Joint Intentions (Book 9) (6 page)

Neltus' desperation turned to despair as he considered the implications behind Baannat's revelation.

"There's no way to create a new core?"

"With no matching foundation to the spell caster? No. You can add to a core, enhance it, but you can not simply cast out one completely and exchange it for another. Is that what you thought you could do?"

"Yes, but..."

Before Neltus could explain further, Baannat broke into yet another fit of cackling laughter. Neltus tried to ignore the beast but each disgusting snort and twisted giggle tore at his innards and amplified his frustrations.

"Stop laughing at me!"

Surprisingly, Baannat did just that, but he placed a razor sharp claw under Neltus' chin.

"Never attempt to command me again," the ghoul hissed.

Neltus' despair extended beyond his fear. A quick slicing of his throat appeared far better than the future he saw for himself.

"Go ahead, kill me! Do it!"

Baannat almost did just that, but he resisted the urge if only for a moment. He realized Neltus had reached a state of complete surrender. Only the loss of all hope would allow the cowardly human to embrace death. The slink ghoul, however, began to consider the situation in its entirety. A new question formed in Baannat's conniving mind.

"Why did you come here?"

"I told you! I want my core back!"

"No! That is not what I asked. Why would you think I would help you? Even if I could have created a new core, why would I do such a thing? You know of me. I would not simply help you out of some wish to be benevolent. You came here to get something from me. What is it you would have offered in return?"

"Another soul to torment," Neltus revealed without embarrassment. He saw nothing lost in revealing the truth. "You once held Ansas captive, but he escaped you."

"He did not escape," the ghoul hissed. "I released him to fight Reiculf."

"And that's where he is now, cut off from you. Are you saying you don't want him back?"

"You could deliver Ansas?" Baannat questioned harshly. "You? You would enter Reiculf's domain, enter Demonspawn?"

Neltus never intended to retrieve Ansas for the slink ghoul, but he believed he could entrap others who might satisfy the monster's desire to inflict misery.

"No, but there are others I could have delivered to you. The boy, Dimi—the one who enchanted the items that brought me here, the one who's core I tried to take—he would be easy to overcome... once my core was returned."

"So you thought you could throw me scraps? What would I want with a boy?"

Neltus saw no reason to argue.

"What does it matter? You said you can't help me."

"I said I could not create a new core for you. I did not say I couldn't help you."

It sounded as if the slink ghoul was actually offering new hope, and Neltus leapt for it like a kitten jumping for a feather on a string.

"There's another way?"

"I return to my own question, why would I want to offer you any assistance at all? As I said before, I have no need for scraps."

"I'm sure we could work something out. There must be some way I could help you in return."

"That is too vague a bargain for me. What you consider help may mean nothing to me."

"Well, what is it you want?"

Baannat scowled, but he could not dismiss the opportunity before him. The human had managed to reach the top of the precipice and open a portal into the shadowed realm of nonexistence. Such complicated spells cast without a magical core revealed a skill which might prove useful. While the ghoul did not wish to openly admit his desires, he was not above taking advantage of sheer foolishness.

"Before we discuss that, let us determine if it is actually possible to regain what you have lost. If I'm to get what I desire, I will need you to be more than you are in your current state. Your skill with magic may be helpful, but you will need to do more than utilize enchanted items."

The hope of regaining his core seemed to grow brighter, and Neltus was more than willing to bargain with the ghoul.

"What do you need from me?"

Baannat knew much of Neltus' history, had witnessed portions of certain battles. He had seen the wizard's involvement in many important events since the return of magic to Uton, but the ghoul needed details regarding the removal of Neltus' magical essence.

"Place your mind in the past. Think of the moment you lost your core. Consider every detail. Leave nothing out. I will know this story completely."

Neltus did as he was told. He recalled every aspect of the battle which led to the removal of his core.

Baannat used his own twisted magic, energy that fluctuated in and out of existence, to peer into the memories of the human. He spoke in a low growl as he witnessed the events which led to Neltus' loss.

"The demon lord, Reiculf, took control of both your body and your mind. Through you, he brought his great powers into Uton. He planned to take control of the wizard Enin in order to spread his malevolence throughout all of existence. The ghost captain, the protector of Burbon, arrived to save the land, but at a great cost to you. He removed your core and broke the link between you and the demon master."

"Yes," Neltus confirmed.

"You ran off. Without magic, you were nothing. You learned that Enin also lost his core, removed by the same warrior spirit. You began to realize if Enin lost his magic, then there was little hope of you regaining yours. Still, you tried in vain to regain your core, but everything failed. When your last efforts proved fruitless, your desperation led you here."

Baannat grew quiet as he considered all that he had seen in Neltus' past. He saw weaknesses he could exploit. Neltus could become a very useful pawn... if utilized properly.

"The ghost captain is the key to your wishes," Baannat finally offered with a snarl. "He is the one who took your core. He is the one who must retrieve it and return it to your essence."

The proclamation did little to enhance Neltus' optimism. He had hoped Baannat would be able to rebuild his core, not offer useless advice.

"He won't do that! All he cares about is that stupid town of his."

"You will have to convince him otherwise."

"But I can't fight a warrior spirit! I wouldn't be able to defeat him even if I still had my core."

"I might be able to help you in that regard," Baannat replied.

"You can defeat a ghost?"

"What am I? I am both more and less than a physical presence. How does that differ from a ghost? I know more about this spirit than you can imagine. He cannot be defeated as would some spell caster or human warrior, but he has his weaknesses. It is a matter of exploiting those weaknesses."

"What weaknesses? What do we have to do?"

"First, we have to come to an agreement. If I am to assist you, you know I will want something in return."

Neltus would have given almost anything to regain his magic, but he was not so foolish to give an open-ended promise. He needed to understand the full cost before he agreed to any bargain with the slink ghoul.

"What do you want?" Neltus asked, his unease apparent.

"You were right in your previous assumptions. I want souls to torture, souls brought into my domain, but I will not waste my time with some insignificant boy or any other pathetic individual you might find so easy to defeat."

Neltus considered what soul would fulfill the ghoul's desires. The obvious choice was one that he believed remained beyond his reach. Handing over someone else's soul was not beneath him, but he also had to face certain realities.

"Even with my magic, I don't think I could get Ansas. I could try, but I don't think I could make that promise."

"The promise would be an empty one. I doubt you would be able to reach Demonspawn, let alone survive any encounter with Reiculf and seize Ansas. No, it's not Ansas I'm looking for."

"Who then?"

Baannat paused as his own devious plan began to take shape in his mind. There were things he wanted, things he would not profess to the foolish human. In order to fulfill those desires, he would need bargaining chips.

In one quick response, he revealed the names of three individuals Neltus would have to trap.

"Enin and Ryson Acumen... and the delver's wife as well. Yes, Enin, Ryson and Linda Acumen."

The names surprised Neltus. If Enin had retained his magic, the powerful wizard would have been beyond Neltus' reach, but Enin had also lost his core. He was as vulnerable as the boy Dimi, perhaps even more so. Enin was actually the easiest of the intended targets, and Neltus professed why.

"If my core was returned, I could probably get Enin. I might even be able to trap the delver. He takes risks when he explores the land, but Linda Acumen... she lives in Burbon. She's protected by the spirit warrior, the ghost of Sy Fenden, and he's the one who took my core."

"We will have to deal with the ghost captain one way or the other. He is the key to regaining your core. Just as I had to hunt down the creatures who stole my magic, you will have to confront the entity who stole yours."

"But it sounds like you're creating a problem without a solution. I need to get Linda Acumen in order to obtain your help in dealing with Sy Fenden, but Sy Fenden is protecting the delver's wife."

"I don't need one done before the other. Your promise is enough. Swear that you will help me in trapping the three I have named and I will work with you in regaining your core."

Neltus needed to confirm the specifics of the bargain.

"That's all you want from me? My help in trapping the delver, his wife, and Enin? Nothing else?"

"That will suffice," Baannat replied.

"And just how are we going to deal with the ghost captain?"

"We will attack those he cares about. The warrior spirit will also enter into a bargain if the terms are presented properly. Ryson Acumen, Holli Brances, and Enin himself mean a great deal to Sy Fenden. We will place them in danger and then use their lives to bargain with the captain."

"How do we do that?"

"That will be my responsibility."

"And what do I have to do?"

"Bring them to the Lacobian Desert."

"The desert? Why?"

Baannat grew tired of responding to the human and decided it was time to make their positions clear.

"I do not answer your every question!" the ghoul growled. "I've told you what you will be required to do. You will bring the three I mentioned to the desert. I will give you further instructions as necessary!"

Neltus realized it was too late to do anything but agree. More than anything, he wanted to regain control over crimson magic, wanted to reestablish his link to the land. If anything, the price was moderately insignificant. It was not
his soul
the ghoul wanted. The torment would not be his. All he had to do was trap others, individuals he was not all that fond of anyway. To him, it seemed a very small price to pay to get back what he wanted.

"I'll get them to the desert."

"You will not have your magic to assist you," Baannat revealed.

It was true. Neltus would not be able to rely on magic, but the loss of the energy itself might offer an answer. He considered the Lacobian Desert. He had spent considerable time there when his core was intact. He knew the region, as well as its inhabitants. He had once enjoyed a strong connection to the sands of the desert, and his understanding of the area spawned a new idea.

"I don't think I'll need it. I think I have a plan."

"Very well. You will leave now."

Baannat paused and appeared to sniff the wind, but it was not a scent for which he searched. He drank in the echoes of magic rolling over the edges of the precipice, small shreds that pointed back to certain individuals. The emptiness of nonexistence was his domain and he could use it to contrast against the residual auras of those with significant powers. One such stream directed him to the object of his desires.

"Use the magic in your ring as you planned. Head to Connel. You will find those you seek in that human city. Even Ryson Acumen is there, at an ancient structure. Move quickly, but leave the portal to my realm open. In order to follow the events properly, I will require an opening into this existence."

"But I don't have the energy within me to power it endlessly. Once the magic runs out, it'll close on its own."

"I will feed it with sufficient energy. In my current state of existence, I have learned how to merge my power with the spells of others. The magic from my realm will keep the spell from fading. Once I add my own energy to it, it will stay open indefinitely."

Neltus watched carefully as the slink ghoul wove his magic into the portal and placed the energy of nonexistence into the spell which created the rift. The new bond between the original spell and the empty magic cascading out of Baannat's realm was intricate, the connection inspired. Neltus realized learning such a skill would offer him even greater power, if he ever regained his core. To that end, he saw a way to ensure his own survival, at least for a while.