El-Vador's Travels (59 page)

'You
have been out for three days.' Aliana replied. 'Anacletus has
returned to us, he said that he had other errands to attend to but
would not explain further.'

El-Vador
shook his head and tried to sit up. 'Anacletus...'

She
restrained him with a light hand again. 'Will not harm you in this
state, he remains committed to our protection and feels aggrieved
that he was not here before.'

El-Vador
sighed, he wanted to grill the assassin about why he had let the
Pixie free in the first place, and what it was he had done that was
more important than their protection.

But
weakness betrayed him. He surrendered to her ministrations and
exhaustion, the world went accordingly dark once more.

He
woke later that day, feeling the power unconsciously coursing through
him, mending his ills and tending to his wounds. He was far from
healed though and rose in spite of Aliana's protestations, he needed
to speak to Anacletus about his conspicuous absence up to this point.

He
straightened up and walked over to the hooded figure who sat by a
blazing fire, warming his hands.

Anacletus
spoke without looking at him. 'So the dead have finally risen.'

'Why
did you leave the Pixie to be chased by Orcs across the barrens?'

'It
is complicated.' Anacletus shrugged. 'I was attempting to prevent the
forces seeking to kill you from passing through the ether. I could
not maintain my hold on the Pixie's spirited consciousness whilst
doing so. Nor could I follow without letting the Brotherhood expand
through the ether and onto this plane of existence.'

El-Vador
sighed, not knowing how much of that explanation to believe. 'So now
you plan to aid us in reaching Salvarius before he gains hold of the
artefact?'

'For
a time. I may be called away once more, there are other matters than
Salvarius that I must attend to.'

The
Elf knew better to rely upon Anacletus, he could see that the man
wasn't telling the whole truth. 'What of the Pixie being drawn to
Salvarius? Can you do anything about that?'

'I
make no promises, Elf.'

El-Vador
shook his head. 'I expect none from you, assassin. If you cannot stop
her from becoming a pawn to some hideous scheme then who can?'

'If
I cannot prevent it then it falls upon you.' Anacletus waved a hand
toward the distant land beneath the starry sky. 'The Pixie is of
secondary consideration, simply stop Salvarius while I hold off the
rest of the Brotherhood, that is all that is required of you. If I
can lend you aid I shall, but continue to expect nothing of me.'

The
Elf's head ached. Anacletus seemed to be teasing aid but withdrawing
it in the same sentence, and the Pixie seemed both incredibly
important and surplus to requirements. Ultimately it did not matter
what the man thought, because it still pointed to the same
necessities. He needed to get to Salvarius and prevent the man from
recovering the artefact and the Pixie from being merged with whoever
this mistress was that the long-dead Orc had spoken of.

'You
need more rest if you are to do any of those things, Elf.' the
assassin said, reading his mind. 'Sleep, I will keep camp until you
wake. So long as the Pixie remains in our hands it matters not what
Salvarius does.'

El-Vador
did not argue, stumbling back to his resting place and too tired to
think.

Another
wasted journey to a tomb had Salvarius cursing with impotent rage.
Mina's diminishing powers meant that her sensing of the artefact's
location had subsided, leaving them travelling back and forth between
a seemingly endless series of dig sites with her dark helpers.

'This
is intolerable!' he bellowed, hurling another useless piece of stone
into the dusty wall of the latest site. 'How can you lose your powers
now when we need them most to divine the location of this...thing?'

Mina's
response was measured and careful. 'My master, the calling from my
twin and the gradual transformation I am undergoing makes it all but
impossible to pinpoint the artefact. I am sorry that I have failed
you.'

Salvarius
shrugged his large shoulders, his rage slowly simmering down into
something that resembled determination. 'You are not to blame, Mina.
It just angers me greatly that we are on the cusp of achieving
something only to be hobbled at the last.'

He
paced about the ruins for a time, allowing his thoughts to take
control of the blinding rage he felt beating within him. It was
growing increasingly difficult to keep the new-found strength on a
leash, he knew something was fundamentally changed about him and he
wasn't sure he appreciated it.

'What
of the pursuit?' he asked at last in a much more docile tone. 'Do
they draw nearer still?'

The
woman sighed, 'I am sorry my master, but it is difficult to say. The
same blinding to the artefact also inhibits my determining how close
the pursuant is. I would need to channel all my power into such an
exercise, but I doubt that you would want such a thing.

Salvarius
shook his head. 'No, your dark workers are useful and much more
efficient than the band of Orcs we left behind. You were wise to urge
that we use few of them.'

She
offered him an ingratiating smile. 'You are not the first I have
worked with Salvarius but you are undoubtedly the most reasonable.'

The
man offered her a genuine smile and she took what warmth she could
from it. 'I do not know what it is that is befalling me Mina. I know
that I am aiding the Brotherhood that remain trapped in the ether but
I feel... different.'

She
nodded sadly at him. 'We are both changing, master. It is an
unfortunate necessity, and while you may not feel like the man you
once were I can assure you that the man you are becoming will be much
greater.'

Salvarius
kicked a rock, sending it scattering into a pile of broken rubble.
'What use is becoming great if I lack the faculty to control it?'

'You
will be in command of your faculties, master.' Mina assured him,
stepping close to him now and laying her hand upon him. 'It is not as
if the Brotherhood intends to use you as a recipient.'

He
backed away from her then, shrugging off her touch. 'What do you
mean, recipient?'

Mina
cursed herself inwardly for letting such a term slip and fill the man
with suspicion. 'Those from beyond the ether require willing servants
to bear them into this world. Upon my joining and the capture of the
artefact that shall do so with an anointed few Orcish warriors
hand-picked by yourself.'

The
former guard Captain frowned at her, mistrust plain in his gaze.
'What is to stop the most dominant of those beyond the ether from
taking my form? Would they not want to claim the power that I will
have for their own?'

Mina
shook her head. 'The Brotherhood could not do such a thing to you,
the transference would conflict with the powers you had freshly
attained. It would drive both parties insane, a most inequitable
situation.'

He
grunted in acknowledgement of this, still not entirely convinced but
mollified enough to let the subject rest.

'We
must make haste to the next ruin.' he finally said, making his way
back to the wagon. 'If this pursuit continues then I would rather
face it with all the power this place can grant me than with my wits
and mace alone.'

Mina
nodded encouragingly, impressed by his steely determination in spite
of this latest setback. Soon they would find the artefact, and when
they did nothing would stop them.

There
is no freedom for one such as I. Whether I climb the tallest
mountains or vanish in a blink of nothingness, the only inevitable
release will be death, and I suspect that even that is beyond me now,
such is the grip of my bonds.

E
l-Vador
regained his feet a day later, the power returning and soothing
whatever remaining wounds troubled him.

He
turned to face Anacletus. 'You remain determined to aid me no further
in attacking Salvarius?'

Anacletus
smiled. 'I thought you might take it that way. To reiterate to you
Elf, I will be doing my utmost to keep the Brotherhood from passing
through the ether and killing us all. The Pixie will remain under my
control and without her Salvarius cannot ignite the artefact.'

'If
you knew all this, why did you send me out like some errand boy to
fetch the information for you instead of just telling me?'

The
assassin shrugged. 'You repeat yourself in your mistrust, Elf, so I
say it again, you would not have believed me. I know the way you
think. You needed to find out for yourself.'

'True.'
El-Vador smiled. 'I know not what you plan for her once Salvarius is
vanquished, but if it is truly just the three of us unaided by your
friends from beyond then I shall endeavour to put an end to him.'

'You
think that upon destroying Salvarius that I shall simply turn on you
once more.' Anacletus hissed, his eyes narrowed. 'Have you heard
nothing of what I have told you? I cannot risk your lives while there
remains members of the Brotherhood pushing in from the ether.'

El-Vador's
smile spread across his face as he realised what this truly meant. 'I
can do absolutely anything to you, assassin, and you cannot harm me
for fear of the Brotherhood's reprisal.'

'This
is true.' Anacletus smiled easily, 'but if you were to strike me then
I could not protect you from the Brotherhood anyway. Would you doom
us both simply to get back at me for leading you this way?'

'I
suppose not.' El-Vador shook his head. 'We remain at truce then,
Anacletus.'

'For
the time being, Elf. After the Brotherhood is no more though...'

'After
the Brotherhood is no more then we shall meet again.'

'I
will be ready, El-Vador of the mountains.' Anacletus held a hand up.
'For now, I shall do my utmost to protect my own interests, and yours
by proxy.'

'And
if I seek out Salvarius and he somehow bests me without the artefact,
what then?'

'I
shall deal with the matter should it arise.' the assassin replied,
keeping his cards close to his chest in his usual infuriating manner.

El-Vador
snarled at Anacletus, but before he could say anything, Aliana awoke,
stretching her limbs and flicking her wings hesitantly through the
night air.

The
Elf blinked at her. 'You're awake.'

Her
eyes flashed. 'Why wouldn't I be? I heard raised voices and they woke
me.'

El-Vador
stared at her for a heartbeat, then turned back to Anacletus. 'Deal
with this matter, if you can no longer keep her unconscious then at
least keep her safe.'
He stood further away from the flames,
staring into the darkness of the barrens with his ignited sight. He
felt the stale wind cover him and send a chill to his bones, but he
couldn't bring himself to stand so close to the assassin or face
further questions from Aliana.

'You're
wasting time, El-Vador.'

The
Elf's heart missed a beat. It was the voice.

'You
need to depart from the assassin and his winged friend,' the voice
continued, echoing about his skull. 'They are distractions from your
ultimate goal, all of them.'

El-Vador
nodded. 'Anacletus believes that I cannot destroy the Orcs without
first doing this. Does he speak truly?'

'The
assassin is technically correct, and has served us well in guiding
you up to this point.'

'So
you are one of many voices. You are the opposition to the
Brotherhood. That's why you urged me to destroy their domain.'

'Your
assumptions are true, Elf. In the same way that an infantile
understanding of the world is correct at least once. It is best that
you know little of us, it will make your task much easier.'

'I
don't plan on doing anything for you.' El-Vador retorted heatedly.
'As soon as Salvarius is destroyed and every Orc lies dead at my feet
I am done with you.'

'Do
you really think I will simply leave you once your opening task is
complete, Elf? No, there are many other things that must be done
before you are completely free of my service.' there was a pause
then, the Elf did not know why. 'You are much more formidable than
our last encounter, but a pawn all the same. Still, a sharper claw
yields better results...'

The
Elf stared at the distant horizon. 'If you do not leave upon my
killing of the Orcs, then I shall hunt down the assassin and extract
the information I need from him. I will then force my own judgement
upon your opposition to the Brotherhood, ether or not.'

The
voice remained silent, letting the endless waste of the barrens
devour El-Vador's words. The voice had threatened him before, but
since the lessons acquired from the Brotherhood it had spoken much
less and he had an increasing suspicion that it couldn't afford to.
Especially after what Anacletus had told him about the importance of
his life and the Pixie's.

El-Vador
smiled. 'I have no fear of death from you. You cannot afford to kill
me, because if you could have another host you most certainly would
have chosen one by now. One that wasn't starting to display a
rebellious streak or dampening down your contact with his own
powers.'

His
head throbbed painfully in response. 'I could crush your skull in an
instant, Elf. There is another standing near the fire who I could
possess. Do not forget that.'

El-Vador
let out a frustrated sigh. The voice did have a point, assuming it
wasn't bluffing about its capabilities. Then again, he didn't exactly
want to test it on the matter. 'You have my servitude for now, we
shall discuss the matter upon the death of the Orcs.'

'You
think this is a negotiation?' the voice laughed, and El-Vador's head
throbbed all the more for it. 'Salvarius is occupied by my greatest
opposition, you may well perish in the attempt. His powers grow
exponentially even without the artefact for he does not fear pushing
a host into madness. Most men would have perished from such abuse
already, I can feel it coursing through him in the deeper channels.
If such a construct were to obtain the artefact and power it somehow
then all would be lost.'