Spirit Past (Book 8) (17 page)

"Sorry, but I can't. If you didn't like the plan, then you should have said something sooner. If I do something stupid now, it will ruin the whole strategy. There's only one thing..."

Neltus stopped in mid-sentence and appeared to gaze off into the distance. He shook his head and his expression revealed pure distress.

"What's wrong?" Ryson demanded.

"I still have my sight spell working in the background, but I moved it further into the forest. I have to go."

"Go? What do you mean you have to go? You can't go!"

"I'm afraid I'm under orders, just like you. When things get too serious, I was told to teleport to Connel and report to Ansas. You've got an undead thrastil coming toward you. That's serious enough for me."

The warning took Ryson by surprise. A living thrastil was devastating enough. An undead one, pressed onward by the will of Reiculf, that would be too much for any of them.

"Let's go into the study," Enin recommended.

"But
he
is in the study," Holli protested, referring to the sorcerer.

She did not wish to argue with her mentor, but they were alone at the moment, and Holli preferred to keep it that way. She had seen and heard discomforting news, and she believed Enin needed to consider the information before revealing critical details to Ansas.

The wizard, however, viewed the sorcerer as an integral part of their defenses. He couldn't expect Ansas to offer a compelling strategy if he was kept in the dark.

"And he should hear this as well," Enin replied.

"I think you should hear it first. Then, you can decide what he should know. This involves more than just Reiculf, it deals with the security of Connel."

"I understand your concerns, but he has to hear it all. We can't deny his ability to think like the enemy, and if we are to expect him to offer sound advice, we can't limit his knowledge of important events."

Enin quickly walked toward his study and opened the door before Holli could object further. He found Ansas where he had left him, reading old books on various legends and magically dictating notes. The sorcerer believed scribbling ink on paper was beneath him, so he directed his magical energies to write out his ideas as he spoke them aloud.

"That is what got us into trouble in the first place," Enin remarked as he nodded to the parchments filled with Ansas' thoughts and inspirations. "You wrote down your ideas, and Reiculf got a hold of them."

Always ready for a fight and never willing to concede failure, the sorcerer scoffed at the accusation.

"I believe what actually caused this particular problem was your decision to send the serp council to Demonspawn," Ansas countered bluntly. "Reiculf would have never obtained my notes if Macheve did not enter his domain."

"The daokiln was already aware of the serps before I sent them anywhere," Enin responded. "The council had taken control of several dieruhnes, and one returned to Demonspawn to alert its masters, including Reiculf. The daokiln would have gone after the council on his own."

"And who was responsible for that? I believe it was Jure who allowed the dieruhne to return to its birthplace. A very poor decision. I would have obliterated the demon."

"We can argue about blame later," Enin offered, hoping to redirect the conversation down a more productive avenue. "Holli has returned from her scout and has valuable information for us."

Ansas closed the book in his hands and looked expectantly to the elf.

"Well?" the sorcerer stated impatiently.

Holli said nothing. Instead, she waited for Enin to instruct her to proceed. When the wizard took a seat behind his desk and motioned for Holli to start, only then did she begin her report.

"The information I have retrieved comes mostly from reports from town guards investigating recent incidents outside and around the city. I was only able to scout some of the southern farms, but once I confirmed certain information, I returned immediately to Connel."

"What did you see?" Ansas demanded.

Holli did not appreciate taking orders from the sorcerer, but she responded to Enin's nod to continue.

"I witnessed two inferns incinerating fields."

"Gnafil?"

"No,  I have not encountered these particular inferns before."

"Ah well," Ansas allowed. "I should have known it would not be that easy. Still, it is a clear indication."

"They're burning crops?" Enin asked, focusing on the damage being caused by the two unknown half-demons.

"Yes. The two fields contained spinach and cabbage... planted late in the growing season. The burns were intense and controlled. Little smoke could be seen. I advised the farmers to stay indoors to avoid injury."

"And how does this correspond to other incidents investigated by the town guard?" Ansas asked, coldly calculating the news in regard to his own concerns and not those of peasants working in the fields.

"Reports have come in from all around Connel. Inferns have been spotted incinerating food supplies, both in the fields and in storage facilities."

"Were there obvious signs of destruction that could be seen from Connel?" the sorcerer challenged.

"No. As in the fires I witnessed, the flames were tightly controlled and there was very little smoke from the burn. The inferns are using intense demon fire to instantly incinerate their targets. There is only smoldering ruins remaining."

"But this is happening in fields and farms all around the city, correct?"

"Yes. Wheat fields to the north, recently sown for the dormant season, have been severely scorched. Storehouses and barns to the east and west have been destroyed. Fields with crops not yet harvested in the south have been decimated."

"If there was little smoke, what caused the guards to investigate these matters?"

"Reports from the farmers. Most did not dare confront the inferns once they witnessed their powers. They came to the city for aid."

"Do you think this is all the work of the two inferns you witnessed, or are there more?"

"I do not believe the two I saw could have reached so many different locations in such a short amount of time. I believe there are more, but probably not many.

"Interesting," Ansas allowed.

"Interesting?" Enin repeated, slightly irritated by the sorcerer's callousness. "You find it
interesting
that inferns are destroying Connel's food supply?"

The city's resources were of no concern to the sorcerer. Ansas examined the information from the only viewpoint that mattered... gaining an advantage over Reiculf.

"I find the manner in which they are doing it extremely important," Ansas responded, but then the sorcerer turned to Holli. "How quickly are these inferns moving?"

"Not very," Holli admitted. "They seem to be very patient. While they have certainly caused  damage, they have not yet caused a significant reduction in the overall food stocks, at least not yet."

"And what is your assessment of these raids?" the sorcerer asked with obvious curiosity over the elf's opinion.

"It's a controlled move to create more uncertainty than panic."

"Of course it is. It's not meant to get everyone's attention. Just ours."

"So how do you suggest we respond," Enin asked of the sorcerer.

The inferns and their actions meant little to the sorcerer beyond revealing Reiculf's strategy. To Ansas, there was only one obvious course of action.

"We don't respond at all."

"No response?" Enin remarked, obviously surprised by the sorcerer's lack of concern.

"None."

"So we just let them burn our crops?"

Ansas was not surprised by Enin's reaction. He found it almost amusing. While keeping the larger struggle in focus, he decided to entertain himself by pressing Enin for further proof of the wizard's foolishness.

"What do you suggest?" Ansas challenged.

"Let's go out there and stop them. Inferns are nothing more than a minor inconvenience... to either of us."

"Idiocy," Ansas grumbled with a shake of his head.

"I would not consider it in the same regard," Enin remarked. "The inferns are dangerous and they are intent on causing damage. It may not be significant, but it can not be ignored."

"And what about you, elf, do you see why I consider such plans as idiocy?" Ansas wondered as he stared into the face of the elf guard.

Holli refused to answer, but Enin pressed her to respond.

"It's okay," Enin allowed. "If I'm an idiot, I need to know."

"I would not be so bold to consider a compassionate decision one of idiocy, but it would be tactically unsound."

"Fair enough," Ansas permitted. "Tell him why."

"If this is an attack by Reiculf, then it is meant to draw us out of the city and into the fields."

"At least one of you seems to understand."

"Understand what?" Enin asked.

"Objectives," the sorcerer declared. "You're an objective. Reiculf wants you. It would be easier to take you by goading you out into an open field than trying to attack you in the city. Out in the open, you would have to deal with one or more of Reiculf's pawns... and Reiculf's power. He could focus on you and not have to worry about the distractions caused by town guards, citizens, or anyone else that might be hiding in the city. He doesn't want anyone in the way. He wants you alone."

"We could go out together and deal with the inferns," Enin responded. "Surely you, Holli, and I have sufficient power to deal with this."

Ansas shook his head.

"The three of us might be able to overcome one of Reiculf's agents, if we were prepared... and lucky, but not two, and definitely not three. Until we know more, we can't afford to take such risks. They would take you, and then the game would be over."

"This is no game," Enin stated harshly.

"Then don't treat it as one," Ansas replied. "Your elf seems to have an understanding of the situation. She herself pointed out these attacks are controlled. They were not meant to create panic. Reiculf wants to get your attention, but he doesn't wish to cause complete turmoil, at least not yet."

"How can you be so certain," Enin demanded.

"If he simply wanted to cause fear and mayhem, he would have instructed the inferns to burn the fields in a much more dramatic fashion. Smoke and flames would be rising all around the city. Imagine that for a moment."

Ansas allowed the scene to catch the imagination of his hosts, but he quickly posed another question to Holli.

"What did the town guard do when they came across the inferns in the field?"

"They ensured no one was in immediate danger and then returned to the city to make a report."

"They did not engage the inferns?"

"They were only human patrols. To do so would have been beyond foolish."

"So they returned to the city to report the activities of the half-demons. That is exactly what I would have expected them to do... exactly what Reiculf hoped they would do. Is the captain of the guard preparing a counter attack with a greater force?"

"Only as a contingency plan. He believes Enin will deal with the inferns."

"The reasonable response." Ansas looked to Enin to drive home his point. "Don't you think Reiculf understands that as well?"

The logic became clearer to them all, but Enin would not settle for simply doing nothing.

"Maybe this is a trap, but that doesn't mean I have to just sit here."

Ansas could tell what Enin was considering and immediately crushed the idea.

"You wish to waste your magic by sending out spells from here to deal with the inferns? Go right ahead. You can locate them with various sight spells and then banish them to another dimension. But know this; the more spells you cast, the more inferns Reiculf will send to the fields."

"So we just let them burn the food?" the wizard asked.

"Yes."

The sorcerer finally made a statement with which Holli could disagree, and she leapt on the opportunity.

"That is not necessarily a wise decision. To do nothing would tip our own hand, reveal that we understand Reiculf's strategy. He would then change course to deal with us in a different way."

"That is inevitable," Ansas countered. "The only response we could make that would fool the daokiln is to do exactly what he wants us to do, and that is to send Enin to deal with the inferns. If we make such a clumsy error, the daokiln will claim Enin for his own. Do you really wish to see Enin's power combined with Reiculf's? If that happens, you won't care about lost food supplies. You won't be alive long enough to starve."

"Very well," Holli conceded, "but losing our food supplies is not without its own risk. The inferns may be controlled in their attacks at the moment, but if we do not act as they expect, they will do more damage, significantly diminishing our stocks to the point the city will not have sufficient food for the dormant season. Famine and starvation is one of Reiculf's great joys."

"This is what you argue over? I had greater hopes for you."

"I do not strive for your appreciation," Holli admitted, "but I do care for stopping Reiculf in every regard."

"Do you or do you not cast with emerald magic?" Ansas challenged.

"I do."

"And if fed with Enin's magic, can you not fill every field around Connel with enough food to feed the city for many seasons? You know you can. When this is all over there will be sufficient time to replenish food supplies. Stop worrying about insignificant matters."

"Then you continue to suggest we do nothing?" Enin questioned, uncertain if he could simply wait like a prisoner in his own home while half-demons scorched the lands surrounding Connel.

"I suggest we allow the captain of the guard to send a significant force to the south to deal with the two inferns. That might cause Reiculf a certain amount of confusion. He will wonder if the guard decided to handle the problem on their own without consulting you. It will give us some valuable time while we wait for additional information. If my instincts are correct, it is likely that Reiculf has just made a mistake."