Ultimate magic, p.14
Ultimate Magic, page 14
Chapter 10
Alec awoke in the depths of the Titan’s Claw, hours later.
For a time, he simply lay in the darkness, wishing none of it had happened. When he closed his eyes, he saw the grinning face of Baldir Diamondspear. He saw Uriel moving to embrace the shade of his dead son, perhaps in the hope of somehow freeing him from his madness. He watched it again and again, each time praying that it would somehow be different.
He’d lost. Baldir had won. Which meant Chaos had won.
Alec remained that way, alone in the darkness, until he felt the Titan’s Claw dock. The airship shuddered as it came to rest, though against what Alec couldn’t have said. Had they run all the way back to the Haunted Isle while he’d been unconscious, or had they flown off to join the armies of House Igneous in fighting off the forces of Chaos? Neither seemed to matter very much to him.
Uriel Diamondspear was dead. His mentor, his teacher, the man who’d finally called him ‘son’—slain by the shade of Baldir Diamondspear.
How could they go on now?
“Alec?” A square of light intruded on the darkness. Even in the dim light, Alec could tell from the voice and the silhouette that Trystara had been chosen to come down and get him. “Are you there? Are you alright?”
“No, I’m not alright,” he said, sitting up. He hadn’t realized until then how stuffed up his nose had become, or how many tears he’d cried. “He killed Uriel, Trystara. That monster killed my uncle…”
The demoness came to the side of the bed and sat down next to Alec. Now that the battle was finished, Trystara had gone back to her more ordinary form. “I know, Alec. I know. He meant a lot to you. He meant a lot to all of us…”
She put an arm around him, giving him time and space to cry. Alec felt something give inside of himself, yet knew instinctively that this would be the last time. He’d cried enough to be able to function, even though he hated knowing that he’d be able to carry on a conversation soon. What business was there left for them to do?
“We’re at the Northmund Estate,” Trystara said, answering a question he hadn’t asked. “It was close by, and the forces of Chaos won’t dare assault us here. Not yet, anyway. There’s… there’s people who want to talk to you, Alec. They need to see you.”
Alec looked into the eyes of his familiar. “Why is this all so unfair, Trystara? Why?”
The demoness’s face fell, and she hugged Alec tightly. “There there,” she whispered, more a mother to him than the woman who’d given birth to him. “I know, Alec. I know. But right now, you’ve got to be strong. The rest of the team… they’re about to come apart at the seams. Eleira is inconsolable—she’s hardly spoken since the Titan’s Claw left Nessus. We need you, Alec…”
Alec could hear it in her voice. Trystara was scared.
And why shouldn’t she be? This was the closest their fellowship—the thing most like a family that the demoness had ever known—was coming to breaking apart. If Alec allowed himself to break, then the alliance they’d forged truly would come to pieces.
It was unfair that it should all fall on him. Given the choice, he’d rather spend the next six months in that dark room, grieving and meditating on the unfairness of life itself.
But his friends needed him. And from what Trystara had just said, Eleira needed him, too.
“Alright,” Alec said, rising from the bed. “Alright. Give me a minute, would you? Tell the others I’ll be upstairs in a moment.”
“Okay,” Trystara said, trying to hide how relieved she was. The demoness was poor at it, which amused Alec despite his sadness. How strange, Alec thought, that I can be amused at a time like this. He hated it. It would have been more appropriate to never laugh again, to never smile. “I’ll go tell the others, okay? Just come up when you’re able.”
Once Trystara was gone, Alec fished the Ring of the Archon out of his robe. It was still there, along with the baton form of the Diamondspear. Just looking at it churned his stomach, so he tucked it away and focused on the ring.
“If you’re really there,” Alec whispered, thinking of the Archon, “then I’m going to need some serious help. We’re in a pretty bad spot right now, and it’s looking like you might lose. One of your greatest defenders was just slain by the enemy.”
Was that a faint pulse of red he saw in the deepest facets of the gem? Alec couldn’t be sure.
“What I’m saying is—I’ve only got one ring finger left,” he said, slipping the Ring of the Archon onto his other hand. “If you let this thing get cut off again, I’m going to have to start wearing it as a pinky ring. And nobody wants that, don’t you think?”
The Ring was silent, yet Alec felt strangely better. It was good to know that no matter what, he always had someone in his corner.
The feeling withered somewhat as he went upstairs. The Titan’s Claw had docked at the Northmund Estate, as Trystara had told him, yet the sight of Uriel’s mansion and the great floating chain suspending the island of the House of Doors only filled Alec with sadness. His team milled about on deck, either unwilling or unable to make the trip to land themselves.
Among them was Tanuin. The elven ranger had come across from the Northmund Estate, making a difficult journey to be with them. He’d been embracing Eleira as Alec ascended the deck, trying his best to calm her down.
“Look, he’s right here,” Tanuin said, a faint smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. “He’s up and about, Eleira. Everything’s going to be alright.”
She turned, seeing Alec for the first time since the fight. At the sight of him, her expression collapsed, and she raced across the deck and embraced him.
“I didn’t think you were ever coming back upstairs,” Eleira whispered into his ear. “If you didn’t, Alec, I… I don’t know how I’d find the strength to go on…”
Alec didn’t know how he was going to find that strength, either. “It’s alright, Eleira,” he assured his beloved, squeezing her tightly. “I know things feel hopeless without Uriel at the tiller. But we still have the Archon on our side. Remember that.”
As he said it, he held up the hand with the Ring of the Archon.
“So it wasn’t lost,” Eleira said, holding his hand. Then she remembered what Baldir had done to the other one and grabbed it, exploring the stump of his ring finger gingerly. “Are you alright? Does it hurt?”
Alec shook his head. “It’s fine. Tanuin’s told me that women are attracted to a man’s scars, but I doubt this one will be winning any awards…”
With a shocked little look, Eleira leaned in and gave his severed stub a kiss. “I’ll give you all the awards you want,” she said boldly, marshalling her courage. “We all will. We’d have died in Nessus if it weren’t for you.”
“Yes, we live on,” Jolenta said, swaying unevenly across the deck. She had clearly hit the Titan’s Claw’s stockpiles of alcohol almost immediately after takeoff, and probably hadn’t stopped drinking until Alec arrived from below decks. “Though I’m not sure why. How are me and Vodie supposed to hold the alliance with the Inscribers together without Uriel to guide us!? Rawiri is going to kill me when he finds out about this, he’s simply going to kill me…”
“No one is going to kill you, dear,” Vodalus said, helping his beloved to the side of the airship. “Sorry, Alec—we’ve all been taking what happened rather hard. Your Eleira spoke more words to you just now than she’s said since we left Nessus, and my Jo…” He paused as Jolenta retched over the side of the Titan’s Claw. “She’s never been this bad before, I promise.”
“It’s alright,” Alec assured him. “We’ll find a way. The noble houses don’t have much choice, after all, do they? It’s either us or Chaos now.”
“Alec.” Tanuin strode forward, his eyes eager. “Uriel said something to you right before Baldir did what he did. No one heard it except you and Eleira, and she hasn’t been talking. What were Uriel’s last orders?”
Alec glanced at Eleira, a bit surprised. “He told me to take this to the High King,” he said, holding up the Ring of the Archon. “And that Maimonides and Viya need to search those blueprints for a way to destroy the Chaos Immolator. And… and…”
Alec faltered.
Tanuin embraced him, patting him on the back. “It’s alright,” the elven ranger said. “I have a pretty good idea what the last thing Uriel told you must have been. He meant it, too, Alec.” The elven ranger pulled back, beaming at Alec. “He was proud of you. So proud.”
“Thanks,” Alec said. “I know that, too. I just wish he was here.”
Silence reigned on the deck of the Titan’s Claw for a moment. Then Maimonides the Shadebringer spoke up.
“Uriel’s final commands,” the gnome said, striding across the deck toward where Alec stood. “I understand the part about the blueprints—if Viya and I can’t find a weakness that will allow us to destroy the Chaos Immolator, we’re all done for—but what did he mean about the Ring? Why must you take it to the High King, of all people?”
Alec nodded. “Back in Nessus, we didn’t just fight Baldir Diamondspear,” he explained to the gnome. He felt more than a little bit of surprise that no one else in the group had given Maimonides a detailed account of their fight—but then again, they were all mourning Uriel. Perhaps they’d overlooked it. “The Executioner who was supposed to behead Uriel was none other than Jonas Wolfe, the Dean of the Royal Academy.”
Maimonides let out a shocked little noise. “Dean Wolfe!? I know the man was a spy for Chaos, but to bring the blade to Urry’s neck himself…”
“He was corrupted,” Alec explained. “Chaos dug so deep inside of him that there was barely a man left—just a suit in the shape of one. Then I used the Ring of the Archon on him.” Alec held it up, letting the gnome see the gleaming facets of the deep red gem. “It purged the Chaos from his soul, Maimonides. It cleared his mind. I’m thinking that’s the purpose of the Ring of the Archon—to act as an extermination device against Chaos’s influence.”
“Which would be why Uriel wants it to go to the High King,” Maimonides said slowly. “There’s very few people in this world with a better claim to being corrupted by the forces of Chaos than Alrick Demesne. If your Ring can free the High King, turn the entire Sky Watch into our allies rather than our enemies, we might very well be able to make war against Chaos on our own terms!”
For a moment, the mood brightened on the airship. Then Alec’s face fell. “It didn’t work on Baldir,” he said, holding up his other hand. “Perhaps it was about to, or maybe he felt a touch of its influence, but he was able to resist it. He… he cut the finger right off my hand!”
“Hmmm…” With his characteristic love of knowledge, Maimonides scrutinized the stump of Alec’s missing finger. Alec felt a little strange that the gnome didn’t feel at all awkward about doing this—he treated Alec like a patient in a clinic, or one of his experiments in his lab back at the Royal Academy. “That is interesting. To me, Alec, that would imply that the Ring of the Archon is in fact very effective against Baldir Diamondspear. So effective, in fact, that the man cut off your finger rather than experiencing it for a single extra moment.”
Alec had been thinking along those same lines, himself. “If I could only force him to see it,” he whispered, shaking his head. A mad little laugh escaped Alec’s lips. “He’s not even Uriel’s son. He’s just a ghost, a figment, a shade born out of Uriel’s own guilt. If we could just convince him of that, he’d poof right out of existence…”
Maimonides’ face grew grave. “I agree, but I doubt you’d be able to until you gave Baldir a good thrashing. The more important question is this—will the Ring of the Archon work on the High King?”
“That’s what we’re going to find out,” Tanuin said. “It’s decided. The only way to keep the alliance together without Uriel is to add someone new to it—and fast. High King Alrick Demesne will fill the hole Uriel left behind.” The elven ranger’s expression grew bitter. “Though I doubt even he could fill Uriel’s shoes.”
That gave Alec pause. “We need to tell everyone what’s happened,” he said, stepping naturally into the party’s role as leader. “Is there a room in the Northmund Estate where we can contact the other members of our alliance via magic?”
Both Maimonides and Tanuin gave a start.
“You want to tell them?” the gnome asked, looking harried. “No, no Alec. You want to chase bad news with good. We shouldn’t inform the rest of the nobles until we’ve already replaced Uriel with Alrick Demesne—otherwise we’re going to have nobles dropping like flies from our ranks!”
“The gnome is right,” Tanuin said. “That’s about the only time you’ll ever hear me say that, but it’s true. We have to keep this a secret, Alec.”
But Alec was already shaking his head. “We’ll only lose our allies if we lie to them,” he said, looking down at the Ring of the Archon on his finger. At times like these, he truly did feel the presence of the Archon looking down on him. “Get a Council room together. We’re going to let everyone mourn Uriel—and then, we’ll take our next steps.”
Alec could tell that both Maimonides and Tanuin thought it was a bad idea. Yet both men ceded the floor to him, obeying him as if he’d already stepped into Uriel Diamondspear’s shoes. The thought gave Alec pause, and he stared up at the massive chain connecting the floating island to the estate proper. Then he looked at the mansion of his mentor, his arms crossed over his chest.
I suppose it’s mine now, he thought. Uriel has no heir, and I’m the closest thing to a relative left to him. It’s probably in his will that the Northmund Estate goes to me, if we can even find such a thing.
The thought was bittersweet. Alec promised himself to take care of everything that had belonged to Uriel—but he’d much rather have taken stewardship of the Diamondspear estate decades from now, long after Uriel had met his and Eleira’s future children.
In short order, they found a location to make the call. The group gathered in a high tower overlooking the green hills of the Northmund Estate, with a wide circular table in the center like something from an old fairy tale about knights and dragons. Several servants brought in food and drink—for them, the transition from waiting on Uriel to waiting on Alec was less extreme than most. Though he was certain the staff were mourning in their own way, of course.
“I hope you’re sure about this,” Maimonides said, setting up a device in the center of the table. It looked like three seashells welded together by a skilled blacksmith, covered in strange runes and ribbons. Each member of the alliance had such a device, which could be used to generate an image of the wielder at will. Tanuin had ventured far and wide to deliver them to each member of the group, at great personal peril.
Yet another one of his exploits, Alec thought, smiling at the elven ranger as he took a seat at the table. One of these days, Tanuin will have to tell me about all the adventures he’s been having whenever he leaves me and the rest of my friends…
Eleira took the seat next to Alec—the one that would be reserved for her as his wife. Maimonides sat at his right hand, with Viya on his other side, and the rest of the group fanned out across the table. Jolenta still looked hungover, while Trystara kept her elbows on the table, leaning over it as she watched the device at the center with a hungry eye.
Maimonides waited, then Alec nodded. The gnome made an incantation, and the runes on the device began to flash.
Lines emerged across the table, sticking out at angles like tree branches. A tiny wall of magic rippled along each, showing the spot where other holders of the devices would appear once they were connected. Alec waited for the first noble to pick up, ice spreading through the pit of his stomach. This would not be an easy conversation.
Though the first person to arrive set him somewhat at ease, at least. One of the branches nearest Eleira rippled, then peeled back like a curtain to reveal the floating, blue-tinted face of Olivia Pawmaw. The former Familiar trainer of the Royal Academy beamed across the table, never stronger than when she saw Alec and Eleira sitting together at the head.
“Well, hello there!” she said, glancing quickly behind her. “Hang on, everyone else is coming in. I understand there’s an all-hands meeting?”
Despite the circumstances, Alec found himself grinning. “It’s good to see you again,” he said. “How are you doing?”
“Oh, I’m passing awful,” Olivia said, the corner of her mouth curling in a smile. “How’s your familiars? I see Trystara sitting here. What about Firemane and Voynamir?”
Eleira and Jolenta assured the teacher their familiars were doing well—though Jolenta had to groan through it mostly. She downed cup after cup of water and spiced coffee, trying to sober up quick.
Before she could ask any other questions, however, the other branches at the center of the table began to light up. Here was Alison Raleigh, framed by her parents with a bit of the Haunted Isle’s sunset behind her. A few moments later, Rawiri Igneous and his father joined the line, looking stately in their fine robes. He noticed a group of women behind them and recalled that Rawiri had mentioned his father had many wives. Alec watched as nearly everyone he’d met on his journey poured in, even several of the Royal Academy’s teachers like Brutus.
Soon the tree was completely full, everyone staring at each other and waiting to begin. It was Rawiri Igneous’s father, a tall man with thick, dark braids, who first dared to ask the obvious question.
“Alec Diamondspear,” he rumbled. “It is good to see my son’s friend again. Where is Uriel?”
Alec swallowed hard. That’s why they waited, he realized. Of course they all assumed it would be Uriel running this meeting.
“There is something I have to tell you all,” Alec said, rising from his seat. Next to him, Eleira took his hand, nodding gently in support. “Uriel Diamondspear was killed yesterday in the city of Nessus. Slain by the hand of the shade of Baldir Diamondspear.”
