Spellscribed: Conviction (23 page)

Suddenly, he felt the deep pulse of power, its strength dragging him back to consciousness. Though he started fading immediately after again, it brought him back to full clarity for a few seconds. A thought, too foreign to have words, but immensely powerful, bloomed in his mind. He knew that he needed to draw power into himself, and quickly. His mind reached for his aura, and caught a hold of it. It was already ragged, in the process of leaving his body.

I’m dying.
He thought. He grabbed what he could and pulled it into himself. He focused on pulling the power through to his wounds, and the deep black stopped encroaching. The presence shifted, turning its full depth onto him.

He saw into the core of the power within the Grandstaff. There, he found the spark of consciousness that had recognized him earlier. There, he merely comprehended what it was the staff was capable of. It was this deep, ancient force, both vast and powerful, but in some ways powerless. He then knew that it could only do as it was commanded, a law set forth in ages past by an entity from so long ago that even the Grandstaff could not conjure an image of what it was.

Heal me.
Endrance commanded. He had not studied enough life magic to ensure that it would work on him, but his body was unable to heal whatever was done to him on his power alone. If the Grandstaff was as powerful as he had thought…

Warmth suffused his body, and feeling came back to his limbs. His hearing returned with a crack, and when he opened his eyes, he thought for a moment he had woken up somewhere else.

He saw flowers directly in front of him, a great spray of some white flower he’d never seen before, where petals faded from red at the stem. As he watched, the red seemed to continue to leech out of the petals, leaving them pure white. He started to move, and felt a small amount of resistance.

“By all magic.” Klaira said. “You’re alive!”

Endrance moved his arms, pushing himself up. His limbs were covered in little plant roots. He stood, and realized as he tried to brush them off that they were in fact embedded not only in the sleeves of his robes, but into his skin as well. The staff was standing on its tip, and he used it to help him rise to his feet.

The dais was thoroughly cracked, and flowers and grass grew from between the cracks. Not a drop of his blood remained on the stone, nor was any on his clothes. Had the flowers consumed it? Endrance plucked a flower from his neck. No, they had pumped it back into him.

The rest of the room was still in panic, but it seemed that the fighting had stopped. Endrance saw that, other than Klaira, his friends had taken up defensive positions around the dais. Joven had the entire bench in his hands, while the others had no weapons but were equally ready to fight to protect him from further harm. Even Gwen and Elric stood around the dais, their swords out and ready for a fight.

“I’m alive.” Endrance confirmed. “What hit me?”

“The elf assassin came out of the crowd, and plunged six knives into your back with one throw. She’s escaped somehow. We’re searching the assembly one by one, but I fear she’s gone.”

Endrance nodded. “Well, I guess she’ll report back that she succeeded, huh?”

Klaira smirked. “I guess you were telling the truth after all.”

Endrance sighed, glad he didn’t even feel a twinge as he inhaled. “I generally do. I’m a piss-poor liar.” He said.

“Stay here.” She ordered. “The High King still needs to give his judgment and if you leave, it could be seen the wrong way.”

“Right.” He said, plopping down to the floor, since his stool was nowhere to be seen- Oh wait, it looked as though Bridget had broken it into pieces and had handed them to the other Draugnoa. She even gave the seat part to Giselle, who used it to hide behind at Bridget’s feet. She was wearing nicer clothes than when he had last seen her, and it looked like she had gained a bit of height and weight.

Within fifteen minutes, the courtroom was back in order, though a great many of the spectators were unable to sit, and instead packed up along the outer walls. Three people had been killed, but by the stampeding mob rather than by the assassin. She had managed to evade capture, even though several of the greatest mages of Ironsoul were in the room with her. For that, Endrance felt at least a little bit less incompetent, when he thought about how easily she had gotten the advantage over him.

Four tower guards stood at the cardinal directions of the dais, since the broken stone could no longer empower the wards and they faced towards him instead of away. It was a precaution, since fixing the circle would take more time than they had. If anyone could handle a wizard’s sudden attempt to escape, the tower guard would be able to.               Endrance suspected that their preparations were mostly in consideration of him being the one who had managed to break the ward circle, even while dying.

“Endrance of Wayrest,” High King Mastadon said, now that the room was quiet again. “It seems you tell the truth.”

Endrance merely nodded, not wanting to grant his impulse to say something sarcastic in response. His staff stood next to Joven on its end without tipping over, perfectly balanced.

“I find you innocent of the murder of my officials.” The High King said.

A chorus of chaotic noise roared through the room. Endrance felt a shiver of excitement go through him. He was free!

“However.” The High King’s voice continued and the crowds fell as silent as the wizard’s hopes. “This trial and the loss of lives in the process cannot be ignored, nor can your general involvement in this debacle be forgotten. Therefore, you shall serve the kingdom without compensation for the next three years in a position of my choosing. Your current title and position within Balator shall be suspended until you have completed your service, and a temporary replacement shall be dispatched in your stead.”

Ice water flooded his veins. “What service do you ask of me, sire?” Endrance asked with a trembling voice. The rest of his friends almost leapt forward, but Gwen managed to keep Joven from barging into the center of the courtroom.

“You will serve the next three years as our emissary to Salthimere.” Mastadon declared. “If you are so good that you can bring peace between barbarians and the savage wolfmen, then you should surely make progress forging a lasting peace with our other neighbors.”

Endrance blinked several times, trying to cope with the spinning inside his head. He was being sent to the elves. He was no longer the Spengur? It was too much for him to work through, standing there before the court.

Endrance hung his head. “As you command, sire.” He said.

“Dismissed.” The High King commanded.

It was almost as bad as being found guilty. Endrance felt numb as he stepped off the shattered dais, his friends and allies clustering around him to escort him out of the courtroom, their voices becoming a droning shapeless tone in his ears. He didn’t even care to wonder where he was going.

He had not died; something worse had happened. He had gotten fired.

Joven patted Endrance on the back. “Don’t worry.” He said. “It’s only three years. We survived without you for decades, so I’m sure we’ll be fine.”

They were in the room Endrance had been kept in for weeks. He was waiting for the Circle to return his other personal effects, and give him more details on his new orders. He was also hoping that he would have time to catch up on what his friends had been up to, but they only wanted to talk about his trial.

Endrance sighed, running his hands through his hair.  “Thanks.” He muttered. “Remind me how unnecessary I was in the first place.”

Joven shrugged. “Welcome.” He said. “Now that you’re free of that burden, you can focus on getting through this safely, since I’m not going to be protecting you anymore.”

Endrance blinked. “Wait.” He said. “You mean now that I’m no longer the Spengur?”

Joven nodded, his expression forlorn. “As guardian, I am required to protect the Spengur.”

“So, you’re going to go?” Endrance asked. He groaned and butted his head against the desktop. “Great, I suppose you all are going to leave too?”

Selene, who was finally let out of her bundle of ropes, had put her newly patched up shirt back on and was sitting cross legged on the bed. She cleared her throat. “Actually, you technically own us, so we can’t leave.” She said. “Not that anyone in Balator would talk to us, even if we did return without you.”

Endrance butted his head against the desk again.

“You should stop that.” Tanya said. “You’ll forget something. With you being a mage, it might be important.”

“Well, I have to take Giselle, since I promised Gnaeus that I’d watch her.” He said. “Thanks again for watching her after Weldom mage-napped me.”

Tanya shrugged. “Don’t mention it. She was only trouble when we couldn’t figure out what she wanted.” She said. Giselle and Bridget were still collared together, but no one had been willing to say what happened to the two, though it seemed that it prevented either of them from speaking or making sounds with their voices.

“I want you three to know that if you wish to stay here, in Ironsoul, or to go on your own way…” the mage found it hard to push the next few words out of his mouth. “I will release you from your obligation.”

Tanya looked at the others. She alone had a chance to return to some semblance of a life. Her family had been given a gift that allowed them to interact with her, and she could return home if she was discreet and didn’t call attention to herself. The desire to return home was strong; the mage led a crazy, sometimes violent, and always weird life.

Endrance looked up from the desk in her silence and saw her considering it. He smiled at her. “It’s okay.” He said. “I understand, you most of all. You never went through what we had. You have the chance to live a normal life. I suggest you take it.”

Tanya’s resolve crumbled. “I’m sorry.” She cried, her hands clenching the cloth of her pants. She looked down, breaking eye contact. “You are a good man, Endrance, and I can see that you mean to do good for my people, but I don’t believe that I am the person that you need. I’m no replacement for Anna. I could never be. I am so in over my head here that I’m drowning.” Hot tears splattered the backs of her hands, her vision blurred.

Joven looked at her sympathetically. “You tried to help.” He said. “It takes a strong warrior to face tough odds, but a stronger one to admit when they are outmatched.”

Tanya sobbed, wiping at her eyes. “I know if I keep to the course we are on, I’m going to die.” She said, shaking her head. “I don’t have legendary skill and strength, or magic limbs, or demonic blood. I’m just a normal human.”

The wizard nodded. “I understand. You are free. Go, make a life for yourself, Tanya of Crystal River.”

She rose, taking up her things, her bow, and left the room. Endrance turned to Selene.

“Don’t even think about asking.” She said. “You’re mine, just as much as I’m yours.” Her eyes flashed red.

He nodded after a moment’s hesitation, and looked to Bridget. “And you?” he asked.

She gestured to the collar and glared at him.

“Oh.” He said. “Right.”

He held his hand out, reaching for his new staff. The staff, standing attentively a few feet away, slid across the floor into his grip without the mage noticing. He pointed the head of the staff, which had a beautifully carved bone centerpiece, at Bridget’s neck. Her eyes widened and her body tensed as she started to move.

In the split second before she dove to the floor he concentrated, willing the staff to help him unbind the magic affecting her. The presence responded.

Bridget hit the floor with an audible grunt, the collar and chain falling to the rug next to her. Giselle’s half of the collar also popped off, and she cheered happily, running up to wrap herself around Endrance’s leg. He looked down at her, and she gave him a loving look before returning to holding onto him tightly. He felt a warm lurch in his heart when she had looked at him so adoringly. It must be what having a child felt like, he reasoned.

“Damn it, Endrance.” Bridget growled, climbing back to her feet. “You need to warn a barbarian when you’re going to do shit like that.”

The mage winced. “Sorry.” He said. “I forgot. Also, new toy.”

“We saw.” Joven said. “Damn near shattered the stand you were on in that barrel of monkeys you people in Ironsoul call a court. Seriously. Is that your legal process?”

Endrance shrugged. “I have no idea.” He said. “And I was in the middle of it.”

“Look,” Bridget said, flexing her wooden arm. The smooth willow-like bark of the limb didn’t even creak when she stretched it like she would a flesh and blood limb. “I need to go with you. If for nothing else, then to find out if there’s anything I can do about this arm. It’s nice and it works, but the difference in strength is a bit of a hassle. I’ve pulled my shoulder muscles more times than I care to count.”

It was significantly stronger than her original arm. She could wield a cleaving sword designed for two hands easily with just the one, letting her use the one-handed version in her off-hand. She had been developing the fighting style since she had gotten the new limb. She had told him that it would be a waste to leave the nice blade he made for her in a scabbard somewhere, so she was teaching herself to fight using two weapons. Joven helped, having fought with two weapons numerous times.

“Okay. So you two are still with me then?” he asked.

They nodded in response. Endrance smiled. “Thank you.” He said.

Joven grunted, leaning against the wall, one hand fingering the vertical slice in the stone. “What the hells?” He said. “I have been training to protect the Spengur for my whole life, and I’ve had the most eventful guardianship in generations. And that’s just the first year. I think I’m going to take a vacation.”

Endrance couldn’t help but grin. “That’s great, Joven.” He said. “Where do you think you’re going to go?”

Joven shrugged. “I fought this elf once. She was a really tough opponent. Think if I go to their land, I could find a few that I could get into a few scraps with?”

Endrance threw up his hands and shrugged. “Well, there’s only one way to find out, I suppose. We’re going that way, by some strange coincidence.”

Joven’s brow wrinkled. “Yes. That is a strange coincidence.” He declared. “Ah well, I guess I’m stuck with you for company for a bit longer, eh?”

Endrance nodded conspiratorially. “So it would seem.” He said. “The trip south to the Sunken Tower is pretty dangerous…” he explained. “It would be best if we watched each other’s backs.”

Joven snapped his fingers. “Speaking of backs.” He said, digging in a belt pouch. He set the assassin’s throwing knives on his desk. “These popped out after she vanished again and you healed yourself.”

Endrance looked over the four throwing knives. They weren’t even the same kind of blades that she had used before. In fact, they seemed of Ironsoul make. Even stranger, there were letters carefully cut into the metal handles of the blades. Only the top half of the letters were etched, so he had to do some guesswork, but he finally put it together. Each blade had three words on them and after jumbling them around he managed to make out the message.

If I Truly

Wanted You Dead

I Would Have

Struck Your Head

Endrance whistled. “She…” he started.

Joven shook his head. “Yeah.” He said. “I know.”

“She’s…” Endrance tried to figure out how to explain his theory.

“A bitch?” Selene supplied cheerfully. Bridget nodded.

Endrance rubbed the back of his head. “Yeah, I suppose so.” He said. “Though she really could have killed me, but that would go against her plans now.”

“How did…” Bridget started, but then shook her head. “You know what? I don’t wanna know how she finds out where we are all the time.”

“That is strange.” Joven said. “Elf magic?”

Endrance considered, and then shook his head. “A finding spell is more human stuff. Elves tend to be more elementally focused, from what I understand.”

“So says the guy who throws fire, ice, and lightning around like its money.” Bridget shot back, teasing.

Endrance sighed. “I don’t know then. I think she probably got something from Valeria that lets her track me.”

The door swung open, and Gwen walked in. She was carrying a trunk in both hands and her expression was worried.

“Hey guys.” She said, setting it down. “Picked up your stuff on the way over.”

Endrance opened the trunk and found all of his personal effects from when he was initially imprisoned. “Oh, this is great!” He exclaimed happily. He picked up the first thing on the top. “Look!” he said exuberantly. “Pants!”

Gwen gave him a look that both seemed congratulatory and sarcastic. “Congratulations?” she asked, giving a slight shake of her head.

Endrance pulled on clothes that weren’t robes as he found them. At the bottom, he found his bracers, daggers, and spellbook. He sighed happily as the silver bracers clicked closed over each of his arms.

“I never realized how used to wearing them I’d gotten, until they had taken them away.” He said while polishing the Crystalphage gems set in them. Their light was just as bright as when he had left them. He attached the daggers in their sheaths to his belt, and lastly, he picked up his spellbook and ran his hand lovingly over the cover. “Oh… I have new spells to put in you.” He said to the book, smiling.

Gwen leaned over to Joven, skeptical. “Does… he always talk to inanimate objects?” she asked in a muted voice.

Joven shrugged. “With him, he makes me wonder if it’s really inanimate. I should tell you about the time he knocked on a coffin lid.”

Gwen gave him a flirtatious look. “Oh, I would love to hear that.” She said.

“I could tell you over dinner.” Joven offered. Selene, Bridget, and Endrance stared at Joven, shocked silent. Joven, asking someone to dinner?

Gwen considered. “Uh…” she dragged out. “I guess, but only if we can go pick a fight with some assholes at a bar afterwards.”

Joven’s face split into a big toothy grin. “That’s my kind of dinner and entertainment.” He said. “Tonight?”

“You bet it’s going to be tonight.” She said. “Though, don’t you have to watch the mage?”

Endrance gestured at them. “Don’t look at me.” He said approvingly. “He’s on vacation.”

“Great!” she said, beaming. “Just… if you’re on your way out, can you look out for my brother? I haven’t seen Ethan since the night we got attacked, and I’m unsure where he went. I don’t think he’s dead or anything… but I wouldn’t put it past him going on a bender out of embarrassment for getting ambushed like a green recruit.” She rolled her eyes. “Especially since he keeps going on these tangents about being alert and perceptive.”

Endrance nodded. “I’ll keep an eye out.” He said. “You two have fun.”

Endrance watched Joven and Gwen walk out of the room with a strange sense of awe. He’d never seen the side of Joven that would be interested in stuff like dating. Hell, all Joven ever talked about was kicking asses and his duty as Spengur.

“Huh.” Selene said after the door closed. “I swear I had him pegged as being into guys.”

Bridget glanced at her. “What?” she said. “No way.”

Selene nodded. “Yeah.” She said. “I mean, I know I’m Endrance’s wife and all, but having figured out that I have this supernatural attraction thing going on from my other half, I realized that Joven didn’t look at me that way once, not even when he thought I wasn’t looking.”

Bridget grumbled. “Maybe he has more self-control than you.” She said. “Or perhaps he isn’t interested in sex.”

“Well, if they don’t have sex, I’m going to be really disappointed.” Selene shot back. “She seemed nice.”

“Meaning she’d fit in well in Balator.” Endrance clarified.

Selene nodded, her hair bouncing. “Yep!” she said cheerfully.

“So are you two going to tell me what happened last night to get you into the courthouse in the state you were both in?” he demanded. The two women exchanged a meaningful look.

“No.” They said in unison.

Giselle who had still been hugging his leg, looked up at him and started speaking to him in Ulfreau.