Spirit Past (Book 8) (21 page)

Birk could hold his tongue no longer.

"No! I will not allow the camp elder to be placed in such jeopardy... to be used as bait."

"Very well," Ansas replied almost all too readily, and then sarcastically offered the obvious alternative, "then I will leave her here under your protection. Certainly she will be safe in the center of an elf camp which has already suffered losses to a third of its strength. Having her with the strongest spell casters in all of Uton would be so much more dangerous. I will allow you to protect her against Reiculf."

Ansas paused. He wanted the elf captain to consider the full weight of his offer. The elves would be no match for the daokiln, and they all knew it.

"I do not have to waste time here," the sorcerer finally continued. "My goal is to remove one of Reiculf's servants... any one of the three. There is probably still time to isolate the serp. Macheve is most likely at the eastern outskirts of Dark Spruce, controlling the undead as they attack Burbon."

Shantree knew the sorcerer was bluffing, but she announced the choice from which she could not hide.

"No, we will do as you ask. All of us. It is not up for debate."

"You can not put yourself in such danger!" Birk objected.

"Very well, then I will renounce my position as elder and resign into the forest."

"I can't let you do that," Enin intervened. "You would be too vulnerable, and we can't afford to lose you to Reiculf."

Shantree looked to Birk.

"Then the only alternative is to stay here and fight. We will have to follow the sorcerer's plan."

"And we must do so quickly now," Ansas stated as if there would be no further argument. "Inform your elves of the spell I will cast."

Birk stormed off, but followed the sorcerer's instructions.

"The rest of us must be ready to strike, including you," Ansas announced as he pointed to Haven Wellseed.

"But won't I fall to your spell?" the elf spell caster asked.

"No, I have need of you. Come with me."

"Are you going to teleport me away again?" Scheff challenged the human wizard.

"I think we both know that won't work twice," Jure responded.

"Then why don't you just leave? You do not have the power to stop me."

"I didn't think I had the power to stop you last time, but I did. You weren't even alone. You were with the serp. I still stopped you. Maybe I can't teleport you out of here, but what makes you think I won't find another way to keep you from getting what you want?"

"Because I will not be so careless this time."

Jure gritted his teeth. He was not happy about what he would say next, but he was instructed to do so. It was part of the plan, a plan Shantree herself accepted, and the elf elder had demanded he hold to the strategy. Though the wizard found little pride in hiding behind another, he had to make it clear to Scheff that recklessly releasing Reiculf's power would be disastrous.

"You'll still have to be careful though, won't you?" Jure warned. "You could destroy me with any number of spells, but you can't afford to hurt the elder. That would most certainly upset your master."

Scheff glared at the human wizard. The maneuver was unexpected, and he voiced his surprise.

"You would use the one you wish to protect as a shield?"

"Shield? No. Let's call it an obstacle. If I was standing out in the open, you'd probably just fry me with a lightning strike, but you can't take that risk if I'm standing this close to Shantree. You might be very accurate with your spells, but all I have to do is deflect part of an attack. If the elder is injured, or worse, you might have to deal with a very unhappy daokiln."

"Then maybe you need to stand somewhere else!"

Scheff lifted his hands and three rings of distorted, colorless power encircled his arms. He stared deeply into Jure's chest as he reached out with the energy, hoping to take hold of the human spell caster with a grip of magical will. If Jure would not move of his own accord, then Scheff would force him away from the elf elder.

Jure cast a spell of his own. The single circle of white magic appeared meek in comparison to Scheff's display of power, but it quickly grew into a blazing ring of pure defiance. The circular wall of magic worked furiously to block out the invading spell in hopes of keeping both the elf leader and the wizard safe from Scheff's hold.

A battle of both will and power clashed across the center of the elf camp. The colorless energy of the demon master tore at  the white magic. Scheff's spell bore deep into the pale circle. It began to rip holes in the barrier, and small streams of distorted energy flowed furiously into each gap.

Despite the breaches, the white magic continued to pulsate. Rather than yield to the overwhelming assault, the shield grew stronger, and every hole was quickly plugged before any substantial portion of Scheff's magic could achieve its desired result.

Away from the clearing and deeper in the woods to the south, Enin concentrated on his spell of expansion. He pressed his magic into Jure's defenses and enhanced the strength of the shield. He hid his spell in the folds of Jure's casting, ensuring that there was no visible link, but he placed no other limits on his energy. He would allow Jure to take everything and anything he needed. It was sufficient to deflect the elf's attack.

The disruption of his spell caused Scheff to end his attempt. For the second time, the human wizard had overcome the power that was within the him. It should have never been possible, and yet, the human continued to defy him. He looked upon Jure with confusion.

Jure fed that uncertainty.

"You think Reiculf's energy should make you unstoppable, but it's just not working out for you. You've now failed on two occasions to take Shantree from me. I've been told that the past is very important to the daokiln. He feeds upon history. You know that to be true, don't you? And now your history is one of failure. He's not going to be pleased with you... not at all."

Scheff would not answer. He cared little for Jure's assessment. He struggled with greater concerns. The elf faced a conflict within his own essence. Scheff almost called out to Reiculf himself, sought council with the demon master, but he resisted on different stages of consciousness.

On the most basic level, he was afraid... afraid to admit defeat and ask for assistance from a creature that believed benevolence was an act of weakness. Scheff knew the daokiln would not simply come to his rescue. The elf magic caster had access to the demon's magic, and Reiculf expected Scheff to succeed.

Far deeper in Scheff's spirit, the elf fought against the demon lord, cursed his connection to the daokiln. He did not wish to align himself with such diseased desires. Though he could not break Reicu
lf's control, his essence shied away from the beast's wishes.

Jure could sense the uncertainty growing within the elf. He knew he had to keep Scheff confused; had to create the moment of opportunity necessary to free his foe.

"You have Reiculf's power, but not his full attention. Isn't that true? He has allowed you to take action, to plot the course. He allows that because it's the nature of his being. He is strengthened by the decisions of others, but that means, in some ways, you're on your own. You have to come up with the way to beat me, but you don't know how. You lack conviction."

It was true, but the accusation only served to heighten Scheff's anguish.

"Conviction is irrelevant. Only raw power matters."

"Then why did you fail?"

"Because I underestimated you."

Jure found the answer absurd. It was not his own magical abilities that had saved him, nor was it the addition of Enin's magic. He considered what he and Haven discussed before the plague magic struck the elf camp.

His mind raced back to the moment he teleported Scheff and Macheve far off into another existence. He should have perished, but he survived—not by his own efforts, or by those of an ally—but by the will of Providence. He spoke with greater passion as he placed his faith in the guiding hand that led him into yet another test of his magic... and trust.

"It's not me you underestimate. It's the strength that exists beyond demons and darkness. Reiculf is not the supreme power of our existence. He never was and he never will be."

"I am not battling all existence," Scheff replied almost desperately. "I am only battling you."

"And that's where you're wrong! Do you honestly believe that Reiculf would be unopposed, that he would be allowed to pass his influence into other lands without having to face the same power that once restricted him to Demonspawn?"

"But he is no longer restricted!"

"In a way, he is. He can't reach out himself. He has to use others... the way he's using you. He's vulnerable and you know it."

The accusation irritated the elf, not because Scheff didn't wish to believe there were greater powers in existence than the daokiln, but because he didn't feel as if he ever had a chance to defeat the beast.

"You speak of things with which you know nothing about."

"Really? Then why am I here? Why didn't I die in the explosion that sent you and Macheve out of this existence? I was standing right there with you. What kept me alive? Certainly I couldn't have saved myself. Something else saved me. Something that's greater than Reiculf."

"You were saved by luck, nothing more."

"Luck? You can't be serious. Luck may be finding a coin on an empty road or winning a bet when the odds are against you, but luck can't save you from your destiny. I was put here for a reason."

"And what of me?" Scheff demanded, as he considered his own circumstances. "Was I not also put here for a reason?"

"Maybe you were. Maybe this is your chance to bury your own demons, bury Reiculf."

"I can not do that. I must answer to him."

"No, you don't. You only think that way. You're hiding in your own weaknesses."

Weakness.

The word angered the elf spell caster, tortured him. It felt like blame, a misplaced and unwarranted accusation. In a way, Scheff had wanted to believe in the wizard, hoped he might find a way to free himself from Reiculf's control, but he could not accept his personal limitations had anything to do with his fate.

When his will was taken from him in
Dark Spruce Forest, he had tried to fight against Macheve, tried to withstand Reiculf. The invasion of the daokiln was too much for him, and he believed it was too much for anyone.

"You think I'm responsible for what's happening?" the elf questioned harshly.

"You're the only one I see standing here."

"Then you are not looking deep enough."

"You want me to believe Reiculf is pulling all the strings? Can't do that. I know he's got his hand in this, but he couldn't be here without you. You could fight him... if you wanted to."

"What I want is immaterial! The very reason I am here is proof enough of that. I am here to take Shantree Wispon, but for what reason? I have no need for the elder. This is about her and Reiculf."

"And you're nothing but a messenger? I can't accept that, either. You're as much a part of this as he is. You're allowing this to happen."

"Allowing?!" the elf wailed. "The daokiln takes what he wants and does not care for the desires of others!"

"That's not my understanding," Jure countered. "Reiculf isn't the final word on anything. Maybe if you believed in something more than your own power—or Reiculf's—you wouldn't be here."

"If that is true, then why are you protecting the elf elder?" Scheff challenged. "If it is possible to defy the daoki
ln, certainly she has the ability to fight off the demon lord. Let her come forward and test Reiculf's power."

"I can't do that. I was brought here to protect her, brought here by a force greater than you or me... and greater than Reiculf."

"Then your words are meaningless... and I can defeat you."

"Then try again."

Off to the east of the clearing, Ansas nodded his head in appreciation of the elderly wizard. The sorcerer stood besides Neltus and Haven. In exclaiming his surprise, he had to compliment the wizard in front of others, but yet again, he gave Jure his due.

"The old spell caster is even more cunning than I expected. He is baiting the elf into absolute distraction."

Ansas then turned to Haven. He had told her she would be needed to defeat Scheff, but he refrained from revealing how far she would have to go. He only claimed she would be needed to break the link between Reiculf and Scheff.

"It is almost time for you to act," the sorcerer revealed.

"What must I do?" Haven asked.

"Jure has managed to agitate the elf beyond reason. Scheff is about to attack once more, and he will do so with almost all of his power. When he does, he will be vulnerable to your magic. You have great control over light, and it is with that light you must weaken him. You have to blind him."

"You mean a spell of blinding?"

"No, I mean you must physically blind him. The spell must do actual and permanent damage. It cannot be an illusion or some momentary dazzling effect."

"Use the light to cause harm?" Haven asked, aghast at the proposition.

"Yes."

"To Scheff? I can not do that."

Ansas knew he would face such difficulties. He avoided the issue until the last moment to make time his ally, and he placed the pressure of urgency directly upon Haven.

"Then turn Shantree—as well as Enin—over to Reiculf yourself. We have little time to debate this issue. You will have this one opportunity to strike. Look into the clearing. Scheff is about to cast his spell. When he does, Enin and Jure will fight off the assault for as long as possible. They will not outlast Reiculf's energy which feeds the elf."

As if on cue, Scheff unleashed another spell. He was forced to keep the casting narrow in scope in order to avoid harming Shantree, but he meant to use Reiculf's power to prove Jure wrong. He had no desire to cause suffering, but he could not accept that the fault of his misfortune was his own.

Scheff released a burst of hurricane winds. Once more, he targeted the center of Jure's body. The spell would force the human wizard back into the trees, eventually crush the breath—and the life—from his body. The sheer force of the blast moved through the air in a thin shaft, like a long spear that extended from Scheff's hand all the way toward Jure's chest.

The wizard made no attempt to sidestep the attack. He remained beside the elf elder, determined to protect her. He knew the wind spear—just as the plague—would not harm the elf leader. It was meant to separate them... and probably kill him.

If he was killed, or if he stepped away, Shantree would be defenseless against Reiculf's magic. She would most likely be whisked away and forced into the demon master's service. He could not accept that outcome. He had not miraculously survived one encounter with Reiculf only to fail in the next.

Again, Jure cast a spell of deflection, and a ring of white magic encircled the ground upon which he stood. When Scheff's battering spell crashed into his defenses, the force of the impact nearly knocked him unconscious.