Delver Magic: Book 06 - Pure Choice (33 page)

The room came back into focus and
the elf found his strength returning. In moments, he stood and acknowledged the
others in the room. He announced himself as an equal and as if seeing them for
the very first time.

"I am Scheff," the elf
stated. "I am the storm."

"I'm Neltus," one of the
humans replied. Neltus was middle-aged, overweight, and had extremely long and
unkempt hair. Despite his rather ragged appearance, he seemed quite pleased
with himself. "You're not the storm yet, elfie, but you will be. I'd say
I'm the land, but then I would sound even bigger than I look, and that's just
wrong."

"Ignore him," the other
human intervened. She was tall and plain, but her deep blue eyes revealed the
essence of her hue. "I'm Rivira."

Scheff nodded and then peered at
the infern.

"And you, half-demon? What
should I call you?"

"I call him torch boy, but he
doesn't answer to that," Neltus offered.

The infern glared at the human
spell caster but only replied with his name.

"Gnafil."

Ansas quickly grew tired of the
inane chatter. He had more important considerations. He had achieved his
objectives far more quickly than he planned. He removed his self-imposed
banishment and proved to the elf witch and her wizard accomplice that he was
superior. The elves he used as bait were no longer his concern and he had added
another spell caster to the list of those who would prove the dominance of
purified magic. He still hoped to find spell casters skilled in yellow and
green magic, but he had other ambitions as well. He needed time away from
distractions to plan his path.

"I have given you the
opportunity I promised," Ansas noted to Scheff. "Don't waste it. Go wherever
you wish... find a suitable place to grow. Prove to this land your true
potential, show them what the purity of violet energy means. If I have
additional opportunities for you, I will call. You may all leave me now."

The four spell casters exited
Ansas' small house in the dark realm by mundanely using the front door. It's
not that they were unable to teleport directly out of the sorcerer's study, but
they had learned not to. Ansas created his home as a haven for quiet
reflection, and he didn't appreciate others casting spells in his personal
sanctuary. He requested—actually required most forcefully—that those he
entrusted with slices of his dark power used the proper doors as he had seen
fit to create.

Neltus signaled for Scheff to follow
him, and the elf wisely moved with caution through the front entrance and out
onto the harsh landscape of the dark realm. All the spell casters stepped a few
paces away from the exterior of the house before they turned to face each
other. It was Neltus who addressed the others with obvious enthusiasm.

"So, who wants to see the new
guy test his powers?"

"You are such a child,"
Rivira, the human sorceress, noted. "Why do you have to make it sound like
some idiotic initiation?"

"Because it is?" Neltus
responded cheerfully. "Come on, Rivi, you know he's dying to see what he
can do, to see if he's any different. You also know that we want to watch. It's
a chance for us to see someone else make the same mistakes we did."

The infern glared at the heavy set
magic caster.

"I did not make
mistakes," Gnafil hissed.

"Oh yes you did, torch boy, I
was there, remember?"

"What I remember was allowing
the magic to choose its own direction. I made no mistake."

"You almost set the entire
sea on fire!" Neltus replied.

"That was the power of magic
without direction."

"And that's not a
mistake?"

"No, it is not."

"Fine," Neltus sighed.
"It wasn't a mistake, but are you going to tell me you don't want to see
what elfie decides to do?"

Gnafil said nothing.

"I take it that means you
do
want to see. And what about you Rivi?
You going to let the men go off alone?"

"Absolutely not, but I go
because I wish to expand my own abilities, not to watch some novice."

"What are you all talking
about?" Scheff asked in a suspicious tone.

"We're talking about
you," Neltus laughed. "We're going to take you somewhere safe where
you can cast your first spell."

"I have no intention of
putting myself on display."

For a brief moment, Neltus'
expression turned slightly harsh as the playful grin evaporated from his mouth.

"You best understand your
place on the ladder, elfie. If the three of us want to watch what you do, we
will." A twinkle quickly returned to Neltus' eyes as he waved off the
elf's initial rejection. "Besides, it'll be fun. You'll learn a lot
faster, too. We all made mistakes when we started out. You're going to have
questions. You know you are."

Scheff frowned, but after
realizing he was outnumbered by three magic casters that were much more
experienced, he made no further objections.

Seeing they were all in agreement,
Neltus joyfully took the lead.

"Excellent. I'll bring us to
somewhere safe."

"You always pick the
spot," Rivira protested.

"It's a good thing, too.
Imagine if I brought torch boy to the forest."

Neltus didn't wait for further objections
or for Gnafil to angrily respond to the perceived insult. He placed his hands
above his head and a circle of red magic rotated up and down his arms.

Concentrating on the entire
landscape that surrounded them, he pulled at the dimensional bonds that kept
the different existences separated, and yet still connected. He did not break
the purity of his hue by attempting to ride the waves of light or shadow
between dimensions or by utilizing a mix of hues to connect two points of
existence. He focused entirely on his crimson energy and its connection with
the land. Allowing the energy from two distinct existences to generate a unique
connection, he pressed them together as if shifting sands from two piles into
one.

When he released the ring of
energy, it spun off his arms and formed a wide portal directly in front of him.
He smiled widely back at Scheff and then leapt through the dimensional rift.

Rivira and Gnafil looked
expectantly at Scheff. It was clear they would wait for the elf to cross before
they stepped through. They would follow and their patience was waning fast.

Knowing he did not have a choice,
Scheff stepped through the portal and found himself back in Uton, but in no
less harsh an environment.

The black and gray stone of the
dark realm was replaced by the tan, dry sands and cracked rock of the Lacobian
Desert. The heavy, humid winds
disappeared, as the elf was greeted by the hot parched air of a dry land. The
half-dead trees oozing with a sickly sap were nowhere to be found, but Scheff
could see several tall cactus rising defiantly from the desert floor.

Scheff found the conditions even
more displeasing than the dark realm. He had lived all his life in the thick forest
of Dark Spruce. He did not travel
beyond its borders. The surrounding wasteland of sandstone cliffs and high
dunes were as foreign to him as the hostile grounds of another dimension. The
hot, dry air burned his lungs and the smell of the desert was something he
could not describe. It seemed both empty and overpowering at the same time.

He almost leapt back through the
portal, but he could see Gnafil and Rivira bounding across and he was forced
backwards to make room. Before he could get around them, Neltus closed the
portal.

Rivira revealed a similar
expression of discontent and made her dissatisfaction known to all.

"I hate the desert," the
sorceress complained.

"I know you do,
sweetie," Neltus laughed, "but we played near the sea last time. That
was much too big of an advantage for you. You have to learn to deal with dry
land."

Rivira did not appreciate the
insinuation that she was ill prepared to deal with a harsh environment and clarified
her own understanding.

"Nothing is completely
dry."

"Then you should be
happy."

"I am not happy with the
desert."

"I don't think you're happy
with anything. You complain a lot. At least torch boy doesn't talk as
much."

"And you talk
too
much," Gnafil noted.

"Well played," Neltus
allowed, "but the truth is, I picked it as the safest spot for the new
guy. If we put him near a sea, he could wipe out an entire coastal town by
mistake. We put him in the mountains, and he could cause an avalanche or flood
a valley. No, this is better. It's pretty wide open with not much else to get
in the way."

"I don't care who gets in the
way," Gnafil hissed.

"I know," Neltus
admitted. "I think you would torch an orphanage without a second thought,
but I don't think we want that kind of attention. We can't expand our powers if
we're running from every witch and warlock hunter in the land."

"What do I care for hunters?"

"You don't, torch boy, but if
you start stirring the pot, maybe some other wizard starts getting interested
in us... like the one in Connel."

Neltus didn't even have to say
Enin's name, but all of them knew of the powerful wizard. Despite their expanding
talents, none of them believed they were a match for a spell caster that
controlled pure white magic with two perfect circles.

Turning to the elf, Neltus decided
not to waste any more time.

"Alright, elfie, let's see
what you've got."

"Excuse me?" Scheff
responded.

"Time for you to cast a
spell, tap into that new pure power of yours."

"Just like that?"

"What? You need time to
prepare?"

"I need time to consider the
implications of what has happened."

"What's to consider? All the
previous spells you've ever cast have been ripped out of you. This will be like
casting your first spell all over again."

"And that is exactly why I
should take time to consider what I cast."

Neltus frowned.

"You think too much,
elfie."

"You would rather have me not
think at all? Perhaps then I, too, would set something as big as the sea on
fire."

Neltus tilted his head, but then
saw the annoyed expression on the infern's face. The rotund spell caster
laughed heartily.

"Very good!" Neltus
approved. "You took a shot at torch boy... and on your first day. I like
you, elfie."

"I would appreciate it if you
ceased calling me 'elfie.' I find it irritating."

"You best get used to it,
because that's just one of the things the land can be... irritating. Think of
me as the pebble in your shoe, or the sand down your shirt, or the grit in your
eyes."

"You will not get used to
it," Rivira advised. "He is childish, as I said before. Do your best
to ignore it."

"Very well, then I will also
ignore his impatience and I will take my time."

"I have no intention of
waiting," Gnafil sneered, and the infern turned his attention to the open
lands in the distance and cast a spell of his own. A dark orange circle
appeared at the palm of his gauntlet and he flung it into the deep blue, desert
sky.

The ring of amber rotated as it
grew both wider and longer. It turned into a spinning tunnel of flame that
swirled across a high dune. It was a towering twister of pure fire, feeding on
the hot air. It roared like an angry beast filled with hate and fury.

"Not bad," Rivira
allowed. "Do you still control it?"

In response, the infern directed
the fire tunnel back and forth with swift hand movements. Gnafil forced the
flaming twister to dance in various directions.

"I wish to attempt to douse
it," Rivira announced, but looked respectfully to the infern for approval
before casting her own spell.

When Gnafil nodded, Rivira's eyes
flashed dark blue and her own azure ring of power leapt far above her head. She
kept the circle in place, but allowed it to spin faster and faster. She used it
to pull every drop of moisture from the air and ground as it grew in bulk.
There was so little water in the immediate area, the magic pulled from great
distances and far into the sky.

Once she had obtained sufficient
water, she molded the ring into a long liquid spear. Revealing deft control,
she pointed the spear at the flaming twister and cast it with an arced
projection.

The long shaft of water flew high
above the desert floor in an upward angle until it found a clear path into the
center of the narrow twister. Its pointed tip dropped downward, and the spear
plummeted at a much steeper angle.

Gnafil attempted to maneuver the
fire tunnel away, but the dark blue, liquid javelin adjusted its own path to
compensate. Even as the infern commanded the flame twister to dodge and weave,
the two massive elemental forces collided.

Rivira's water spear exploded when
it reached the center of the fiery tunnel. A great cloud of steam erupted from
the top of the twister as if it had become a smoldering volcano. The blaze
dimmed significantly, but it did not go out. The steam cloud dissipated into
the sky with a slow, weakening hiss and the flames soon returned to their
initial brilliance.

Though the infern showed no
delight over the apparent victory of his spell, Neltus was much less reserved.

"Score one for torch
boy."

Rivira shook her head in disgust.

"Did you expect differently?
We are in the desert."

"Still complaining, eh?"
Neltus laughed, but quickly dismissed the sorceress and turned to Scheff.
"Well, elfie. Times up. We're not going to wait around forever."

Scheff had watched the other two
spell casters intently. Their magical strength was awe-inspiring, but he
understood he had access to the same levels of energy. His was the aura of
violet storm and he decided to make his own claim to power.