Sovereign Stone (6 page)

“Clearly, Mage Cedric was intent on protecting the contents of the central tower from any but you,” Kelvin said. “Have you tried to command the sentinel since you passed the tests?”

Alexander frowned. “The thought hadn’t crossed my mind. Do you think it would obey?”

“There is every possibility that Mage Cedric left it here to serve you once his tests had been met. I suggest you command it and find out.”

Alexander thought for a moment, then faced the sentinel. “Sentinel, raise your sword.”

The black stone blade spun up to the on-guard position. The statue once again froze in place. Alexander looked at Isabel and then at Kelvin.

“Sentinel, what are your capabilities?” Alexander asked.

“I can be commanded by you alone. I will guard any portal you command me to guard and prevent all others from gaining access.” The voice sounded hollow and far away, but the eyes glowed slightly brighter when it spoke.

“Very good,” Alexander said. “Lower your sword and stand here until I return. Challenge anyone else who attempts to pass.” The sentinel lowered its sword and its eyes went slightly dimmer.

They proceeded into the large circular room that formed the entry chamber of the central tower, and Alexander led the way down to the Bloodvault. Kelvin spent several minutes inspecting the magical structure and cast a number of spells to gain more insight into the nature of its construction.

“This is truly an amazing piece of work,” Kelvin said. “I’ve never seen such complex magical energies at work in any other construction. I could study this for weeks and still not have sufficient understanding to recreate the effect.”

“Do you think Phane could get inside it?” Alexander asked.

Kelvin looked at it for a long moment before slowly shaking his head. “No, I don’t believe such a construction can be breached without the cooperative effort of many very powerful wizards. It isn’t so much a function of the power that one wizard can bring to bear but more that the energies involved are bound together in such a way that attempting to undo one line of binding force only strengthens and magnifies several others. Only the combined efforts of several wizards could simultaneously unravel all of the strands of this very intricate web of magical force. Even then, it would probably take many months of trial and error before they could hope to succeed.”

“Good. I was hoping you’d say that,” Alexander said. “Now we just have to convince the fairies to help us and hope that Phane can’t use the powersink and we have a chance.”

Alexander didn’t mean to sound so discouraged but he felt helpless at the prospect of Phane heading toward the Reishi Isle. Everything depended on the powersink being tainted. He desperately wanted to know if it was, but he just couldn’t justify the risk to Wizard Ely. He consoled himself with the knowledge that knowing wouldn’t change anything. Either way, Alexander was powerless to stop Phane from making the attempt. He could only wait and see and plan for the best.

Alexander sealed the Bloodvault again, and they returned to the entry hall of the central tower to begin the long climb to the top. The tower was a series of slightly smaller rooms stacked one on top of another. The room immediately above the entry hall was a comfortable-looking sitting room and audience chamber.

Plush carpets that didn’t appear to have aged at all in the intervening millennia covered the floor; a long, well-made, simple black oak table with cushioned high-back chairs lining both sides occupied the center of the room; a large hearth surrounded by oversized plush chairs took up one section of the rounded wall; and a set of three couches facing a three-sided table occupied the remaining space.

The stairway leading up to the next level was sealed with a wall of black stone very similar to the wall that protected the Bloodvault chamber.

“Kelvin, can you see this wall in your mind’s eye through your Keep ring?” Alexander asked.

Kelvin closed his eyes and found the place where they stood in his mental map of the Keep. “I can see it but I cannot unseal it.”

Alexander nodded. “I figured there would be some areas that would only be accessible with the Keep Master’s ring.” With a thought, he sent the wall away, probably to the same place where the bridge resided when it was not in this world.

Level after level, they climbed through all manner of chambers. There were countless rooms filled with bookshelves, others looked like laboratories, and still others were studies. There were simple rooms with nothing but a magical circle inlaid in gold in the floor and others that were nothing more than well-appointed sleeping chambers.

After many dozens of floors, they came to a level with transparent stone windows and three balconies that were only accessible once Alexander sent away the stone walls filling the archways.

One of the balconies faced west and offered a stunning view. The Keep spread out below to the paddock. Alexander had to squint, but he could just make out the stone-still form of the scourgling standing on the abutment of the bridge. The plains spread out farther still and the blue of the ocean many leagues away was just visible on the horizon.

Bridges extended from the other two balconies, each stretching hundreds of feet in a gentle arch across open expanses of empty sky. The balconies were already higher than most of the other towers and buildings that covered the surface of the mountaintop, but there were a few spires that reached higher still.

One of the sky bridges reached out to join another tower just a few levels below its conical top. The second led to a giant, flat platform that was several thousand feet long and at least a thousand feet wide. Aside from the towers, it was the highest point on the entire Keep and looked big enough to assemble an army in formation. Alexander made a mental note to return to the platform and investigate further.

They continued to climb. Level after level, the central tower rose into the sky. Each level was filled with all manner of instruments, apparatus, libraries, writing rooms, sitting rooms, and empty chambers that looked like they were designed to contain the magical energies of spells, should a new or experimental magic go wrong.

Finally, they reached a room just short of the top chamber of the tower. Alexander had to dismiss another stone wall to gain entrance. It was a small study, no more than thirty feet in diameter. Comfortable chairs, a hearth, a writing desk, a small shelf of books, and a bed filled the room. A bound oak door opened to a circular balcony that wrapped around the outside of the tower. The view was breathtaking.

They walked around the entire balcony and took in the spectacle of the Keep and the plains below. From their vantage point, they could appreciate the sheer size of the Keep. It stretched away from the central spire for miles in every direction. The surface was covered with buildings, roads, towers, small fields, and assembly areas. But Alexander knew the vast outer surface area of the Keep was only a small part of its true capacity; dozens of levels of rooms and halls riddled the interior.

There was only one more level of the tower, the very highest level of the entire Keep, and they soon discovered that the staircase leading up to it was barred by a magical shield that would not let anyone pass, except Alexander. He could not deactivate it. He could not even assist Kelvin to pass. Clearly, the highest chamber in the tower was meant for the Keep Master alone.

Alexander ascended to the simple little room with caution as well as a sense of excitement. He was somewhat disappointed to find that it was nothing more than a bare room with a magical circle surrounding its center point inlaid in heavy gold. In the middle of the circle was a large meditation cushion with the bleached bones of a crumpled skeleton unceremoniously piled on top.

All around the walls hung heavy tapestries depicting scenes of beauty. It was a peaceful, quiet place. Alexander spent a few moments walking around looking at the tapestries, until he noticed the faint aura of magic coming from one. It took him a minute to realize that it was actually coming from behind the tapestry. He pulled it aside and found a portal to another room.

He was puzzled because he knew the wall was nothing more than a foot of stone separating him from the sky beyond, yet the room was clearly there. Upon further inspection, he found that the portal was more of an opening in the fabric of the world than an actual door. He looked into the twenty-foot square room and marveled at the capacity of magic to leave him speechless and breathless at the same time.

Cautiously, he ventured into the little room that existed outside of the world. As he crossed the threshold, the light came up a bit and the detail of the room became visible. It was a simple place with a table, chair, bed, and bookshelf. There was a small fireplace and a comfortable chair with a table beside it. Otherwise the room was bare and slightly cold.

On the table was a letter written on fine parchment and sealed with wax. The seal was marked with the glyph of the House of Reishi. His hand went to the mark on his neck and then to the hilt of the Thinblade. He drew his sword and compared the glyph on its pommel with the mark in the wax—it was a perfect match. A thrill ran up his spine. Mage Cedric had left him a letter, probably the last thing he ever did in this world. Alexander could only guess that the bones in the circle were the remains of the Old Rebel Mage.

He sat down in the chair and broke the seal. The tingle of magic raced through him. For a moment he was alarmed but there didn’t seem to be any other effect, so he relaxed. When he opened the letter, he discovered that it was written in a language he didn’t recognize, but after a moment the words suddenly became clear to him.

He read the letter with a sense of awe and reverence. He knew it had been written two thousand years ago and left here for his eyes only.

“You are the heir to the throne of Ruatha, the first of your line to claim the throne in millennia. But you are much more than that—you are the greatest hope for the people of all the Seven Isles. Be true to the Old Law.

“I have fought Phane for decades and his father before that. He is cunning and evil beyond measure, but he can be defeated. His arrogance and self-centered narcissism are his weaknesses. He does not trust anyone and will betray those who are foolish enough to trust him. Use this to your advantage.

“If you are reading this, then you have found the first of the three Bloodvaults. The second is at the base of this tower. Your sword is there, along with several rings that will allow others to command the Keep. You will also find a book that will explain the workings and capabilities of Blackstone Keep. The seal on this letter has imparted the ability to read the book. Study it well, and the Keep will serve your cause.

“The third Bloodvault is hidden well and is for you to find. It contains the greatest treasure of all, but it will do you no good until you are ready to claim it. Only then will you have the insight to find it.

“I am sorry that I couldn’t spare your world the horror that you now face. I gave all that I am to this cause—and I failed.”

The letter was signed: “Barnabas Cedric.”

Alexander sat quietly staring at the letter. Cedric had sacrificed everything and accomplished a great deal in his lifetime, yet he went into the afterlife believing that he had failed. Alexander read it again with quiet sadness. The man who had given the future a chance deserved more than a lonely death with nothing but his regret to comfort him in his last hours. Alexander folded the letter and carefully slipped it into his tunic.

He returned to the little room below and found Kelvin sitting by the bookshelf carefully leafing through a book. Isabel was outside on the balcony looking at the horizon.

“Cedric’s remains are up there. He left a letter for me.” Alexander handed the parchment to Kelvin. The Guild Mage took it carefully and read it through, then read it again.

“It saddens me to know he died alone and with the belief that he had failed. I would give much to let him see the esteem he is held in today. For me, this letter only serves to deepen my commitment to defeating Phane.”

Alexander sat down. “Me, too … I found the letter in a room that isn’t really there. It’s like it’s a place in another world with a doorway leading from this world.”

Kelvin nodded. “It’s called a Wizard’s Den. Arch mage wizards are able to cast such a spell. Once cast, it creates a chamber separate from this world that can only be accessed by the command of the casting wizard. If it’s left open when the wizard dies, it will remain with the doorway open indefinitely. Did you see any books?”

Alexander nodded. “There was a small shelf with a couple dozen or so. Should we take them with us?”

Kelvin considered for a moment. “If he left them in his Wizard’s Den, then they were for you alone. It’s best to leave them there for now.”

They made their way back into the bowels of the Keep, taking care to close every passage in order to protect the libraries and workrooms Mage Cedric had left behind. Each would require more careful inspection another day. It was starting to get late, and Alexander wanted to be ready for the summoning of the fairy.

When they reached the entry hall, he ordered the sentinel to guard the central tower and prevent anyone from going either up or down from the main room. The sentinel obeyed without question. Alexander reached into the Keep Master’s ring and found the four doorways leading into the large round room at the base of the central tower. He sealed them with the magical stone that had filled them the day Alexander had discovered this place.