Delver Magic Book VII: Altered Messages (43 page)

He did not wish to injure the swallits, such aggression was normally not within his nature. He could use the enchantment in his sword to persuade enemies to heed his advice without causing permanent damage, but the soul burning capability of the blade could cause enormous pain. He did not take any satisfaction whatsoever in causing suffering of any kind. Still, he had to remind himself he was not simply dealing with stubborn swallits. The serps were behind almost every decision, and the delver had reached the limit of his patience with such manipulations.

With delver swiftness, he rushed toward and then around the two swallits that remained in the shadows near the edges of the cavern wall. He jabbed each quickly with the point of his sword. The sharp tip sliced through the thick vines of their hides and barely pierced their skin, but it was enough for the sword to work its enchantment.

Each swallit shrieked in pain as magical fire engulfed their very essence. Stunned by the searing fury that flashed through their souls, they galloped furiously away from the delver and further back into the shadows. Once a safe distance away, they swerved about to face their attacker, but they stopped dead in their tracks, showing no eagerness to engage the delver again.

Without slowing, the delver raced about and returned to Jure's side. He turned to face the swallit that remained standing on its two back legs. Ryson glared into the beasts eyes. He could almost see the same empty expression he noted in the faces of the goblins that attacked Burbon... the mindless creatures that followed Okyiq's orders and had killed Sy.

At first, he was surprised intelligent creatures such as swallits could fall prey to serp manipulation, but then he remembered the serps had magically combined their powers. Their influence had clearly increased with their alliance. His patience grew even thinner and his anger blossomed. One last time, he made his demands exceedingly clear.

"One way or the other, you're all going to leave this cavern. I can have Jure attack you magically or I can continue to burn all of your souls, but your time here is finished."

The swallit responded, not just with words, but with an assault of its own. The creature brought its two front hooves together. A hexagon of pure orange energy rolled down its arms. It became a roaring blast of magical fire that threatened to roast both Jure and Ryson where they stood.

"You wish to see who burns?" the swallit growled as it released the flames in one wide blast.

Jure sensed the spell before it was cast. A ring of pure white magic encircled him at his waist and then spread out to create a shield of water that surrounded both him and the delver. The water was strengthened with the wizards deep connection to the azure energy and it absorbed the flames with ease.

Despite being protected by the shield, Ryson leapt through the barrier and clear of the flames. The fire never came close to him, failed to singe a single hair. Utilizing his speed and agility, he raced around the swallit and swung the flat of his blade against the beast's shoulder. Though the creature was far larger and stronger than the delver, the speed of the strike was devastating, and it knocked the monster off its feet.

Ryson stayed on top of the swallit, bent low to look directly into the beast's eyes.

"You're still connected with the serps. I know they can see and hear this. I'm taking the dwarf king, and there's not a thing they can do about it. And just so they know exactly what my plans are, I'm taking Bol to the algors. That's right. I'm doing what they threatened to do. This little part of their scheme is over."

The swallit growled in fury and rolled back to all fours. It prepared to charge the delver and smash its heavy, curved horns into Ryson's chest.

Outmaneuvering the enraged beast was beyond simple for the agile delver. He glided over the stone floor of the cavern. Even as the beast followed with insane fury, Ryson controlled every facet of the encounter. He leapt and turned with purpose and eventually redirected the stampeding swallit toward its companions. The other two swallits wanted no part of the exchange and remained motionless in the shadows. When Ryson had corralled them together, he raced back across the clearing and called to the wizard.

"Jure, seal them off!"

Without questioning the order, the wizard brought forth another ring of pure white energy. He thrust the magic outward and upward, toward the rock ceiling at a point that stood between them and the three dark creatures. A surge of pure force burst into the rock and broke it apart. A cloud of dust and debris engulfed the area as a thick wall of stone fell across the clearing and blocked the surprised swallits off from the rest of the cavern.

Ryson stepped forward and inspected the new obstacle with a smile and a nod.

"Perfect."

"That should slow them down," Jure noted,  "but they might eventually be able to break through. They're powerful and they might be able to blast through with spells of their own."

"I don't think they're going to be in any hurry to get to us," Ryson revealed. "That's why I told them what we were planning on doing. They know we're not just trying to take Bol to safety. The serps are going to have to think about what it all means."

"I can't argue with that. We might end up doing them a favor by taking Bol to the algors, but it's your call."

"Yes, it is," Ryson agreed with an even bigger smile. "Thanks for not trying to change my mind. I guess it's time to have a chat with the king."

#

Through her sight spell, Holli could see the large goblin drift off to sleep. The bedroom Okyiq chose was much smaller than she had hoped for the inevitable encounter, but she decided she could use it to her advantage. She slipped her bow off of her shoulder and placed it against the wall along with her quiver of arrows. The battlefield would be too small for her to use that particular weapon effectively.

She pulled a straight battle blade from the sheath at her hip. The sword was thin but surprisingly strong, forged by elf artisans. It was also short enough for her to maneuver in the tight space that waited for her. She believed it was all she would need.

Concentrating on the sight spell for one last look, Holli inspected the room where she would confront the goblin. There were no guards; no goblin attendants or shag enforcers, and no hook hawks perched outside the only window. They would be alone upon her entry. She would have to ensure it remained that way.

She canceled the sight spell and in the next instant cast the teleportation spell that followed the same magical link. The anchor point affixed to Okyiq remained clear in her mind and she was able to create a path of compressed space directly to the side of Okyiq's bed.

Holli could have struck quickly at the goblin, slit his throat in one swift motion, but she decided against it. Something about Okyiq's breathing gave her pause. She wondered just how deeply he slept. If he woke suddenly, he might succeed in dodging her blade. She didn't want the monster to survive due to simple chance. She also decided to follow the same logic that had sent Ryson to the underground cavern. She did not wish to be predictable.

Rather than attack, she set her mind initially on her defenses. Though the room was empty beyond herself and the massive goblin, she could not be certain how many goblins waited within shouting distance. She did not wish to be interrupted. With one last spell, she used the majority of her remaining magic to seal the room.

A bright green octagon of energy appeared around her hands. She willed the energy outward and the magic expanded to hit all four walls. When it did, it extended both up and down and along the floor and ceiling, completely enveloping the internal space of the small room.

When she completed her spell, the elf returned her focus to the goblin. She was not surprised to see him awake, staring at her, and grinning like the monster he truly was.

"So, elf guard—wizard's errand girl—is the one who comes. I was hoping for the delver."

"Ryson Acumen has other business."

"Doesn't matter. I knew someone was coming."

"Is that supposed to concern me?" Holli asked. "It is no surprise. I had to use the magical connections to the serps to cast my spells. I had to accept the chance you might be warned ahead of time."

"Fah, serps had no idea. I knew. Ever get feeling you were being watched? That's how I knew."

"Then why did you dismiss your guards and go to sleep?"

"Got tired of waiting. Wanted to get this over with."

"If you are hoping to obtain help from your horde, I hate to disappoint you."

"I saw the spell. Guess you sealed the room. Doesn't matter. I don't need help. I just have to make a promise. I keep all my promises."

"I suspect you do. What promise do you wish to make to me?"

"Promise to kill you slowly. Don't like elves."

"And I have no respect for a monster that would kill a good and decent man. Still, I will kill you quickly."

Ryson didn't believe it would take long to locate Bol Folarok, and as he searched for the exiled dwarf king, he began to take greater interest in his surroundings. The cavern was vast; comprised of one overwhelming expanse at the center with many large and distinct chambers branching off in several directions. There were plenty of places to hide, but he doubted the dwarf would choose to avoid him. After all, he wasn't searching for a criminal, he was hoping to contact a king who simply walked away from his own throne.

As he expected, Ryson quickly found signs that pointed to the ex-king's location. He found tracks in the dust and scuff marks on the stone ground. He couldn't actually see anyone lurking about in the shadows, but he could smell and hear the presence of another individual prowling about one of the smaller hollows. Based on what he could sense, he knew instantly it was the dwarf king, but with each scan of the elaborate cave, his concern for Bol waned.

At first glance, the cavern appeared like a wondrous work of nature—a wide underground expanse of breathtaking beauty. Flowstones, stalactites, stalagmites, and strangely sculpted columns filled the open space with glorious splendor. Incredible stone marvels covered every section of the main expanse, and each corridor among the individual chambers held its own assortment of remarkable formations. The light from open shafts reflected off Ryson's sword, and the magnified brilliance sparkled against the walls of gypsum and throughout the mineral encrusted, narrow tubes clustered across the ceiling. The entire grotto could captivate anyone who looked upon its enchanted glory.

Ryson had explored numerous caves in his lifetime, more than he could remember. The cavern he stood within was one of the more spectacular sites he had ever seen. Its intrinsic majesty rivaled the peaks of the
Colad Mountains. He wondered why such a marvel would exist hidden underground, so far out of reach. It seemed such a waste, but as his delver eyes examined the staggering grandeur all around him, something within the very stone began to tweak his curiosity.

As he looked closer and closer at each formation of rock, he began to sense something strangely out of place. It was enormously bizarre, for the cavern as a whole appeared perfect in its creation, perhaps too perfect. Nature thrived as much in chaos as it did in order. While it offered a sense of balance, it also allowed for a large degree of turmoil. Ryson, however, began to see a clear and substantial pattern in the aspects of each stone wall and every rock formation. There was more than just the forces of nature at work within that cave, and that discovery led him to a startling understanding.

Ryson had visited two dwarf cities in the past. Both were amazing displays of dwarf construction. Each had a large palace at the center and both contained rows of homes, shops, and storehouses. Every structure had been carved out of the rock or was sculpted with timber and iron to meld into their foundations, as if they were destined to occupy the space they filled. Every rooftop, every doorway, every signpost fit perfectly within its surroundings. The dwarf cities were composite works of art, and when the delver first saw them, they staggered his mind with greater brilliance than his imagination could have previously conjured.

Looking across the cavern, Ryson began to see the same blend of order and precision that existed within the dwarf cities. The only difference was that the perfection existed within the shaped clusters of stone as opposed to definitive dwarf structures. He sensed a guiding hand beyond the natural sculpting powers of water, pressure, and corrosive gasses. Everything he witnessed appeared perfectly natural, but viewed in totality, it offered a hint of an ancient truth.

Ryson recalled what Queen Therese had told him about Bol Folarok's place of exile. The cavern was once a dwarf city—the city of SandsFine—but the dwarves were forced to abandoned the outpost due to human mining. The dwarves couldn't afford to have the humans stumble upon a relic of dwarf construction, so they had wiped the cavern clean.

Still, the delver could not help but notice almost imperceptible hints of dwarf workmanship. The expanse itself stretched out with defined paths and clear lines of sight. Through careful inspection, Ryson began to detect an obvious pattern within the arrangement of the chambers. There were no roads or rows of shops and houses, but he could identify ordered corridors within the stone that could have easily served as a well-designed framework for an organized city.