Nightmare's Shad dm-4, Page 3

  She said that was what she hoped to avoid, but sometimes leaving things unsaid did more to heighten a conceived threat than by describing it in the most inflated fashion.

  Again, Ryson thought of his earlier encounter with the swallit. The creature used illusion against the delver's sword, a trick to make him sheath the weapon. Was this just another trick?

  What did he know of her? She stated she could cast white magic. If that was a lie, it was a risky one. If it wasn't, she had power and she shouldn't be ignored.

  Ryson shook his head and then focused on the floor. He placed an imaginary flame-very small, that of a candle-on a blank space. He wiped all the thoughts from his mind as he concentrated on his greatest concern. He finally spoke, but would not look up from the floor at Heteera. He kept his mind on the practical, on the measured response of logic, and kept his curious instincts in check.

  "I have to tell you, I've been through this kind of thing before-all my life, in fact. People know I'm a delver, and if they want something from me, some will try and use it against me. They throw one mystery after another at me. They usually do it because they want to trick me."

  "I'm not trying to trick you."

  "I don't know you, but you came to see my wife first. You tell me you need to speak to Enin, but he won't see you. Even so, you say you cast white magic. If that's true, I would think he would want to speak with you. You're afraid Holli will kill you, and I have no idea why. You sum it all up with a notion that there's a threat that has to be stopped. It's a delver hunt, one mystery after another."

  "And that's why I came to your wife first. I was hoping that she would look upon my words in a different manner. I couldn't entice her on a delver hunt. As for being mysterious, it's not my intention. I'm not trying to offer a mystery that needs to be solved or some treasure that needs to be discovered. I'm trying to get you to simply see for yourself what it is that I can't explain. Let your own eyes be the judge. It's not going to seem any more plausible to you if I explain the danger. You know I'm a sorceress. You're going to wonder if I'm manipulating you."

  And with that said, Ryson made an admission, and once more looked upon Heteera.

  "I think you might be trying to manipulate me now."

  "If I was using magic to manipulate you, why would I want your wife present? The magic can't touch her."

  A valid question, and one that met Ryson's logic with wisdom of its own. He faced Linda.

  "Do you believe her?"

  "I believe she's afraid of something out there and I believe she feels terribly guilty about something. That's all I can say for sure, but I still don't want you going out there with her unless she tells you what she's afraid of."

  Ryson nodded as he returned his focus to the stranger.

  "I believe you're not trying to trick me, but she's right, it's not enough. The simple truth is that I'm not going to just follow you unless you give me something more to go on."

  "I do not think it will help to tell you anything further."

  Ryson frowned as he came to his decision and revealed it with blunt honesty.

  "That's no longer your decision to make. I'm not going to follow you based on what you've told me so far. In fact, I'm going to ask you to leave Burbon. Beyond that, once you're on your way, I'll be in Connel before you get deep in Dark Spruce or wherever it is you're going. I'll tell Enin what happened here. He's going to want to talk to you. If you really want to speak to him, you won't have to worry. You can bet he'll find you."

  Ryson could see the fear explode in the sorceress.

  "You can't speak to the wizard until you know the truth!" Heteera implored.

  The outburst was surprising, but it did not sway the delver.

  "I'm waiting for the truth."

  The stranger covered her face with her hands, as if hoping to hide despair. She brought them down to her chin and pressed them together as if praying.

  Ryson remained alert. He watched for any sign of white magic to appear, but the sorceress would cast no spell at this point. Instead, she blurted out the truth.

  "The sphere is a threat again."

  Ryson said nothing, but Linda demanded clarification.

  "You mean Ingar's sphere?"

  "Yes."

  Ryson stiffened. The woman was lying, she had to be. He thought this was all some kind of twisted game, or something worse. The battle at SanctumMountain over the sphere would always remain fresh in his mind. He knew on that day that the magic could never be erased again from the land, that the sphere would never return.

  "No, that's not possible," Ryson responded.

  The sorceress could not mistake the look in the delver's eyes. She knew even the curiosity of a delver would not allow him to accept her story.

  "You see!" Heteera shot back. "This is why I didn't want to try and explain it to you. I knew you wouldn't believe it."

  "I don't believe it because I destroyed the sphere."

  "I know you did, but you did not destroy the idea."

  To Ryson, the idea and the sphere were one and the same. The sphere was magic contained, and that idea was just no longer possible.

  "Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but I know that Ingar is gone and so is his sphere. The magic is free."

  "Yes, it is, but not all of it. Part of it is being captured again."

  "Are you saying there's another sphere?"

  "Not exactly. It's difficult…" and her voice trailed off, unable to explain anything further.

  "You're not making sense. If the magic was being captured, Enin would know about it. You wouldn't need to warn him."

  As Heteera understood much about the magical energy, she found her voice once more to explain Enin's lack of awareness.

  "Enin thinks the reversal of magic is due to his battle with Baannat."

  "Baannat?" Ryson asked.

  "Yes, Baannat was extremely powerful. He could store enormous amounts of energy. That energy was released in a battle with Enin, a battle in a dimension outside of this land."

  "I know what happened. I was there. It was my sword that cleaved Baannat in two."

  "I was there, too," Linda added. "Baannat was destroyed and the magic was taken from him."

  "Taken where?" Heteera demanded.

  Both Ryson and Linda thought of the dimension where dark creatures bred and lived until they could walk upon the lands of Uton. They thought of the monsters that ultimately tore Baannat apart after Ryson defeated the wicked slink ghoul, monsters that eagerly ripped the magical energy from Baannat before they returned to their own realm.

  "I'm not sure where it went," Ryson finally answered, "but what does that have to do with Ingar's sphere?"

  "Not the original sphere, not a sphere at all!" Heteera claimed, "But the idea behind the sphere. Remove the magic-that's the concept-but this time remove it from the monsters, remove it from their realm. Enin would not notice this unless he was told."

  "And that's the threat?"

  "That's only part of it. You have to see the rest."

  That was enough for the delver. Ryson was convinced this was no trick, no manipulation of magic. He could not believe the sphere had returned, but there was something to the sorceress' words. His instincts could lead him now and they spoke loudly within him. He needed to follow Heteera.

  Unfortunately, he needed to convince his wife as well. And by looking at her, he knew she remained skeptical. She would not want him to go on such little information.

  "I need to speak to my wife alone."

  Heteera asked for a different approach.

  "Use the sword," she said.

  The Sword of Decree held a strange power after the elves gave it to the delver and Ryson explained it simply.

  "It won't really tell me if you're lying, if that's what you're hoping. It doesn't reveal intentions. It will only give me direction and I have no idea to what point."

  "That's all I'm asking now, for you to take direction, not from me, but from the sword."
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br />   Ryson moved his hand to the sword cast from elf magic. Before he pulled it from its sheath, Heteera called out one last request.

  "Before you take hold of the sword, I want you to know it's not just you who has to follow me. Your wife must come with us."

  Ryson dropped his hand away from the hilt as if it were suddenly poisoned.

  "I'm not going to put her in danger!"

  The delver's outburst drew an equally emotional response from his wife.

  "But you'd put yourself in danger?" Linda demanded.

  "I don't want to put anyone in danger," Ryson remarked almost harshly.

  "I'm not asking you to debate this among yourselves," Heteera intervened. "Leave it to the sword."

  "I'm not going to base a decision like that on the sword," Ryson declared.

  "Why not?" Heteera asked. She was so close, and now appeared desperate to get her way.

  "Because I don't understand why she would even have to go in the first place."

  "I need another to witness this. You'll understand when you see what it is I have to show you. You have to come with me, there's no doubt in my mind about that, but when it comes to convincing Enin of what you will see, we'll need another voice."

  "Then we can bring someone from the guard. I can even get Sy to go with us."

  "The Captain of the Guard will not help. I need it to be Linda."

  "Why?"

  "Because the magic can't touch her. It's the only way I can be sure to get the message across to Enin. And he's the only one with the power to stop this."

  "Forget it," Ryson stated.

  "Then maybe you have doomed us all."

  "I haven't doomed anyone."

  Linda was watching Heteera. She saw the truth in her eyes and heard it in her words, and it was she who would break through Ryson's concern.

  "Ry, I appreciate what you're saying, what you're doing, but I don't think it's up to you."

  "Who's it up to? Her?"

  "No, and if you listened to her you'd know that. She's leaving it up to the sword. She's putting it all on that. How many times did the sword point you in the right direction? Is it suddenly going to let you down?"

  "But we don't have any idea what's out there."

  "But you're willing to go. You want to go now. I've seen that look before. I'm not going to try and talk you out of it. I'm willing to accept what you're willing to risk. You might have to do the same."

  "But I'm a delver."

  "And I'm immune to magic. Leave it to the sword."

  Ryson knew he could not win this argument. Linda was right, the magic could not harm her, not directly. She might be vulnerable to a shag's fangs or a goblin's crossbow, but he could protect her from those threats. The true danger near the Lacobian was the magical energy and how it was being used. Truth be told, he would be in greater danger than his wife.

  As for the sword, he could not deny its power. It was as he said. It did not so much point to the truth as it pointed the way. It decreed what needed to be done. How it would be done was up to the holder.

  Ryson grabbed the hilt of the sword and pulled it from its sheath. The windows of the tavern let in starlight for the blade to reflect, enhance, and magnify. The clamor of other patrons died away as everyone looked to the shining blade. The light would not harm their eyes in any fashion. If anything, it was almost pleasant to behold. The blade showed the way… and it did so for Ryson Acumen.

  "We have to go with her. I'll get two horses and we'll leave at first light."

  Chapter 4

  With Ryson running alongside the horses-guiding them through Dark Spruce, avoiding danger, and finding the clearest paths-they crossed the forest quicker than Heteera ever hoped. They broke through the dense trees of Dark Spruce and reached the badlands that would lead to the outer reaches of the LacobianDesert while the sun still hung fairly high in the western sky. The horses moved even faster upon solid ground with fewer impediments. The brush and thicket which covered the edges of Dark Spruce diminished and eventually disappeared in the harsher, dryer climate-just as the trees became scattered, standing more like distant sentries spread too thin to cover the horizon sufficiently. The land opened up before them to reveal large clearings surrounded by boulders, bluffs, and intriguing rock formations of intricate design.

  Ryson remained vigilant for threats, understanding that despite their abilities-a delver, a sorceress, and a human immune to magic-they still might invite an ambush from a desperate predator. The presence of any such threat, however, continuously eluded him, and that in itself invited concern.

  The badlands did not harbor as many dark creatures as Dark Spruce-the forest offered more prey and more shelter-but many beasts still preferred the open and dry regions. The badlands were also the last refuge before the totally inhospitable desert. Ryson would normally sense at least some predators in the distance, smell or hear them even if he could not see them. As if to present more of a puzzle, he could not sense any threats in the area. What he did perceive confused him.

  "It's empty, but it's not," he revealed aloud.

  Heteera understood, but Linda could not grasp the seemingly inconsistent revelation.

  "What do you mean?" his wife asked.

  "There are plenty of caves, crevices and ravines along the land, but there's nothing there. No creatures. There's plenty of hiding places for them, but they're just not there. It's like they all just left." He paused for a moment to sniff the air and turn an ear to the warm breeze." But something else is here. I felt it in Dark Spruce, but it's stronger out here." He turned to the sorceress. "This is what you want us to see, isn't it?"

  She simply nodded.

  Linda, who could not utilize the magic in any way, pressed Ryson for details.

  "What do you feel?"

  Ryson tried to put into words what he could not completely describe.

  "It's like water going down a hole. Water goes in, air gets pushed out. I'm getting the same feeling, but it's not water and air. It's like something's rushing in and out of… I'm not sure where it's coming from. It's there and then it's not."

  "It's magic," Heteera offered, "but it's not just being pulled from the land. It's crossing dimensions."

  "Is it going in or out?" Ryson wondered.

  "Both," Heteera answered. "That's why Enin wouldn't notice it from Connel."

  "But you said the threat was like the sphere. The sphere absorbed all the magic."

  "Only in the beginning. At the end, it was emitting the energy, but as poison."

  "That's right, poison to the elves. Is that the threat?"

  "I believe the elves will be the last in danger," Heteera replied.

  Then Ryson considered his encounter with the swallit, and more of the puzzle came together.

  "I ran into a swallit during a scout. It was heading east, away from this place. It was trying to escape what's out here, wasn't it? That's why there aren't any creatures around."

  This news did not sit well with the sorceress. As it was, she fought off waves of discomfort. The predicament she could not speak of openly weighed upon her as they now closed upon their intended destination. She also was not comfortable on the back of a horse, not a natural rider or a seasoned expert with much time spent in the saddle. This new revelation offered by the delver added to her troubles.

  "If that's true, then he's adding to it," she claimed with little explanation.

  "Adding to it? Adding to what?" Ryson demanded.

  "He's seeking other creatures, expanding the reach."

  "Who?"

  "You'll have to see."

  "You know, I have to admit, I'm getting tired of hearing that."

  "You will not have to wait long. It's just ahead, by that rock formation to your right."

  The delver leapt quickly ahead of the horses, took to the lead even as he moved on foot. He spied nothing ahead.

  "There's nothing there."

  Heteera pulled back on the reins and slowed her horse.

 
"We have to stop here."

  "There's nothing here," the delver repeated.

  "Give it time. It does not stay open or closed indefinitely. It fluctuates. We shouldn't have to wait long."

  As if in response, the air shuddered. The afternoon light at first grew brighter and then dimmed, with no passing cloud the cause. The ground itself appeared to sway in and out of focus, like a mirage that would fade and return.

  "What's happening?" Ryson demanded.

  "The portal is reopening. As I said, it won't stay open or closed, not for long."

  "A portal?To where?"

  "To nightmare," Heteera responded with a pained expression. "To a place you have seen before… a realm where dark creatures breed."

  It was as if a hole opened in the very air, a shallow tunnel that turned and twisted in every direction at once, but existed in a controlled space only slightly taller than the delver and perhaps three times as wide.

  Looking upon it produced a sensation of incompleteness, as if it was not possible for such an opening to actually exist. It was a tear in reality.

  Ryson peered into the opening, but only for a moment, and then he looked away. It was a nightmare, and he had seen it before.

  Another such opening was created by Enin in the magical dimension during their conflict with Baannat. It was a gateway to a tormented world, a gateway from which monsters leapt.

  "Why didn't you just tell me this was here? I've seen this kind of thing before. I would have believed you. We need to get Enin here to close this."

  Heteera stared into the anomaly.

  "Would you have believed that if I had not brought you here to see?"

  Ryson did not want to look again, but he had to follow the sorceress' gaze. Looking over his shoulder, his eyes fell upon a figure exiting the rent.

  Immediately, his hand flew over his shoulder to his sword as he crouched low. Any creature crossing over from the dark lands would be a danger to them all, but Ryson never drew the Sword of Decree. The single form who stepped out of a nightmare was a friend to him.

  Despite the fact that the figure was all shadow and no true substance, was of a single gray pallor, Ryson recognized him immediately. He knew the elf, Lief Woodson, very well.