Spellscribed: Ascension (40 page)

There was an explosion of sound and fury, and the Atastos flanking the mage were blown in every direction as Endrance carried the enemy off. Joven turned to watch the flame wreathed Spengur carrying his foe slam into the wall of the almost completely reconstructed longhouse and blow straight through it. They rocketed down the narrow stone passage, over the hot spring, and
collided with the sheer mountainside opposite the entrance. The force of the impact knocked a hole straight through into the mountain.

Endrance rolled and came up to his feet, flame flickering about him. The enemy rebounded across the rough rocky ground. They had entered a natural cave chamber behind the hot springs wall. Endrance didn’t waste time, charging forward.

A bolt of lightning similar to the kind he used caught him in the chest and knocked him onto his back. The fire shielded him from most of the harm, but it had taken power from his aura to do so. Endrance picked himself up as the masked mage stood.

The mask had been shattered and his robes had been seared across the chest. He was in obvious pain, but was still able to fight.

Now that his mask was destroyed, Endrance was able to see his face. He looked familiar, but he didn’t know the man’s name. Bald, the man had a thick mustache and beard, a thin gold ring in his left nostril and a severe demeanor.

“You… you are a mage of the circle!” Endrance exclaimed. “I recognize you! You were one of Kaelob’s apprentices! You are Firion of the Amber Satrap!”

“Yes, boy!” Firion replied. “I was once Kaelob’s apprentice, just like you were. Did it really take you that long to figure it out?”

Endrance scowled. “Why are you working for Valeria?” he demanded. “What is she planning?”

Firion sneered at him. “You’ve got something wrong, boy.” He raised his hands. “Everyone dances on her strings… you just don’t know it yet!”

Firion launched a jet of fire at him. Endrance let the flames hit him straight on.

I sure hope you really do have an immunity to fire.
Endrance commented mentally.

Better.
Gullin replied.
It is my favorite snack.

The flames sprayed against his crimson feathers and were sucked into them. Any flames within a few inches of his feathers were drawn in and consumed too. Endrance felt power restore to his aura. Even better, his body didn’t feel as worn out. When the light faded, Endrance remained unfazed.

“Hmm…” Firion replied. “I don’t know how you recovered from before, or even how you’ve gotten stronger, but it won’t be enough to save you.”

He slung a spell, flinging half a dozen translucent swords at him. Endrance had been preparing for that spell in particular. He raised his hands and conjured up a wall of stone debris. The blades bit into the stone and stuck. He released the spell, and the rock fell to the floor, dragging the spectral blades with them. Endrance walked past them, towards the mage. He drew his daggers as he did so.

“You’re going to try to stab me?” Firion replied, incredulity seeping from his lips. “You’ve got to be kidding.”

“You’re a good enough mage to beat me in a duel of magic.” Endrance replied. “You’ve shared a master with me and have been operating for decades longer. I cannot hope to beat you with sheer spellcraft.”

“You’re not going to beat me with that silly knife either.” Firion replied.

“The difference between the last time and this
one, is that I’m no longer trying to protect anyone.” Endrance replied, his eyes narrowing. “And I only need to kill you to stop this.”

“You think killing me will stop them?” Firion mocked, launching a blast of lightning at him. Endrance ducked, the spell glancing off his wards. “It won’t stop anything.”

“Wrong.” Endrance replied. “I’ve already set in motion the way to stop the Atastos. See,  I figured out you hadn’t raised them yourself. The big ones, sure, I could see you raising those. But you’re only using the presence of the Atastos to distract them while you use the Ewer.”

“You’re bluffing.” Firion replied. “You couldn’t have figured that all out!”

“Try me.” Endrance said. In the background, he could hear the sound of horns blowing. A spear of sunlight lanced through the hole they had created, illuminating the room. Endrance smiled. “Oops.” He said. “Too late.”

An unearthly howl rose into the morning sky and Endrance, even as far away as he was, felt the sensation of a spell breaking in the rising dawn. Firion must have felt it too, because he snarled at him.

Endrance lunged forward, putting as much power into his wards as he could. He barreled through another lightning bolt, dove over a wave of stone spines and swatted a cloud of frost out of the way. He closed in on the enemy mage and slashed with his daggers.

The mage reeled back, his own protective magic deflecting most of the blade, but not preventing it from leaving a long scratch across his cheek. Unlike Endrance, Firion didn’t have spells scribed on his skin, so Endrance’s consistent assault with both blades kept him from being able to focus enough to even sling a spell. When he tried to speak a word of power, Endrance stabbed at his throat and slashed at his hands when he tried to form mudras.

Firion was able to avoid most of the harm, but he was getting nicked and scratched every time Endrance scored a hit. Endrance was finally glad he had trained so hard with Joven to use the knives. He slashed up against the man’s side and he felt the blade rattle along the rib bones as he recoiled for a follow up strike. Blood seeped from a dozen small cuts on his hands and fingers, but Firion hadn’t been fatally injured.

Still, even with the advantage, Endrance was getting tired. He had been through far too much that day and the night before and he was beyond his second wind. His strikes were getting sloppy, going wide. The flame feathers flickered and guttered as their fuel was drying up.

Endrance’s flow faltered and Firion managed to fall backwards, using the distance to get a spell out. Endrance gritted his teeth as he lunged forward to try to stop him.

He halted as a sudden shock of pain clutched his chest. Almost paralyzed, Endrance looked down. A single spectral sword was buried to the hilt in his abdomen, piercing out of his back in a spray of blood. Endrance fell to his knees, the daggers falling from limp fingers.

Firion laughed, standing. He shook his head, a smile still on his face.

“You know, you almost had me for a minute there.” Firion admitted, looking around the room. “I don’t know how you managed to cast all those spells without words or motions, but I think those tattoos of yours were probably to blame. Before you die, tell me.”

The mage kicked Endrance in the face hard. Falling back, Endrance screamed as the stone behind him pushed several inches of the sword out of his body. Firion chuckled again, walking around the mage slowly.

“I also want to know where you managed to acquire such a powerful familiar.” He said, leaning down to look approvingly over Endrance’s form. “And you’ve successfully managed to adopt its essence. Color me impressed. You were better than I had given you credit for.”

“Well, no matter. I’ll just raise your corpse and you’ll tell me whatever I want to know either way.” He taunted.

Endrance had felt pain on that level before. A pain so strong it locked the body down and kept one from reacting. It wasn’t the first time he had been hurt or nearly killed. He needed to focus.

Master!
Gullin communicated.
I cannot come to your aid while we are like this!

I know. I’m sorry, Gullin. But I think this is the end.

Think, Endrance! You have to find a way!

Endrance looked up at Firion. The mage sneered down at him, taking the handle of the sword protruding from Endrance’s gut. He gave the handle a jerk, evoking another yelp of pain.
Endrance’s mind raced. He was trying to figure out how to survive, but it seemed like he was doomed.

Then he noticed the natural crystal formations encrusting large swaths of the cavern ceiling. Deep orange, they glowed faintly with an inner light. Crystalphage!
Hundreds of pounds of it, from what he could see. Thoughts started to coalesce. He just needed to steal back some time.

Endrance felt how much power he had left, grabbed most of it, and prepared it.

Gullin, you’re healed by fire, yes?

Indeed.

Then let’s warm this place up.

Firion frowned, seeing Endrance’s eye’s lose focus as he was communicating with Gullin. He crouched down near his face, slapping him.

“Hey now, don’t go dying on me yet! I wasn’t done talking to the last apprentice Kaelob will ever have.” He commanded, slapping him again.

Endrance focused on him again, aware he was bleeding out. “Last?”

“That’s right.” Firion replied. “Valeria has grown tired of the old man and is going to eliminate him.”

Endrance tried to keep his eyes open. “No…” he muttered his voice trailing off.

Firion grinned, standing. “Well, time to finish you off then. Glad we had the chance to talk before I tore everything else you loved to pieces.”

The mage grasped the spectral sword and yanked it free. He raised it over his head, aiming to plunge it through Endrance’s heart. Endrance’s eyes snapped open, and he lashed out with his right hand, grabbing Firion by the ankle.

Firion’s hand thrust down as Endrance poured every ounce of power he had prepared through the lightning spell tattooed on his hand. He had used it earlier to incinerate a rag, so he knew he could shock things with contact. With direct contact, Endrance could avoid most of the man’s wards.

The chamber illuminated for several seconds with crackling light. Firion convulsed where he stood, and Endrance kept up the flow of power. He tapped into the power remaining in his bracers and his aura, and thrust out his other hand.

“
Ignatius!
” He cried.

* * *

Outside, Joven led the way through the side passage. They had some difficulty bringing down the large Atastos, but they had managed. Selene and Bridget were right behind him. They came into the opening for the hot spring and saw the hole blasted in the rock face. Joven looked back at the two.

“Are you sure it was Endrance?” Joven asked. “Not a falling star or something?”

A scream erupted from the hole in the stone, followed by a brilliant flickering flash of lightning.

“Never mind!” Joven said, charging around the outer rim of the spring. Selene flanked the spring on the other side with Bridget right behind her. They reached the entrance into the cavern beyond and Joven stepped into the hole.

Bright red light blossomed from deeper within, and Joven heard the distinctive roar of onrushing flames. He cursed, leaping backwards out of the cavern as the entire inside chamber erupted in fire. The three of them reeled back and they dove into the waters of the spring before they were roasted alive.

Joven surfaced first, pulling himself back onto the stone. Bridget and Selene were hauling themselves out of the water shortly after. The cavern inside was silent.

They pushed forward, noting that the chamber had its own inner light. They found Endrance nearly fifty yards in. He was sprawled across the stone on a blackened smear that had at one point been blood before the fire had erupted. Slumped nearby was a badly burnt man who was still breathing laboriously.

Joven unslung his axe, gesturing for the women to check on Endrance. He walked up to the other man, scowling.

“He’s alive.” Selene said. “He’s been run through and he’s got broken ribs. Gods, is his hand burnt too?”

“That’s not all.” Bridget replied. “I think his nose is broken, and a black eye.”

Selene examined the stomach wound in detail. “I think the wound has healed a little. It’s not bleeding.”

“Is he awake?” Joven asked.

Selene hesitated. “No.” she replied.

Joven smiled. “Good.” He said, hefting the axe. “Then it’s my choice what to do with this guy.”

“Help me…” The burned man moaned.

“I’m about to.” Joven stated

“She… was too strong.” The man wheezed, trembling. “Tell Endrance… I’m sorry.”

“Noted.” Joven replied.

He brought the axe down, bone cracked and blood sprayed, and Firion was beheaded. The body went slack. And for a moment there, Joven saw a smile of gratitude before the head rolled away from him.

Joven turned back to the Draugnoa and noticed just how close Firion was to Endrance. “Back up, you two.” He commanded. “You know what happens next.”

Selene and Bridget nodded, scooting away. In an instant, the bracers on Endrance’s forearms gleamed as the arcane script lit up with golden light. The three had come to expect what would happen next, but had not been expecting the volume of light. Instead of a faint trickle or stream of golden illuminant light, a torrent of power rose from Firion’s body and spiraled around Endrance as the bracers did their work. Strangely, the swirling power caused some crystals across the ceiling to dim and blacken while others brightened. A sound like a great rush of wind filled the cavern as the bracers siphoned off a great volume of power.

When it was finished, both of the bracers’ gems gleamed brightly, as if they were full of power. The ring on his finger glowed as well. Endrance’s eyes fluttered open.