Avondale V (14 page)

Chapter 24

Tiberius

They walked for what seemed like hours, but Tiberius knew that his longing to explore the Emerystone’s powers was making every minute seem like an eternity. His aching muscles didn’t help matters. Night and day were the same at the bottom of the twisted forest, but luckily their trek to the dome had been marked in the soft, loamy soil, so with only a tiny amount of light at their feet, they were able to retrace their steps.

All around them were dark trunks and huge, uprooted stumps that seemed like gnarled, deformed hands reaching for them out of the darkness. Tiberius longed for light almost as much as he wanted water and rest. He was exhausted, but the stone was still warm—he could feel it in the bottom of his pack that was slung over his good shoulder.

Stamina had never been Tiberius’ strong suit. He was hurting and tired, but he kept plodding on, anxious to be out of the forest and headed back to Avondale. He had no idea what was happening to the city he thought of as home or to the people he loved so much there, but he was afraid they needed him, and that fear gave him the strength to keep walking.

“How are you holding up?” Lexi asked.

“I’m fine,” Tiberius said, his voice hoarse from his dry throat.

“You don’t sound fine,” Lexi said. “We don’t have to keep going. You can rest.”

“I don’t want to rest,” Tiberius said. “Besides, the stone is still too hot to handle.”

“The stone will be waiting for you after you get some rest,” Lexi said. “I can tell you’re hurting. Please, just stop and sit with me for a while.”

“Only if you’re tired,” Tiberius said.

In truth, his whole body was crying out for rest, but he felt selfish resting when his friends could be in danger. He could rest on the ship if they could just make it back up the tunnel and get onboard.

“I am tired,” Lexi said. “We can take shelter there, against the ruins.”

Lexi pointed. It was difficult to see anything beyond the small circle of light near their feet. Tiberius kept the floating sphere of light close to the ground so that it wouldn’t attract other animals. They could hear other creatures in the darkness, but he guessed that most were small by the sounds they made. They had heard some animals of size on their trek, but those creatures were aways moving away from the light, which was a relief to Tiberius. He didn’t want to have come so far only to be eaten by a giant squirrel or some mutated woodchuck.

Tiberius could see what looked like the remains of a building. Two stone walls came together, forming an L-shaped corner, but the rest of the building was gone. His will wanted to push on, but his body refused.

“Okay,” he said. “Just for a little while.”

Lexi led the way. She used her foot to brush away the fallen leaves and built-up debris in the small nook. Tiberius was dirty; he could feel the grime on his skin and tasted the salt of sweat on his lips as his dry tongue raked across them hoping to coax a little moisture out of his parched mouth. Ti sat down, marveling at how good it felt to be off his feet. He hugged his pack, which was full of climbing supplies and the Emerystone. Lexi pulled out the canteen and handed it to Tiberius. His hands shook as he tipped the container up, letting the water flow into his mouth. The canteen was almost empty, and he only drank two swallows before handing it to Lexi. His whole body craved more water, but he refused to drink more than his share. He knew he would be weak no matter what, but Lexi didn’t have to be dehydrated on top of everything else they were facing.

“You hungry?” she asked, holding out a strip of the dried meat.

Tiberius knew he didn’t have enough moisture in his mouth to soften the tough meat, and the salt would only make him even more thirsty.

“No thanks,” he said.

He forced himself to stay awake while Lexi ate a small strip of meat and drank some more water. He didn’t want to fall asleep and leave her in the darkness before she was ready to sleep.

“I can keep watch while you rest,” she offered generously.

“There’s no need,” Tiberius said. “It’s too dark to see anything. We should both sleep, then we can get the hell out of this place.”

“Okay,” Lexi said.

He could hear the smile in her voice. He liked making her happy, and it gave him a thrill when she snuggled against his shoulder. He let go of the light spell, watching as the tiny sphere winked out of existence. The mental effort it took to keep the spell going was the last part of him to relax, and he fell asleep almost instantly.

He had no idea how long he’d been asleep, but his whole body ached from sitting in one position. Lexi was beside him but curled on the ground, using her pack as a pillow. Tiberius ran his hand over the pack and felt no heat. The stone had fully cooled, and he could handle it now, but his back was hurting too bad, and his legs were both numb.

He slumped over, still hugging the pack and waiting as his legs and backside tingled with the return of blood into his stiff extremities. The wait took longer than he expected, and he fell asleep, even though he didn’t mean to. When he woke up again, it was his neck that was aching. He rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up onto his knees. His back ached, and the rope burn seemed to hurt even worse. It was like an open wound, but he knew there was nothing he could do about it.

Then suddenly he realized the cramping muscles and rope burn weren’t a result of the Balestone. He should be able to heal himself and he had let that fact slip his mind.

“
Fulsi
,” he said, conjuring the light spell.

He checked on Lexi, who was still sleeping soundly. There was barely enough water for each of them to have a drink, but Tiberius knew he needed the water desperately. He took two tiny sips, then recorked the canteen, leaving the rest for Lexi.

Tiberius wasn’t sure if he should use the spell for healing burns or cuts to deal with the raw strip of skin across his back and over his shoulder. He decided to start with the spell for lacerations and simply let his magic explore his body.

“
Sano Sarcio Acies Deprimo Abscido
,” he chanted softly.

It was harder to conjure the healing magic than he remembered. It was as if the positive, life-giving energy that he normally felt when he cast a healing spell was somehow absent on the bottom of the twisted forest.

“
Sano Sarcio Acies Deprimo Abscido
,” he continued to chant as his mind’s focus shifted to the magic slowly working its way into his body. The rope burn wasn’t a deep wound. It affected several layers of skin but caused no damage to the muscle underneath. The aching muscles in his back were a different story. Unable to heal his back magically, the wound left by the Balestone was slowly being dealt with by his body’s natural healing abilities. Tiberius could feel the fluid that had saturated the torn tissue all around the small void in his back. Other muscles were overworked to make up for the wound, and everything was knotted and cramped.

His mind focused the healing power first on the rope burns. His chant changed to incorporate the burn-mending spell.

“
Acies Sano Cuticula, Acies Penetralis Resarcio Viscus
,” he said. Immediately his pain doubled. The scorching ache than ran up his back and across his shoulder intensified so much he felt tears stinging his eyes, even though they were closed tight. Fortunately the pain began to dissipate almost as soon as it started. Tiberius focused on the burn until it was gone completely. Then he turned his attention to the muscles in his back.

There wasn’t a spell to relax muscles specifically, and any magic that Tiberius worked in the area of his back wound that was caused by the Balestone was completely ineffective. The evil talisman had left traces of magic that refused to be touched by the bright, life-giving magic of the First Order. Still, Tiberius did his best to bring himself some relief.

“
Acies Penetralis Deprimo Sano Crudus Viscus
,” he whispered in the darkness.

The spell to heal internal bleeding also seemed to work on the buildup of fluid and antibodies that were cramping his back muscles. He let the healing magic flow. It was slower than he expected, and the stream of Sana Magus was thin, almost a trickle, but Tiberius’ will to heal himself was strong. The magic was scarce, but at the same time, it seemed to be drawn to Tiberius.

After a while he felt better, at least as good as he had felt before starting their journey into the twisted forest. He was still painfully thirsty, his body still weak, but the pain was minimal, and he could move freely again. He sat up and looked around their tiny camp. It was so gloomy that he felt an almost physical depression trying to pin down his emotions, but Tiberius refused to be negative. He had the Emerystone and he was finally going to explore the stone’s magnificent power.

He opened his pack and rummaged through it for a few moments. He had to remove most of the contents just to reach the stone. But finally it lay in the open pack before him. The light from the
Fulsi
spell shone down onto what appeared to be a very large diamond. Gemstones were rare in the nine cities; most had been brought to the high places when the citizens had fled the cataclysm long ago. Only Rosslyton in the east mined gems, but there were no diamonds in the deep mines. Tiberius guessed the old wizards had used a diamond because it was the most valuable and strongest of all the stones. Even the crucible spell, which could melt stone and metal, would not harm a diamond. The power of the Emerystone seemed to glow and flash in the small magical light that Tiberius conjured.

He reached out his hand to pick the stone up and felt a shock when his fingers touched the gem’s surface. The Balestone had seemed powerful, even sentient at times. He could hear the voices of the Balestone and their longing for power. When he touched it, it was like a small part of his mind connected with the ancient beings sealed in the Balestone. Tiberius hadn’t known what to expect from the Emerystone, but it didn’t have the same urge to connect with him as the Balestone. In many ways it seemed like a simple gemstone, but when he touched the stone, his mind was consumed with a vision.

Light suddenly assaulted him from every side, but the light was warm, reassuring, and even comforting. He didn’t have to squint or shade his eyes. The filth from the forest floor was gone, and Tiberius felt a wonderful sense of euphoria. He wanted to bask in the wondrous light forever and didn’t even notice the two beings who came to speak with him until they were standing right in front of him.

“Oh, hello,” he said, getting hastily to his feet.

“Welcome, wizard,” said one of the beings.

Tiberius couldn’t really make out their features. They wore long robes that were so white they reflected the glorious light. Their faces were shining and seemed happy, their hair was like snow, and their voices were so kind Tiberius felt tears once again stinging his eyes. He had never felt so welcome, so completely accepted, in his life.

“You have discovered the Emerystone,” said the other being.

“I have,” Tiberius said happily.

“You should be very proud. You are a master of the Fourth Order now and fit to lead the Orders into a new age.”

“I … I…” Tiberius wanted to say that he was thankful, but he felt a sudden sense of shame. The beings had called him a master of the Fourth Order, but that wasn’t the case. He didn’t even know the Second or Third Orders. He had broken the cardinal rule of the Four Orders by jumping ahead. It wasn’t completely his fault, but he wasn’t sure what to say.

“Do not be troubled,” said the first being. “There is no judgement here.”

“I’m afraid I’m not a true master,” Tiberius said. “There is so much I don’t know.”

“Our wisdom was doomed,” said the second being.

“We knew much would be lost,” said the first. “But we always believed that you would come. That is why we created the trials. Only a master of the Fourth Order could retrieve the stone. And you must use your knowledge and skill to rediscover what was lost. Set the course for future generations of wizards to find their way back to a full knowledge of the Four Orders. That is your destiny now.”

“And I’m to use the power of the Emerystone?” Tiberius asked.

“There is no power in the stone beyond what you see here,” said the second being.

“The Fourth Order of magic is much too formidable to be harnessed and controlled,” said the first being. “Our mistake was in fashioning the stone. Power must be earned, otherwise it will be taken for granted.”

“Or abused,” said the second being.

“The power that was once held by the great wizard Emery is no more. We have seen to that. This stone will from now on be simply a gemstone. Its only power will be the great wealth it will bestow you. Use it to further your understanding of magic and ensure that magic benefits all mankind.”

“But there are no more wizards,” Tiberius said. “And the world is on the brink of disaster.”

“Then use your skills to save it,” they said in unison.

Tiberius was speechless for a moment. He looked down at his hands, which were dark with dirt. He held the stone in his hands—the diamond seemed to capture the pure, warm light. When Tiberius looked up again, the two beings were gone, and the light faded away. He sat blinking back tears in the darkness. He had come so far and been through so much, only to discover that the Emerystone was nothing but a diamond. It held no power.

“What’s wrong?” Lexi asked.

The tiny light was still glowing, and she sat up, rubbing her eyes.

“Tiberius?”

“It’s useless,” he said.

“What is?” Lexi asked.

“The Emerystone,” Tiberius explained. “It has no power.”

“What? Why would anyone go to the trouble of hiding it if it was powerless?”

“It contained a message,” Tiberius said.

“What message.”

“I saw two beings. It think they were wizards from before the cataclysm.”

“You saw them?”

“It was like a vision,” Tiberius said. “Anyway, they told me I was to restore the Four Orders of magic.”