Into The Ruins (41 page)

“How will this work?” Nycoh asked.  She was certain that Daim, who had the knowledge to form the staff would be the one in charge of the Link.  That left her a little uneasy.  The individual who controlled the Link had a certain power over the others, and if he wanted Daim could use the situation to his own advantage, even potentially causing them harm if he wished.  They had no reason to expect this, but Daim was still somewhat of an unknown.  On the other hand, both she and Jeen were quite strong, and could probably break or block any attempt he made, especially if they worked together.

Daim laid the length of wood upon the table.  “We will form a Link, hand to hand to increase the effectiveness.  I will have to control it, so I will Link with one of you, and then the other.  With our minds operating in concert, we will delve into the structure of the staff, shaping it as desired and imbuing it with the magic that makes it work.”

“I never realized that wood could be imbued with magic,” Nycoh said.

“The wood will be altered, and will have properties quite unlike common wood.  The magical properties will be stored in this, which will be buried deep in the core of the staff,” Daim said as he extracted a small piece of clear quartz from his pocket.  He laid that on the table next to the raw staff.  “Shall we begin?”

Jeen looked uncertainly at Nycoh, who after a moment nodded.  This is what they had hoped for, and Rigo’s future as well as that of the Three Kingdoms were at stake. 

“Let’s begin,” Nycoh agreed.

They stood around the table which held the raw staff and the bit of crystal, reaching out and joining hands.  Daim examined each of them, and then began the Linking.  Daim in Brice’s body may have been far weaker than the Master Wizard of old, but his skills were far superior than those of either Nycoh or Jeen.  The Linking formed effortlessly, and they found their minds and ability being directed by Daim.  Without hesitation he focused their combined power and ability on the two objects on the table.  As they watched, contributors but no longer active participants, Daim wrapped the two objects on the table in magic, forming the shape of the staff and melding the crystal into the structure of the resulting staff.  The crystal didn’t simply merge into the staff, but seemed to vaporize and the material of the crystal diffused uniformly throughout the entire object. 

Once Daim was satisfied with the physical nature of the newly formed staff, he rapidly began transferring pockets of power as well as certain magical capabilities into the material.  It was in many ways similar to the ring that Nycoh and Jeen had refilled, by seeing how Daim progressed they knew their own efforts had been crude and amateurish.  Daim worked quickly, and it seemed to Nycoh that they were finishing up in a remarkably short time.  She had seen what Daim had done, but she doubted she could duplicate the effort.

Then they were drawing back, their minds leaving the newly formed magical creation.  They pulled back into themselves, and almost without noticing it, Jeen and Nycoh realized that Daim had broken the Link.

“That felt like it went well enough,” Daim said with a certain satisfaction a moment later.  “We will have to test the staff, of course, to be certain that it works as we wish.”

Jeen looked at the staff on the table.  Now it looked like something she recognized, down to the odd dents and marks that she had come to know in the staff that Rigo had carried.

“It looks the same,” she said.

“I thought I’d use the same pattern as before.  That is firmly in my mind.  I could change it if we wish, but this was simply a test.  If we wish to make more, perhaps a different style would be preferred.”

Nycoh had been examining her memories of what they had just done.  “It doesn’t have to be a staff,” she said slowly.

Daim looked at her.  “No.  No, it doesn’t.  I just felt the staff was a comfortable and familiar object.  Hiding the capability in plain sight, sort of.  Is there another shape you would prefer?”

“I don’t know,” Nycoh said.  “Sometimes it is inconvenient to have to carry the staff.  If we chose something that would be on us all the time, it might be better.”

Daim spotted the jeweled stone that Jeen wore around her neck.  “Perhaps a necklace?” Daim suggested.

“You can make it that small?” Jeen asked.

“The size was only important for the amount of energy stored in the object.  The staff had to contain a large reserve as it had to function independent of the user.  With one of us consciously supplying the magical energy to be used, the object can be quite small.  It needs only to contain the specialized magic to offset the Ruins.  It doesn’t need the many functions the original staff required.”

“Perhaps we should see if it works before we get ahead of ourselves,” Nycoh suggested.

“Of course,” Daim said.  “However be assured. I am confident it will function as you hope.”

Daim lifted the staff from the table, held it firmly for a moment, and then turned and handed it to Nycoh.  “Lead the way,” he said.

Nycoh accepted the staff and made a
Bypass
deep into the Ruins.  From Oasis Three, the three of them looked out on the familiar sands of the Ruins.  Carefully Nycoh walked out into the Ruins where their magic was blocked.  She could feel the difference as she walked staff in hand.

“Can you make
Brightfire
?” she asked Jeen. 

“I’m completely cut off,” Jeen replied.

That was what they had seen before.  Nycoh held the staff firmly, and without much trouble was able to trigger a strong burst of the white energy, sending a beam into a patch of the spiky crystals a short distance away.  She looked at Daim and smiled.

Over the next glass, they took turns experimenting with the staff, testing it under ever more stringent conditions.  Finally they agreed it functioned exactly like the staffs that Rigo’s party had taken with them.

“We can go after him!” Jeen said excitedly when they returned to the Outpost.  “We need to make a lot of these.”

“I’ve been thinking,” Nycoh said.  “You could improve its ability to resist the Ruins.  I see what you did, and by making the following alterations, it should be even more effective.”  She listed a couple of changes.

Daim looked at her with new respect.  “I believe you are right,” he agreed.  “I will make modifications to the conversion and we will incorporate it into the next version.  We can attempt to make the next model tomorrow.”

“I’ll have to tell Daria and Kaler,” Jeen said excitedly.  The relationship with her old friends had been somewhat strained of late when she had supported Nycoh’s refusal to support a foolhardy mission into the Ruins.

“Who are they?” Daim asked. 

Jeen explained who they were and their relationship to Rigo.

“They should not be involved in any mission into the Ruins,” Daim argued.  “They have no power and would be at too much risk.  Only those with the gift can be served by the staffs and should be chosen to go.”

“They are going,” Nycoh declared firmly.  “Not even your magic would protect you if they were to learn a mission was organized to go after Rigo and they had not been included.  You do not want to see Daria mad at you.  Believe me when I say no place would be safe.”

Daim looked at the two women uncertainly.  “You make them sound quite formidable,” he said finally.

“You don’t know the half of it,” Jeen said.

“Has the situation changed where your friend is being held?” Daim asked.  Like the others he had been intrigued by the artifact and its remarkable images.  He claimed to have seen one of the devices before, but it was inactive, and in his own time it had been a very old item, dated back to the time before the great war.

“I haven’t looked since this morning,” Nycoh admitted.  “Nothing had changed then.  Let’s have a look.”

The three wizards walked across the office into the back room where the artifact had been placed.

“They’re moving him,” Jeen said in surprise.  “Where’s Ash’urn and Lorl?”

“The artifact follows Rigo,” Nycoh reminded her.  “They must still be back in the cell.”

The three wizards watched as Rigo, led by several burly soldiers with drawn swords, a pair of women with staffs, wizards they assumed, and one well dressed gentleman, escorted Rigo out of the building and into the open.  They could see the size of the city spread out below, and in the distance the ocean, with a half dozen medium sized ships with sails of a style they hadn’t ever seen before.  As they watched, Rigo was marched across the grounds toward what could only be a castle.

“This could either be a good thing, or very bad,” Jeen said as she sat down to watch how events unfolded.

Jeen stepped out of the
Bypass
and into central Kellmore overlooking the large orphanage compound that Daria and Kaler ran more like an extended home than the typical compound for those who had lost their families.  She was some distance away, wanting to gather her thoughts as she crossed the remaining distance to the familiar structures on foot.  Already she could see a group of children involved in a challenging game of loop ball.  Another group was riding horses around the corral, engaged in some kind of test of riding skill she wasn’t able to understand.  Shouts and peals of laughter could be heard even at this distance.  It was always so, she knew.  The children who came here were indeed fortunate.

Jeen somewhat awkwardly placed the staff into the ground as she walked.  Unlike Rigo, she had never learned to carry the staff, nor had she become comfortable walking with it.  She had brought it today because she knew that it would be immediately recognized by both Daria and Kaler, and they would understand the significance of her having it.  She turned her face into the breeze, her long hair blowing free behind her.  Her feelings were free and light today.  The surprise meeting with her old friends was going to be unburdening, the strain that had developed over the past weeks when she’d supported Nycoh’s refusal to help Daria and Kaler field an expedition to go after Rigo wiped away with the news.

The past few days had been busy, and in many ways very difficult.  She’d told her family first.  Her consort was not pleased to hear she intended to follow after Rigo, and her children were too young to fully understand.  They only understood that she was leaving them, and they very vocally expressed their displeasure.  There was no choice, however.  She wouldn’t have this life, with a man she loved and children she adored, had it not been for Rigo and the others being there when she’d needed help.  She would not, could not, allow this opportunity to help her friend go unanswered.  She would lead the expedition to try and find him.

She’d also visited the leaders of each of the Three Kingdoms to inform them of what was known and what they intended.  It was unknown who had Rigo, and they could represent yet another threat to the Three Kingdoms.  Jeen couldn’t see how the threat would be any greater by their attempt to find Rigo, but her belief wasn’t universally shared.  It didn’t matter.  Wizards did not answer to the leaders of the land, and some risks must be undertaken.

“The barrier will fall soon,” Queen Mos’pera had told her when they discussed the proposed expedition.

“Because of our attempt to save Rigo?” Jeen had asked.

“That I cannot say,” the Queen admitted.  “I have had the vision several times of late.  I can see the barrier down and the beasts pouring through the gaps.  There is also fighting, with soldiers wearing uniforms of a type that is unfamiliar.  I believe we are at war.”

“If I don’t go, will this change?”

“You haven’t left yet, and those are the visions I currently have.  Once you have departed, will the vision change, or are they already predetermined?  That is one of the problems with prophecy, and why it is said that others should not be told of what has been seen.  Attempts to alter what is to come usually do not work out as one hopes.  It is best you do as you plan, and we will prepare for what now appears inevitable as best we can.”

King Rhory had also pressed her to follow her feelings, and had even accompanied her to visit the leaders of Kellmore and Lopal.  Those meetings had not been as supportive, with the King of Lopal opposed to any further travels to the unknown lands for fear of showing them the way back.  The Lamane of Lopal was uncertain, and elected to withhold an opinion.  He was far more concerned with Queen Mos’pera’s vision that the Hoplani would soon be rushing toward Lopal’s eastern border.

Jeen grimaced and pushed aside the memories.  That was behind her, and supportive or not, the leaders knew the wizards intended to press on.  Jeen walked across the uneven ground, now unfamiliar after years of smoothly paved streets and the courtyards of the castle where she spent most of her time.  She was less than halfway to the compound when she saw a familiar figure walking out to meet her.

“I am surprised to see you here,” Daria said when they were within easy speaking distance.  Daria’s simple cotton clothing contrasted with the rich silks that Jeen wore. 

Jeen could see that Daria looked fit, perhaps fitter than she’d appeared the last few times she had seen her.  Her hair was shorter again, and she had a determined look about her, as if she had chosen a task and was intent on seeing it through. Jeen had caught the quick appraising glance that Daria had given the staff she was carrying, and knew she had recognized it as being very much like the one Rigo had carried for so long.  In fact, outwardly it appeared to be identical, but functionally it was very different.

“Rigo’s?” Daria asked bluntly, and Jeen realized she might worry that they had found the staff somehow and that something might have befallen their friend.

“No,” Jeen replied quickly.  “This is a new staff.  It was created just the other day.  It holds a means that will allow us to go after Rigo.”

The change in Daria’s demeanor was instantaneous.  The brittle barrier that had formed between old friends seemed to fall away, and a familiar smile started to form on her face.  “Rigo!  You’ve decided to go for Rigo?”

Jeen nodded and her own smile of relief spread to match that of Daria.  She’d felt the coolness that had formed between them over the matter of the expedition deeply, and was relieved that now she could give her friends what they had long sought.

“We’ve been able to reproduce the staff with its ability to overcome the blockage of the Ruins.  Daim was able to find his old notes and what he had done when he created the original staffs.”

Daria looked confused.  “Daim?  Daim’s gone.  Rigo said he faded from his mind years ago.”

Jeen realized she was handling this poorly.  Neither Daria nor Kaler had been a participant in recent events and they didn’t know that Daim had been brought back.

“This will take some explaining,” she said.  “Let’s find Kaler and I can tell both of you at the same time.”

Daria nodded and pointed toward the old barn opposite the corral where Jeen had seen the teenagers riding.  Together they walked in that direction, Daria now openly eyeing the staff.  Jeen realized that Daria was armed, catching a glimpse of a knife through a slit in the shirt she was wearing.  Jeen also noted a second corral off to one side, with a surprising number of horses.  Daria and Kaler hadn’t had anywhere near that many riding animals the last time she’d been here.

Off to one side of the second corral Jeen spotted a pair of large targets set at a considerable distance.  One was some thirty-five large paces away and the other closer to fifty.  They were too far for Daria to use for knife practice given the worn spot in the grass that indicated where someone had stood.  Jeen wondered if either Daria or Kaler had taken up the bow.  The distance seemed about right, although neither had shown any inclination when they’d traveled together in the past.

As they came around the side of the barn, Jeen spotted a sweating Kaler working through a series of exercises with a large and apparently very heavy broadsword.  He moved smoothly and nearly effortlessly, although Jeen knew she wouldn’t be able to lift the massive weapon.  Kaler’s heavily muscled frame was shiny and streaked with dirt from his exertions.  He was facing away from them as he took on an imaginary pair of opponents, the corded muscles in his arms taut as the sword whipped through one arc, and was quickly rotated to complete an arc sweeping through the location of his imagined enemy.

Somehow, despite the intensity with which he was pursuing his attack, Kaler sensed them coming up behind him.  Fluidly, he transitioned from an attack on his invisible enemies, and adjusted his stance and stepped smoothly around, bringing his sword to bear in their direction.

“Company,” Daria said simply.

Kaler had already recognized Jeen, and like Daria had already taken notice of the staff.  Jeen knew these two seldom missed much, and before he could ask, she shook her head and said, “It’s not Rigo’s.”

“Sure looks the same,” Kaler replied, as he walked over and picked up a sheath for the heavy sword.  A large crossbow with a quiver filled with heavy bolts leaned against the fence next to where the sheath had rested.  Jeen had been right.  Kaler was practicing with a crossbow.  She wondered why.  The weapon looked to be heavy, and she suspected she would be unable to lift it, let alone try and hit anything with it.  Kaler slid the sword into the scabbard, set the weapon back down next to the bow, picked up his shirt off the fence post and walked over to them.

“News?” he asked simply.  Much like Daria a moment earlier, he still had a certain wariness in his eyes.

“We’re going after Rigo,” Jeen said, knowing that simple announcement would change the tone of her welcome.

A broad smile split Kaler’s face.  He looked to Daria for confirmation.  “What changed your minds?” he asked, turning his attention back to Jeen.

Jeen handed him the staff.  “We can now travel through the Ruins again.  Come, I need to tell you the whole story.”

“I can’t believe you were able to bring Daim back again, or that you even tried,” Daria said after Jeen had finished telling them of the events of the past week.

“It was the only way.  He was a source of information, and he alone knew how the staffs were created with their unique ability to overcome the blocking affects of the Ruins.  Without that, trips in the distant Ruins where Rigo had gone would be suicidal.”

“You can make many of these?” Kaler asked.

“We can, although that’s the only one.  It’s been upgraded significantly in that it incorporates more of the magic that pushes back against the effects of the Ruins, so it will be even more effective.  We can extend the range of
Bypass
portals.  A trip from the Outpost can be made directly to the Farms now.  It lacks many of the magical capabilities of the original staff since they aren’t needed, but will bond with Rigo much like the old one.  Daim says Rigo will instinctively know how to make that happen once he has it in his hands.”

“Why haven’t you made more?” Daria asked.  “If these are the limiting item, I’d think you’d want dozens of them.”

Jeen smiled and pulled a small necklace over her head and handed it to Daria.  The pendant was overly large for a necklace, but when she looked closely, Daria could see it looked to be made of the same material as the staff and it pictured a pair of small crossed staffs resting over an oval background.

“Those have the same magical offset as the staff built in.  Wearing it around the neck keeps it in intimate contact with the user, which means it works just like carrying the staff, but is a lot more convenient.  Daim has helped us make over a hundred of them so far.  Unlike Rigo’s team, everyone who goes will wear one and be able to function in the Ruins.”

“Who is going, and when can we get started?” Kaler asked eagerly.

“A lot has to do with you,” Jeen explained.  “When can you be ready.  You have a large responsibility here.  Also, we have to arrange mounts for the team, plus pack animals, just as a precaution.  That’s not something we have readily at hand as most of us don’t ride much anymore.”

“We’re ready,” Daria said simply.  “Nyll is now overseeing the children, so we can leave with good conscience.  We also might be able to help you with the animals you need.”  She shot a look at Kaler who nodded.

Jeen suddenly realized something.  Both Daria and Kaler looked more fit than she remembered, and Daria was carrying her knives.  Kaler had been working out when she arrived, something he had done for years, but not with the kind of intensity she had just witnessed.  Then there were the horses she’d seen.

“You were going alone?” Jeen asked, suddenly putting it together.

“Someone had to,” Kaler said sternly.  “We couldn’t leave Rigo there.”

“You’d never have made it,” Jeen said.  “Without the magic, getting through the Ruins is impossible.”

“Yes, we would have,” Daria disagreed.  “But this way is better.  It’ll be faster, and you know the way.  Who is going with us?”  Daria had already assumed that Jeen was going.

“The three of us, Burke and Tara, and three other wizards you haven’t met before.  Each is very skilled with combat magic, and is anxious to find out how a wizard like Rigo could be detained as the artifact shows.  Perhaps one or two more if it is deemed necessary.”

“That isn’t very many,” Kaler said doubtfully.  “Perhaps a larger force would be advisable.”

“The logistics of traveling become more difficult as the numbers grow,” Jeen explained.  “We will have to count on surprise and our magic.  There is no way we can hope to outnumber the resources of an entire country.  Stealth will be key.  Too many of us, and we will certainly be discovered.”

“Do we know where Rigo is?” Daria asked.

“He’s been moved.  It looks as if he and the others are no longer in that cell, but they still wear those bands.  We believe he has met their King and Queen, and that somehow negotiations are taking place.  It looks as if the city where they are holding them is on the coast near the ocean.  Finding him is going to be one of the major obstacles once we get across the Ruins.”