snacks. I started to backtrack from the direction we had chased the elves.
I searched the ravine to see if the company had come and searched it. There were no footprints other than mine and the drakes. The company had not
come looking for me. They must have assumed I was dead. I climbed out of the ravine, found a broad stream, and cleaned myself. I had been bathed in earth and stone when the wyvern came up short of ending my life.
I remained on alert as Konstantin had taught me as I contemplated. I might be able to sneak away. If everyone thought I was dead, then it should not be too hard to ditch my legionnaire armor and make my way… Where would I go? East was the Bartiradians. North and west were the orcs. South, there was a massive and dangerous mountain range. But on the other side of that range were the older kingdoms of Desia.
A deep voice intoned from behind a rock, "Eryk, is that really you?" I almost jumped in surprise but did not. I just pretended that I had heard the goliath sneak up on me.
"You know, Maveith, you shouldn't disturb someone when they are bathing. I thought you were a goblin coming to steal my boots." I looked up at the goliath on the rocks twenty yards away.
He narrowed his eyes, "You did not hear me, and I would not sound like a skulking goblin if you did hear me." I shrugged at his annoyance at being compared to a goblin.
"So, where is everyone?" I asked conversationally.
Maveith walked cautiously down to the water but stood a dozen paces away. He sat on a stone and studied me, "Konstantin told everyone that a wyvern ate Master Mage Sebastian and you as well. Zyna was not prepared to fight a wyvern the size Konstantin described. Especially without support in the air."
"So, are they camped nearby then?" I inquired while putting on my damp clothes.
"They headed back to Sobral. Konstantin said you killed the summoner we were pursuing." He finally seemed to believe I was not a ghost, and he relaxed and sat on a boulder.
"Why are you here then?" I asked.
Maveith's brow furrowed, "I was going to see if there was anything left of you and return it to the earth."
"You came to bury my body parts?" I laughed at the absurdity of it.
Maveith did not see the humor. "Mateo said you were too lucky to get killed by a dragon look-alike. He said bringing you down would have taken a real dragon. Benito even started a betting pool that you would walk out of the
woods smelling like you had just taken a bath." He looked me over, "I guess he was right." I just laughed again.
"How far behind the company are we?" I asked as I finished dressing and feeling much better without dirt in every crevice of my body.
Maveith stood as well, "They left this morning, so they are maybe half a day ahead now, but Zyna had them moving at a fast pace. I marched with them until they took a break and wandered off into the woods after telling Flavius where I was going. He said he would give an excuse for my absence. I hoped to bury your remains and reach them during the night."
"Well, thank you, I guess. We should get moving then," I stood and started walking, and Maveith fell in beside me.
There was a silence for a long time before his curiosity overwhelmed him. "What happened?"
I had been waiting for the question. "You remember the female manticore?" "You poisoned the wyvern?" Maveith said in disbelief.
"Yes, I did the same thing to the wyvern that I did to the manticore," I said truthfully. Maveith was surprised but seemed to believe me.
After a time, I asked, "Maveith, when you left Stone Mountain Island, you must have been to a lot of places in your travels. Tell me about them. Why did you finally choose to live in the woods north of Sobral."
Maveith did not want to be reminded of the reason he fled his people, but he eventually answered. "The truth was this was as far away as I could get, and living alone in the woods seemed like a suitable punishment. I spent most of my time on ships getting here but did explore some of the more interesting port cities."
I listened to Maveith talk enthusiastically about the cities he visited as we walked to sunset. We camped together in a small shallow cave. I felt relatively well-rested, so I took the first watch. Neptune's Tear's blue light illuminated the woods below. Tomorrow, we would catch up with the company if we pushed. How was I going to explain my miraculous survival to them?
Chapter 120: Revenant
In the morning, we made our way to catch up with the company. I was having some trepidation about answering questions regarding my
miraculous survival. No one had seen the dead wyvern, and I probably should not have told Maveith I had poisoned the beast, as he had trouble with the idea of lying. I also should not have healed all my injuries. Maybe if I returned looking like I had been put through a meat grinder, they would have thought my escape more plausible.
I paused to check the ground and read the passing of the company, "Maveith, these prints are dry near the stream. I don't think we are going to catch them today. They are going to beat us back to Sobral. Do you want to detour to your cabin?"
Maveith contemplated before answering, "We can make the Citadel by dark. I think perhaps we should do that. Your company will want to know you are alive as soon as possible."
I thought I would be fine with Castile and the others in the company, but I was slightly worried about High Mage Zyna's reaction to seeing me alive after facing a wyvern. She was obviously much more important and had
more sway as a First Citizen. I did not argue with Maveith, and we slightly increased our pace to make the Citadel by dark. In the end, we arrived a few hours after dark. The gate guards let us through after conferring with their captain. I assumed word of my return would reach Tasevia, the Duchess'
gate captain.
I went to the northwest tower to sleep in the bed there. The four beds we had hauled up here were still there, and Flavius and Konstantin occupied two. Only a dim glowstone lit the room. I backed out into the stairway and stopped Maveith from coming up the stairs. I whispered, "Maveith, I want to play a little joke on Konstantin. Can you help?"
Maveith did not look like he wanted to play along, so I added, "Just pretend you cannot see or hear me. I want Konstantin to think I am haunting him from beyond."
Maveith processed what I said, "Like an apparition?" I nodded and motioned for him to be quieter as his deep voice echoed around the stone stairs.
I had Maveith go in first, and both Flavius and Konstantin stirred to see the goliath before getting up. Konstantin mumbled, "Did you find anything left, Maveith?" I moved into the archway of the stairs and just stood there.
Maveith was quiet, trying to decide what to say. He rumbled, "I did not find a dead body."
Konstantin rolled over to look at Maveith, "The wyvern ate him. I told you you would find nothing." I wanted to jump up and down and draw Konstantin's attention to me but remained quiet.
Flavius said in a low tone, "Your loyalty and bravery in looking for your friend are admirable, goliath. Get some rest. The pain of loss will be temporary." That was surprisingly nice for Flavius to say. Maybe the news of Sebastian's death had loosened him up a little.
I scuffed my feet and nearly broke into a grin as Konstantin rolled over to look in the archway. His eyes slowly widened in surprise and fear. He rolled off the bed and was drawing his runic blade, "Revenant!!" he yelled.
Flavius turned and reached for his own weapon. "Maveith, arm yourself!" Flavius yelled at the stationary goliath.
Maveith turned slowly to face the door, "What? I do not see anything
unusual." The grin on his face told me he was enjoying this. On the other hand, I was doubting my joke was going over as well as I had hoped. Both experienced legionnaires looked ready to kill me. Flavius was already notching an arrow.
I put up my hands, "Don't kill me. I have had a really bad few days."
"Maveith, did you bring back an animated corpse?" Konstantin rasped angrily at the goliath.
"What? I do not see a corpse. Is something wrong?" Maveith said mechanically, still enjoying the game and pretending I was not here.
"Joke is over, Maveith," I said nervously. "They might actually kill me if they think I am some undead creature."
Maveith nodded in agreement, ending the joke. "I did not find a dead Eryk. I found a live Eryk," Maveith said triumphantly, pointing at me.
Konstantin looked incredulous at Maveith, "Impossible. Eryk, or whatever you are, move to that wall." He pointed with his sword. "Flavius, go get
Castile," he ordered. After I moved out of the stairway, Flavius rushed off to get Castile.
I was seeing the downside of my joke going awry. After Flavius left, Konstantin did not relax; instead, he moved to the stairs. "What happened then? I saw the wyvern lunge at you. You were as good as dead."
This was a lot harder than I thought it would be in my mind. "The Elven High Mage Traeliorn was controlling the wyvern. That was how he fooled Master Mage Sebastian into thinking he had control of the wyvern. He talked to me through the creature."
Konstantin's eyes narrowed some. "And how are you alive? Did you bargain with him?"
Well, at least Konstantin was not calling me a liar—a traitor, yes—but not a liar. I leaned against the wall to appear relaxed. "Why don't we wait till
Castile gets here so I don't have to explain things twice?" That would also make sure I did not actually change my story.
Konstantin just turned to Maveith and said, "Where did you find him?" Maveith answered, "I was following the trail to the wyvern, and I found him bathing in a shallow stream on the way. He said I sounded like a goblin
when I snuck up on him." Maveith shook his head, still upset that I said he
sounded like a goblin.
Konstantin rubbed his forehead like he was getting a headache. He still had his runic sword in his hand, ready to defend himself. During his time in the Hounds, I knew he hunted various creatures that could change shape, so I was not too surprised he was skeptical I was me. He studied me, "If it is you, Eryk, I am glad you are alive, but things are not good. Master Mage Sebastian was a very important mage in the Empire. A favorite of the Emperor. His death is going to have consequences."
Castile arrived in a nightshirt with her boots on a moment later. She was breathing heavily like she had run here. Her eyes went wide, "Dragon shit. It is true."
"Do not get excited. I am still not sure it is actually our lost legionnaire. He might be an undead or a shapeshifter, Konstantin said doubtfully. His voice was laced with skepticism as he added, "He has not told me how he
survived."
Castile looked me up and down, "Well, I am sure it will be an interesting story. Let me confirm he is not an undead." Konstantin's grip tightened on
his sword as Castile closed her eyes. Flavius was in the archway for the stairs and was also ready to respond.
When Castile opened her eyes, she spoke, "Not an undead, and his aether core is familiar. I think it is legionnaire Eryk. Now, Eryk, please explain." Her eyes danced in happiness or maybe amusement. I could not tell.
Konstantin relaxed visibly, which I was glad about. "The summoner was controlling the wyvern. Not the apprentice summoner we were chasing, but Traeliorn Kelran." Castile's eyes rose skeptically. I added, "The mage talked to me through the wyvern."
Castile settled into a chair, falling heavily and going into thought. "It would make sense. We learned the wyvern was attacking a village far to the north. It suddenly stopped and flew hard south. The apprentice must have communicated with Traeliorn and asked for help." Castile was thinking hard. She finally looked up. "What happened to the wyvern then?"
"It is dead." I knew they would want more than that, "I poisoned it when it got close. It was so close I could touch it. I placed poison in its mouth, and it did not even realize it." I looked at Konstantin, Flavius, and then Maveith to my left. Castile knew I could heal, but they did not. "I was mortally wounded as it crushed me in its death throes." I thought about lying and saying I had healing potions, but that would lead to more questions. "I was barely able to heal myself—it took me over half a day since I have so little aether."
Castile nodded slowly. Konstantin was exasperated, "You have a healing spell form?" I was surprised Konstantin was more angry about not knowing I had a spell form than the fact I just said I used poison.
Castile gave him a sharp look, "He can only heal himself." A look of realization came across his face as he pieced things together from the past.
He whispered to himself, "The aqueduct…the run to the capital…"
Castile focused on me, asking hopefully, "Did you get Sebastian's collector?"
"Did I what?" I asked, perplexed. Then I remembered that Sebastian had a collector. I had not thought about searching inside the wyvern for Sebastian's body. "No, I did not. It was not on his body when the wyvern
ate him. It must have been on his drake. The wyvern killed the drake, too. It might still be there."
Konstantin sheathed his blade, realizing how foolish he looked holding a sword at me. "I can get there and back in three days," he volunteered, his eyes still on me. I knew he also wanted to verify my story.
Castile considered Konstantin's offer, and Flavius extended his services, saying, "I can go with him." Great, there were two of them that wanted to verify my story.
"Yes. Recover Sebastian's body for the Emperor. Get the collector if you find it. I will send a message to High Mage Zyna that the wyvern has been killed, and we are attempting to recover Sebastian's body," Castile said, still thinking.
"The High Mage is not in Sobral?" I questioned. I probably had too much relief in my voice and tightened up.
"No, High Mage Zyna rode hard to a portal to get back to the capital. She needs to explain and account for Master Mage Sebastian's death," Konstantin interjected.
"Will Octavian cause you trouble again?" I asked, concerned. "Unlikely," Castile said. "High Mage Zyna was in charge of the hunting
party. The fault is with her. If they choose to investigate and call a Tribunal,
you and Konstantin may have to go before the Truthseekers."
Even from the grave, Sebastian was still causing me anxiety. I nodded to Castile. Konstantin started packing for his expedition. Flavius joined him. "What do you need me to do?" I asked, still feeling under the microscope. I had a feeling Konstantin and Flavius were going to go over the battle site with a fine-tooth comb. I did not leave any evidence that I could remember.
Castile stood and smiled, "Rest, Eryk. I am sure the company is going to be shocked to see you at breakfast. Once Konstantin and Flavius return, we will take the company to the Ruins of Caelora."
"Shit," escaped my mouth before I could hold it in. "The Scholar found enough evidence the dungeon is in the city?"
Castile arched her eyebrow and smirked, "You are remarkably well- informed. Yes, there is a dungeon near Caelora called the Shimmering Labyrinth. Maybe it is even inside the city. Scholar Favian is still not sure if it is viable. It was still being delved when the city fell some fifteen hundred years ago, so we assume it is still there."
"How are we going to deal with the specters?" I said, concerned. I had a nightmare about our company being ambushed inside the city, and now it was coming true.
Castile smiled tightly, obviously not happy, "The Duchess has managed to get fifty runic arrows, three runic blades, and a kettle of souls."
I thought the Duchess was poor. That sounded like a major investment.
While I was pondering this, Castile left the room. Konstantin and Flavius left in the middle of the night, saying they could not waste time as there was always a chance someone could loot the site. In the morning, I went to breakfast in the barracks early. Lirkin was preparing the company's breakfast, and I hid in a hallway and waited.
A lot of solemn, whispered conversations were happening at the table. When everyone was sitting at the table and eating, including Castile, Adrian, and Delmar, I walked out and sat at the table next to Benito, "Can you pass the potatoes?" I asked innocently.
"Sure thing, Eryk," Benito said, handing me the potato bowl after taking two for himself. Benito kept eating away, but silence slowly spread throughout the dining table as all eyes focused on me. Delmar and Adiran's grins told me they had already been informed of my resurrection. Benito
was oblivious as he kept eating until Felix elbowed him. "What was that for?" Benito whined while rubbing his ribs.
Felix said with all seriousness, "A dead man is sitting next to you."
With all eyes on me, I took a bite of the potato, "I can assure you. The rumor of my demise has been greatly exaggerated." Benito fell backward off the bench as realization struck him. Normally, the company would have laughed at Benito's misfortune, but instead, silence hung in the room as I enjoyed my potato.