Demiourgos (9 page)

“Leonidus, you’re a sight for sore eyes ain’t ya?” A gruff voice said in its thick southern-desert accent. He knew the voice well.

“Premus, it’s been a while.” Leonidus turned around slowly with the Rose still in his arms and regarded the man. He was a human and he wore simple clothing that looked almost exactly like the sands. He would be handsome if it weren’t for the stern look on his face and the lines of age that had begun to creep in. The tall, athletically built man brandished a sword in one hand and had his other free and to his side. “I’ll not let you take her to whomever your vile master is now you churlish bastard.”

“This little cur will be coming with me. That was quite a display: I’m sure you’re drained something fierce after attempting to contain that kind of might.” The human spread his legs a little wider and apart, taking a defensive stance before the wizened old elf. “Just give her up and no one else has to die.”

Leonidus did not bother with further conversation. He used the staff floating behind him to erect a physical barrier crafted of pure magical energy. To his surprise the wall was double in height and width as usual, crumbling the stones around it as if they were paper and bleeding into the next hallway. His eyes were wide with shock as he regarded the staff yet again then shifted his attention back to the scowling human. “As I said, she is not going with you.”

“Son of a whore treeling!” The human shouted through the barrier as he tested it with his sword and found it completely solid. “This isn’t over Leo.”

“No, I suppose not.” With a light gesture he caused the wall to collapse into itself and encapsulate the sand-clad brigand in an orb of magic energy. Leo turned away from the spitting and sputtering man and walked down the long corridor toward his chamber. “I’ll be back to check on you later.”

The old elf looked down at Rose and sighed softly, shaking his head at the recklessness Nina displayed in teaching anyone the ways of magic. Those who were not tutored in its use could hurt themselves and others quite easily. The naarabi girl in his arms did not deserve the life she had been thrust into but he knew what fate had in store for her. Hearing the battle dying down in the main room he headed that way instead, knowing Merik would have some sort of healing tonic on him at all times. The scene in the common room was better than he had expected, few elves had fallen during the battle.

He spied Merik across the room and headed for him immediately, pushing through all of the staring young elves around him with no regard to their scampering to get out of his path. Once he was near the muscular elf he laid Rose out on a cot by the wall and motioned to Merik. “I need a tonic, just a light one mind you.”

Leonidus waited for Merik to reply and gave a few sips to the shivering Rose and handed the vial back behind him in a hurry. Once he was sure she was resting soundly he gathered himself up and surveyed the room and barked an order that made all but Merik scurry about like a pack of rabid dogs. “Bring Ninanthia to me this instant!”

“That little whelp taught Rose how to gather magic.” Leonidus said in a heated tone as he regarded Merik’s arched eyebrows.

“I do not see the problem, what happened?” Merik knew a little magic but not enough to know what Leo was referring to exactly. Teaching someone how to use magic was definitely not a punishable crime, at least in the elven city, especially to one who could not defend herself otherwise. “Wasn’t she under attack?”

“No. That is what happens when your body does not know how to stop charging itself.” Leonidus scoffed at the look on his face and indicated Rose. “Did you think that the Valtair Effect was a myth young elf? No it is quite real and the evidence is lying on the cot before you.”

“That I did Leo; if not that then a rarity I would never see.” Merik knelt down before Rose and brushed a few stray strands of her hair out of her face. “Our introduction into Rose’s life has brought her nothing but pain. She doesn’t deserve this; she is a pure soul.”

“Those who suffer rarely deserve to my boy, that’s how life works.” Spying Nina entering the room he intercepted the running girl as she headed for Rose and knocked her down to the floor with but a gesture of his hand and a bit of magic. As she slid across the sand-strewn ground toward him he looked down at her with distain. “My little sunbeam you have taken the extra step toward testing my patience yet again. We must have a talk about your flippant disregard for my teachings.”

“I’m sorry grandfather.” She said with look of dismay upon her face. “I wanted to repay Rose for helping me and she did not have any skills or training with which to defend herself once we let her out. I didn’t know that she was to be brought with us when we returned home.”

“Your intent is not the problem dead-of-brain little elf-ling.” Leonidus said as he took a seat near the recovering naarabi girl and reached out with one aged, thin hand to stroke her hair lightly. He looked down at the innocent girl and sighed. “She is important youngling and furthermore we can’t just let her out into the world on her own. What friends would we be if we did that to someone who had come to our aid?”

“Thank you grandfather.” Nina said softly as she looked down at Rose and then back up at Leonidus.

“So what shall we do with the captive you left in the hallway my liege?” Merik inquired more to change the subject than anything else. He was uncomfortable with the current goings on concerning magic. What little he knew and used was more for essential everyday tasks, in truth magic made him very nervous.

“His name is Premus, have him secured and brought into my chamber.” Leonidus grabbed Merik’s arm before he could leave and pulled him close so he could whisper into the large man’s ear. “He is a crafty one and he knows enough magic to be slightly dangerous. Make sure his hands and wrists are bound independently and gag him as well.”

“It shall be done my lord.” Merik saluted him with one arm across his chest with his fist covering his heart. He had never heard of a human that could channel magic, but he gladly left the room to attend to one of the dogs that had attacked his charges. As he walked he gathered three of his best men from their duties and headed down the charred hallway toward the bubble of magic Leonidus had created. His quarry was attempting to hack at the bubble with a long blade made of bone while simultaneously chanting spells and waving his free hand around. “Premus drop your weapon and keep your hands where I can see them. I am going to lower the shell surrounding you and if you resist you will be killed.”

Merik watched the cocky man drop his sword and put his hands out to his sides with his palms spread open and his fingers wide. Once he was certain the human was unarmed he spoke a command word under his breath and made a swift gesture. The wall of magic surrounding the human vaporized. “Seize him, bind his hands and wrists and put a gag in his smirking mouth.”

He had expected some resistance but when he found nothing but a wry smile in return he was quite surprised. The human was ushered into the former king’s chamber not far from his own and Rose’s former cell. Once inside Merik placed two guards at the door and forced the human down onto his knees to wait for Leonidus. The wait proved to be short as the old elf walked back in wearing his robe and carrying his staff.

“Now Premus, you’re going to tell me everything I want to know.” Leonidus removed the man’s gag and reached into one of the pockets of his voluminous robe and pulled out a small object. Presenting the still-wiggling bug to Premus he spoke a few words in ancient elven and put it into the prisoner’s mouth, forcing him to chew and then swallow. “That was a desert wallowroach just so you know; nothing poisonous.”

“Your magic won’t work on me old one, I am immune.” Premus said triumphantly as he licked his lips and smacked them a few times for good measure. “Not bad, best meal I’ve had in days.”

He did well not to register a look of shock upon his features. The enchantment he had placed upon that particular insect was the most powerful he knew. Setting his staff to the side against the wall he put his hand back into the pocket and pulled out a thin pointed shard of wood. “Let’s try something different then eh?”

“I told you, I’m immune to your magic. You’ve got no hold on me.” The triumphant Premus said to the threat with his face still showing supposed superiority.

“Who said anything about magic my dear boy? This is a goathian fireshard carved from the burning trees of the eastern wastes, the ability to craft these has been long lost to the ages or so they say. Have you ever heard of them? No? Then let me give you a little background then. The Goathian Empire used to forge whole weapons out of this rare wood. It can be honed to a fine point, sharper than even the finest metals. As an added bonus the natural oil that permeates the wood causes a burning pain so terrible it’s been known to disable lesser men with just a scratch.” Leonidus paused speech for a moment and pricked himself with the wooden instrument and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth at the pain. “Oh how it stings my friend.”

The old elf scraped the wood across the human’s cheek making sure not to break the skin on his first pass. He scraped hard enough for the man to cringe and his forehead to bead up in sweat. “You can feel it can’t you? It doesn’t take much, mind.”

Leonidus used the tip of the wooden instrument to poke a very small hole in the man’s neck. The resulting howl of pain echoed through the ruins louder than even Merik could have guessed. He had never heard of the wooden instrument that Leo was using but he had a newfound respect for the elf as he watched the human writhe around on the ground as if he were engulfed in flames. Merik licked his suddenly dry lips and vowed never to get on the former king’s bad side.

“It burns, by the darkness it burns!” Premus cried out as he attempted to get his hands free to cup the wound or tear the surrounding flesh just to get the pain to stop. His body was aflame and his muscles were tensing involuntarily. After what felt like a lifetime of agony it began to subside and the burning dulled to a harsh tingling throughout his system. “Do to me what you will; my master would prepare a worse torment were I to reveal anything.”

“Are you so certain?” Leonidus grinned wide and looked up at Merik for a moment. “You may want to leave the room; this is going to get ugly.”

~~~~

Two hours had passed and the entire time the screaming had not stopped. Merik and the others felt haunted by the cries of the suffering man but nothing ever came of the sounds but primal retorts. Nothing else had transpired the entire time. Then as suddenly as it had started silence took over for the hoarse captive. Curious, Merik walked over to the room. He could not bear to peer inside though, killing a man in battle was one thing but torture was wrong to him. He knew though that his duty to the family was more important than his own misgivings.

Leonidus walked out of the room with his staff hovering beside him and his robe perched on top of that. He was almost exclusively covered in blood from head to toe and Merik was sure that none of it was his own. With a gesture the old elf cleaned his body and donned his robe yet again, looking thoroughly drained. Weakly he leaned on his staff and shook his head. “He was under a geas that even I could not break. His current master is powerful Merik and that frightens me.”

The admission was surprising to Merik, Leonidus the scourge of the shifting dunes was never scared of anything. He followed the older man lingering just behind the floating staff. He could not think of any words to reply. Once they returned to the common room he stood before the assembled elves and waited for Leo to talk.

“Sunblades, we march immediately! Gather our belongings and be ready to leave within the hour.” Leonidus turned to Merik and indicated Rose and Nina who were in the corner with Rose still unmoving on the cot. “Have two guardsmen, ones you trust, turn the cot into a litter.”

“Is it wise to move her so soon my lord?” Merik wondered aloud as he looked over at the sleeping Nina, who had her head on Rose’s arm.

“It is even less wise to stay within these walls when our enemy knows fair and well where we are.” Leonidus replied in a sharp tone as he snapped back around and headed for the Queen’s chamber with a long stride. Merik did not know what had frightened the man he respected but he knew it couldn’t be good. “Sunblades, you will have us ready to march in half that time or you’ll personally answer to me!”

~~~~

A harsh swaying motion caught her attention as she hovered between sleep and unconsciousness. Her eyes fluttered open a bit and she groaned from the stiffness in her joints. She felt as if she had been flogged for hours and left for dead. The burning had subsided though and that was more than enough to give her some relief. Her eyes were sore but they worked just fine even in the harsh sun light. Rose was lying on a makeshift litter made out of an old cot carried by two elves dressed in traveling clothes with exquisite weapons belted on their hips. Rose looked around slowly as she began to get her bearings. “Nina? Merik?”

“No my dear, my name is Leonidus.” An aged but soft-toned voice spoke up behind her.

Rose turned around to find the old elf she had warned of the attack walking next to the litter. The water skin in his hands was far more interesting though so she took it and muttered a thank you as she began to down the contents and quench her parched throat. Once she was done she handed the empty skin back to him and set her head back down on the cot. “Leonidus, thank you for saving me.”