Joint Intentions (Book 9) (36 page)

"I'm not... I didn't mean..." Ryson couldn't get out the words. Agonizing pain exploded in his chest. He couldn't bear losing another friend. He had lost so many already.

"We know," Vraya comforted.

"There's got to be something we can do," the delver begged.

"We can bring Neltus back to Burbon," the sorceress suggested. "It's what Holli wanted us to do."

"It's what she
expects
us to do," Jure agreed.

"And that's it?" Ryson questioned, his pain growing. "We can't just leave Holli out here. There has to be something else, another way to reach her!"

Enin stepped up to the delver.

"Believe me, Ryson, I wish there was a way to help her, but there isn't. Some decisions can't be reversed."

The delver agonized over the harsh statement. He didn't want to believe anyone should be punished for doing what was right. He wondered if they were giving up too easily, if perhaps Enin had stopped trying because he had lost his own core.

"Even if you don't have magic anymore, Jure and Vraya do. There has to be a way the three of you can work together. Between your knowledge and their magic, you can figure something out. People have come back from worse. Look at Neltus, he managed to get his core back."

"And look at where that has led."

"That's not what I mean. I'm saying there has to be a chance for this to turn out another way."

"You can always have hope," Enin agreed. "Sy came back. That proves there's not an absolute end, so I won't take that from you. But I won't give you false optimism. Based on everything I know, there's no way for us to reverse this."

The mention of Sy strengthened Ryson's resolve.

"Even if we can't reverse it, maybe someone else can. That means we can't let her die. Vraya can alter the land, help it sustain the tree. Jure can bring it water. Eventually there'll be a way to bring her back."

Enin found Ryson's determination more than encouraging, he found it inspiring. He wondered if the delver's tenacity alone could turn an insurmountable tragedy into a joyous reversal of fortune. He also wanted to believe that Holli would return, he wanted to believe there was always hope.

The coreless wizard thought of his own words, considered how Sy had returned to protect Burbon. The apparition had broken boundaries which should have prevented such an endeavor, but the ghost captain never surrendered his obligation to defend his town. If such an obstacle could be overcome, then anything was possible.

With that thought, he suddenly felt the urge to return to Burbon. He considered other tragedies which could be reversed, penalties which could be removed. Though he tried not to acknowledge the desire for what it was, he couldn't ignore it completely. Rather than recognize his true intentions, he attempted to focus on matters which would be considered far more important.

"You're right," Enin allowed. "We can help her survive, and we will. But for now, for this moment, we have to do what she wanted us to do. We have to finish what she started. She wanted to bring Neltus back to Burbon. She gave us that chance. Once that's finished, we can come back here."

"And we'll find a way to save her," Ryson insisted.

The delver's gaze remained centered on the thick trunk, and as Ryson's pain grew, so too did his determination. He could not believe he had lost another friend, would not accept that the cost to save lives was always so high. He agonized over the realities of sacrifices made and the anguish tied to acts of selflessness. He rejected the unfairness of every conceivable path within an existence constantly shaped by the desires of corrupt individuals. If necessary, he would forge a new path, one which would lead to a more just conclusion.

Vraya saw both the torment and resolve within the delver, and found the conflict within him beyond intriguing. It represented Ryson's very essence, and she could not help but comment on what she saw as both beautiful and mystifying.

"You really are a contradiction," the sorceress claimed.

"What?" the delver questioned, uncertain of Vraya's intent or meaning.

"You're a contradiction," she repeated. "You dwell on the negative. I can see that. It's obvious. Your pain is understandable, but you grasp at it as if to convince yourself that every step in life is filled with some perceived injustice."

"You think this is a just reward for Holli?"

"No, I don't, but I have already found hope that her fate isn't sealed.
You
have given me that hope. It came from you. And you just don't rely on hope, you strive to undo harm, to erase injustice, even as you condemn it as some inevitable consequence interwoven in our lives. You strive to create change... and you wonder why I have watched you for so long. It should be very obvious."

The delver disagreed, almost venomously.

"Nothing is obvious," he countered. "Everything is twisted into some incomprehensible puzzle."

"I would think you would find that a challenge, even a blessing to a delver."

"A blessing? Am I supposed to be happy with what happened here? Am I supposed to
celebrate
this?"

"Happy over Holli's condition? Of course not, but you've already pointed to a path to keep Holli alive. You're going to give her a chance. Isn't that worth something?"

"It will be worth something if I find the answer."

"And I believe you will. What I'm saying to you is that not every hardship is a calamity, a tragedy. I told you I was terrified at the emergence of Rul Saattan. The removal of Demonspawn's barriers alters the fiber, and the sanctuary, of nearly every level of existence. That in itself is a terrible consideration, but I'm not ready to surrender into absolute despair."

"What does one thing have to do with the other?"

"Perhaps nothing, perhaps everything. I don't know if these events are all linked together, but I do know that significant changes create ripples which extend to the far corners of existence. We have no idea where those ripples might lead us."

"They've led us here and to Holli's sacrifice!"

"The night is not over and neither are our travels. There is still much for you to do, and I'm only asking that you don't lose focus on what you can accomplish. You look for answers all the time. You understand consequences. But you've also managed to take a greater hold of what you have lost than what you have gained. At some point, you may need to move the scales in the other direction. All I ask is that you consider that when we return to Burbon."

Vraya and Jure worked with painstaking precision. They used their magic to carefully loosen the roots which bound Neltus. They cared little for the crimson casting wizard, but out of respect for Holli, they made certain they did not cause any damage while attempting to free the spell caster's arms and legs.

As the black and white energy gently brushed back both thick and thin strands, the tree seemed to acknowledge the will of the tender magic nudging it away. The roots began to unwind of their own accord and pulled back under the surface of the ground.

When the last stem released Neltus' arm near the shoulder, the spell caster flopped to the hard, dry ground with a resounding thud. He showed no sign of consciousness, but his very presence invoked strong emotions from those who looked upon his pathetic existence.

As Ryson looked back upon the silent and stoic form which Holli had become—the only tree rising majestically from the badlands—he felt the intense urge to kick the prone wizard over and over. He swallowed his rage and resisted the temptation, but he revealed his disgust for Neltus as he pointed out the need for certain precautions.

"We shouldn't let him regain consciousness," the delver announced. "If he even starts to resist, I'm going to want to rip his legs off."

"I'd be more than willing to help in that regard, but I don't think we have to let it come to that," Jure offered.

The elder wizard cast a quick spell meant to deprive Neltus from reaching any state of awareness. Once the white circle of magic hit the crimson wizard's forehead, the pulsating energy spread through Neltus' entire body. The mind of the rotund spell caster would remain in a magically induced state of oblivion.
As Jure prepared a new spell of teleportation, Ryson and Enin lifted Neltus rather roughly from the ground, and both struggled to hold the heavy wizard upright. Vraya moved in close. Before Jure cast his incantation, they all gave the single tree one last respectful acknowledgment. Ryson silently vowed to return before the magnificent tree succumbed to its harsh surroundings. After that painful moment of silent regard, the elder wizard whisked them out of the badlands and brought them outside the northern gate of Burbon.

Once they appeared at the outskirts of Ryson's hometown, the delver felt a small swell of solace. The walls of Burbon represented more than just safety from predators and monsters; they symbolized a sense of security generated by the idea of home and family. The sight of the only anchor able to quell the urges of his delver heart brought him a degree of reassurance even as his thoughts remained consumed with Holli's fate.

The anguish in his soul left him caring little for what happened to Neltus, but his growing desire to find additional comfort spurred him onward. He was happy to be home and wished to see both Linda and Stomps, so he wanted the wizard's core removed as soon as possible.

"This should be close enough," the delver finally said. "I don't think it's necessary to bring him into the center of town. Sy can't seem to leave the boundaries of Burbon, but I've seen him patrol the clearing outside the wall."

"Should we just wait for him?" Vraya asked. "I assume he'll sense our arrival."

"I imagine he would, but I'll call for Captain Klusac," Ryson advised.

Soldiers from the gate were already approaching. The delver made his request, and signals were sent across Burbon by the tower guards. Within a few moments, Klusac arrived on horseback. He dismounted and approached the new arrivals. He was not entirely pleased to see Neltus in their ranks, but happy at least that the troublesome wizard was in no condition to create havoc.

"We brought him back to have his core removed," Ryson stated without explaining what occurred in the badlands. "We need Sy."

"So it seems," Klusac acknowledged, "but I don't just call him and he appears. You know that. He shows up when he feels it's necessary."

To offer credibility to the captain's remark, the spirit materialized right at the gate. The ghost captain looked at each individual and then offered a puzzled expression toward Ryson.

Despite not being able to hear the apparition's unspoken question, the delver knew what the spirit wished to know, but he couldn't answer. Seeing Sy as a spirit reminded him of so many other losses he was forced to face. He found it unbearable to speak of another.

Breaking the uneasy silence, Captain Klusac voiced the question for all to hear.

"Where is Holli Brances?"

"Still in the badlands," Jure offered, unwilling to say more.

"She won't be returning, will she?" the captain pressed, as he could sense there had been more than simple misfortune or a minor delay on their journey.

"Not at the moment," Ryson answered quickly, acknowledging Holli's absence, but unwilling to give up hope on Holli's ultimate condition.

"But unable to return for now," Enin remarked sadly. "We can't wait for her. We have brought Neltus back to have his core removed, and that needs to be our priority for the moment."

Even as the words came from his mouth, Enin sounded far from convincing. He held no compassion for Neltus—would have pulled the core from the crimson wizard himself if he had the ability—but he looked beyond Neltus' deserved fate and toward a much larger understanding of all that had happened. He could not deny the history which linked so many circumstances together, could not ignore the ripples which erupted from one event and led to another and then another.

He recalled when he first met the crimson casting wizard. It seemed like a lifetime ago that Enin had plucked Neltus from the Lacobian Desert to help fight against forces which threatened all of Uton. That single decision led to so many other consequences. Magic was shared, and spell casters became linked through echoes of mutual energy. Those connections became chains tied to anchors of despair. They were forced to deal with dark creatures and demons—even Reiculf, the lord of demons himself—and many had suffered.

Enin appeared momentarily lost as he considered the series of events which brought them back to Burbon, back to the apparition with the power to remove, and restore, magical cores. As he looked upon the ghost captain, he grasped the connection, understood how his own hardship was tied to Neltus.

He wanted to speak to the spirit, to ask a most difficult question, but it was a question which held consequences of its own. Despite all his wisdom in the ways of magic, he wasn't sure how to approach the subject. Thus, he remained silent.

The ghost of Sy Fenden broke Enin's uneasy silence with an acknowledgment of his own.

"Sy is happy to see you safe," Klusac relayed to Enin.

Enin was pleased to be recognized by the warrior spirit.

"Thank you," the coreless wizard offered to the apparition.

As he nodded to the glowing specter, the need to question certain outcomes became stronger. He had managed to suppress his concerns due to the magnitude of their circumstances. He had suffered as much as Ryson, if not more, from Holli's decision. And while his grief was no less devastating, he could not help but think of his own condition.

He did not wish to be so self-absorbed, but a growing seed of hope was taking root in his mind. Though the most recent tragedy seemed to challenge the worth of his wishes, he knew he could no longer ignore them. He needed to address the issue with the spirit before him, and the question he hoped to avoid became a means to that end.

He did not ask it outright, but instead, began with a different inquiry which would hopefully offer guidance regarding whether or not he should continue.

"Are you aware of what has happened to Reiculf?" Enin questioned the ghost captain.

The spirit looked toward Klusac for long moments. The captain of the guard found the news surprising, but he listened intently in order to fully grasp the spirit's answer. When the apparition's response was complete, Klusac replied.

"He is. It was a transformation of great consequence. Even though it occurred outside of Burbon, he knows what happened. Reiculf has joined with Ansas and Baannat. The three have become a new entity, one that rules a new realm of demons."

With Sy's acknowledgement of changes to both the demon master and the daokiln's sanctuary, the coreless wizard knew he had to continue.

"Which leads me to a delicate question," Enin admitted.
He paused, looked to the ground and almost relented, almost gave up on his own seemingly selfish desire, especially when he allowed himself one quick glance toward Ryson. He could not, however, surrender completely.

He recalled the recent opportunity when the magic flowed through him—directed by Jure—and he remembered what it was like to shape the energy. He longed for that feeling again. He needed to know if it was possible, even if his question would grind salt into deep and recent wounds.

"If Reiculf has altered himself," Enin began, "is it still necessary to remove Neltus' core?"

"What?!" Ryson reacted immediately, shocked that Enin could even entertain the idea after all that had occurred.

"It's a question that should be considered," Enin replied sheepishly, "not necessarily for Neltus' sake, but for what has happened in the larger scheme of things."

"You want to consider it now? After all we've been through? After what happened to Holli?"

"I know," Enin mumbled, as he couldn't even raise his eyes again to meet the delver's unforgiving stare. "I shouldn't even ask, but I have to. I have to... because I need to know."

Jure was as surprised as Ryson at the question, but he saw Enin's distress. The elder wizard understood the complicated relationship between the coreless wizard and the elf guard. He knew Enin would not disregard Holli's sacrifice callously.

"What is it you need to know?" Jure pressed. "Are you wondering if this was all a mistake?"

"No, I understand why we did it. Holli viewed it as a mission of honor. She promised to bring Neltus back, and I couldn't disregard that. It was important to her."

"And you think that's all there was to it?" Ryson asked, unwilling to accept Enin could be so unfeeling. "This wasn't just about capturing Neltus and bringing him back here, and you know it."

"I'm willing to look at things differently," Enin admitted.

"There's no other way to look at it," Ryson argued. "I told you Rul wanted to find Neltus. That makes him dangerous... to everyone. We all agreed he had to be brought back here. That's why Holli did what she did."

"And I agreed because I didn't want to dismiss Holli's wishes. As for Rul, we don't know why he wants Neltus. Certain things have changed, and in some regard, these changes are of great magnitude. Maybe we should reconsider."

"Reconsider? What's there to reconsider? Reiculf can take control of Neltus."

"But Reiculf no longer exists," Enin said, finally reaching for the very foundation of his own desires. "And it's not only Reiculf. Demonspawn is gone as well, as are the barriers which kept Reiculf constrained to his own domain. I mean, it appears as if Rul Saattan can gain access to this realm on his own now. He wouldn't really need to use Neltus—or me for that matter—as a bridge to leave Demonsheol."

"So what?" Ryson fired back. "I don't care if Rul can come and go as he pleases. This is about Neltus and his core."

"And that's why I have to ask. Sy removed Neltus' core as a way to protect our land against an incursion from Reiculf, but Reiculf is gone and Rul is another matter entirely. I'm not certain I see Neltus as the danger he once was."

"So you're saying Holli's sacrifice was for nothing?"

"No. It was something she needed to do, and I supported her in that."

"But now that you think she's gone, it's no longer important?"

It was a cruel accusation, one not completely grounded in fact. Ryson was responding on almost pure emotion, focused entirely on Holli's sacrifice to keep them all alive. And though the delver might have ignored the larger implications of the situation, he felt justified in his anger.

Enin understood the delver's fury. He could not deny the seeming callousness of his questions. He knew what he hoped to obtain, knew that his concern rested upon his own interests. He hung his head, too ashamed to respond.

"Ryson, this isn't really about Neltus," Jure offered, already seeing what Enin hoped to accomplish.

"You're right," the delver argued, as he remained focused on the loss of yet another friend. "This is about Holli. I'm not going to forget what happened to her, or why she did it. We're going to finish this."

"And I want to see it finished too," the elder wizard agreed, "but there's another question which needs to be asked, one that has to do more with Enin than Neltus."

"Jure's right," Enin admitted with a hollow voice. "Sy took my core for the same reason... to protect Uton. It seems to me that such a defense is now somewhat unnecessary."

"You want your magic back?" Ryson asked, unsure of how he should feel about such a request... made at such a time.

Enin recoiled at the harsh tone. He couldn't blame the delver. His shame was turning into disgust, disgust for considering his own welfare when he should have remained focused on more sympathetic matters. He offered an explanation coupled with an apology.