Spellscribed: Resurgence (19 page)

"I don't even understand why we're doing this!" he exclaimed. "We had a peace between the two nations! I had just spent three years making peace with the elves! And the moment I get back you all destroy it?"

"It was the only way to save you!" Bridget shouted back, slamming her fist into the wall. "Ironsoul was weak and vulnerable! It was the best opportunity we had!"

Endrance shook his head. "So to save me, you condemn an entire nation?" he exclaimed in response. "Was that-"

Bridget balled her human hand into a fist and punched him in the face with a left cross. Endrance's wards were empty, but the attack still didn't seem to hit as hard as he had expected. Still, it was enough that his head felt like it was spinning as he recovered.

"Gods damn it Endrance!" Bridget screamed. "Couldn't you see? I would fight all of Ironsoul myself if it would bring you back!"

Endrance stared at her, stunned.

"I would help." Tanya said calmly in the silence.

"Why?" Endrance asked, casting his eyes down as more tears welled up. "So many people will die this way. Why so much just for me?"

Bridget took a deep breath, trying to get her anger under control. "Because we are warriors." Bridget started. "We fight, and we do not let someone do harm to us and get away with it."

"Our peace agreement was only so long as they didn't cause us harm or take our people captive." Tanya clarified. "You were kept from returning to Balator, and even though we accepted your task to repay the High King, we could not accept them keeping you after you did everything your sense of honor told you was fair."

"But it wasn't Ironsoul that locked me away." Endrance protested quietly. "Valeria did that."

"You want to try to explain that to someone like Balen?" Bridget huffed. "As far as the common man could see, you were in Ironsoul, and you were prevented from coming back. You are a very important citizen of Balator, and I remember we told them the first time that taking you away would be an act of war."

"Huh." Endrance replied.

"We keep our word." Bridget said firmly. She rolled her eyes, arguing with herself. "Well, mostly." she said. "I'm pretty sure I've said I would kill you a few times."

"A lot."

"Whatever. Not important." Bridget snapped. "Even if it wasn't that you were an important member of our people, or that your supposed replacement is actually worse than not having a Spengur at all, there's still the point that you are now one of the people of Balator."

Endrance hung his head. He was too tired, too weak, and too distraught to really think about arguing the finer points of honor and discretion with one of the barbarians. Joven's death was more important to him now; something he had been ignoring the possibility of for the entire time he'd been trapped within the Bastille.

"I miss him." Endrance said. "For months, I hoped one day I'd open my eyes and he'd be there with that grin he has, ready to rescue me like he's done so many times before. And now… I can't even say goodbye."

"Endrance." Tanya said, looking away from the group as she tracked a sound. "I think we have to put this on hold. Someone's coming."

The grieving wizard realized that, in his shock, he had let his mental grip on the sand hornets go slack. While they hadn't gone on a killing spree, or even left the roof of the palace, they had not been alert for intruders in the dark. It seemed that a few men were edging their way into the palace. Endrance closed his eyes and focused on the few hornets that would have line of sight. It appeared that three men in dark gray clothing and covered in soft black leather were creeping down the hallway, only around the corner and twenty feet down.

Endrance rose, holding a hand out to stop Bridget as she started to move to intercept. "Let me." he said quietly, as he picked up his walking staff. "I have some things on my mind I need to work out."

With that, he stepped out into the hallway to face the three men. They froze, wide eyed as Endrance shook his head.

"You seem to be poorly dressed for delivering a surrender." he said, feeling his frustration and rage at having Joven stolen from his life boil to the surface. His wards flooded with power, burning bright enough to be seen through the clothing he wore.

The men didn't take their gaze off of him, but they didn't move either. Perhaps Endrance's expression was angrier than he had intended, but he had never thought of himself as an intimidating person before. With lines of golden light carved in Endrance's skin burning, and the scowl of an angry mage, he was something that almost everyone in Ironsoul had come to relate to the snarl of a blood tiger, or the rumble of an avalanche.

"So." Endrance said angrily. "You are welcome to try. I promise you, it will not end well for any of you. Or do you not care for the lives of the people in this city? If I die, there's no one to control the swarm, and they will go wild here in a city with so much food."

He raised his right hand, pulses of golden light rolling down the carvings in his skin as he pointed a finger in their direction. "Well?" he asked, "I'm not going to wait."

The man in front looked at his comrades and shook his head. He set down a small pouch and a sheathed dagger. "All right!" he exclaimed. "I surrender."

Endrance touched a trickle of his power into the lightning tattoo around his index and middle fingers of his right hand. Several focusing embellishments made the zig-zag pattern look like it was travelling down several rings. He pointed to the ground in front of one of the two who hadn't yet given up.

Three rings of searing light rose off the sides of his fingers, making a channel that the bolt of lightning blasted down. Confined like that, the resulting electricity was, at most, as thick as a hair, but crackled through the air like a shot from a crossbow. The thin bolt of tightly controlled lightning seared the stone and blew chunks of rock up into the man's shins. Blood spattered the ground behind the man, and he fell to the stones, screaming. The assassin's legs had been perforated by stone chips.

"I'm sorry." Endrance replied, not feeling sorry in the slightest. "That's the weakest I can make that spell."

The third man sighed, rolling his eyes as he dropped to his knees. "See?" he complained to the lead man. "I told them it wouldn't work."

Endrance walked closer, the angry pulses of light from his scribing casting an aura of menace around him. "All right." he intoned. "You two are going to take your friend back to your bosses. You're going to tell them that this kind of trick won't work on me. You're going to tell them that I own this city, they just haven't accepted it yet. Tell them that I want their surrender by dawn, or I'm going to personally go find them and have words with them. Angry words."

The man nodded, helping his ally pick up the injured man and carry him out.

Endrance watched them go, waiting several moments as he checked through the senses of the sand hornets. "Everything's clear." he said at last, turning to reunite with his friends. "I think that was a bit shallow for a threat, don't you?"

Bridget shook her head. "You're a mage." she said, "That makes any threats you compose both very real, and very terrifying."

Endrance sighed. "Right." he said. "I need time to mull this over, and I need to think about Joven." he looked around. "I'm going to go somewhere familiar."

"Where's that?" Bridget asked.

Endrance pointed down. "The Bastille is broken open." he said. "I want to go down there and see if there's any charge left in the Crystalphage spires that kept my bubble suspended."

Tanya frowned. "All right." She said. "We'll go with you."

"But-" Endrance started to protest.

Bridget shook her head at him. "That's what's going to happen. I don't have any more sand hornet queens to force the thing open if you somehow get yourself trapped in there again."

"Fine." Endrance said. "But leave me some space and keep it quiet. I need to think."

Tanya sighed. "It's going to be a long week." she said.

It took two weeks for General Kurgen's forces to arrive back at the capitol of Ironsoul. Moving large clusters of troops took time and resources, and after what they saw the sand hornets do to their enemies at the Sunken Tower, they had advanced cautiously. They arrived to find the city running white flags at their approach, and Endrance standing at the hole that had been torn in the walls.

Endrance sat on the rubble of the wall, watching as the armies marched closer. A few scouts on horseback had skimmed just outside the range of the defense crystals, and had turned back to report their sightings. Endrance had caught the gaze of one and waved before the scout had turned his mount and raced off at full speed. That had been two hours ago, and Endrance was getting bored.

It wasn't hard to spot him. Endrance wore a blue shirt with black and gold trim, high quality pants and a pair of soft-soled boots that were more suited to him than going barefoot or using hard shoes. His walking staff had been set at the crown with a large chunk of Crystalphage that burned with an inner fire. His sleeves had been rolled back, letting the light of the suns gleam off the silver bracers he wore.

In the time they had awaited Balator's arrival, Endrance had spent most of his days down in the Bastille, ensuring that the device was broken for good; and in a way that wouldn't harm anyone else. He managed to salvage several hundred pounds of Crystalphage from the spires within the sphere, and was pleased to find that most of them still held some kind of charge. He had been able to recharge his reserves, both internal and external, and give both his bracers a full charge.

The silver bracers on his forearms had molded to his arms when they sealed. The seams and hinges were gone, and even in his emaciated state they wouldn't slip free. Some of the magic built into the devices had locked them permanently to his arms. Outside of the Bastille, they still performed their normal functions of assisting his absorption of power and storing large quantities of said energy, but Endrance would have liked the option to take them off. He supposed if it became utterly necessary, he could try cutting through them, but he was more likely to sever his own arm that way.

It appeared that the city's exterior defenses were connected to the Bastille in some way, since it used the prisoner's natural magic generation as a source of power to fuel the crystals on the surface. They had their own reserves, but the sand hornet hive had managed to drain them to nearly empty. Endrance had been able to handle the rest.

The remaining crystal sentries no longer floated on their pedestals, but instead lay on the outer walls of the city, partially crushing the stone under their weight. It was easy for the scouts to see that the city was conquered.

A group of five men on horses came up the hill towards the young wizard. Endrance held up a hand to shield his eyes from the suns, and he was able to pick out Balen's powerful frame leading the way. For a split second, Endrance's hopes shot up, thinking that perhaps it was Joven coming toward him, but he clamped down on it quickly and locked the grief away. Now was not the time to mourn.

Balen was flanked by four veteran warriors, just in case there was an ambush waiting. Endrance stood as the horses came to a stop twenty yards away, smiling as best he could as he walked the remaining distance to join them. Endrance held up his left hand, greeting the general as the man dismounted.

"General Balen!" Endrance said. "It is good to see you."

"Endrance." Balen growled. "I came here to conquer the city and free you from captivity."

Endrance nodded. "That you did."

"So tell me." Balen replied. "How is it that you're now free, and the city on its knees and we had no hand in it? Were you even in danger?"

Endrance sighed. "Ah, you misunderstand." the mage quickly explained. "You are here to rescue me. I was held prisoner under the city since… well, since Joven died."

"And those monsters?" Balen asked, pointing with a calloused hand. "What are those?"

"Tools." Endrance replied. "Tools I have to return. They are running out of stray animals to feed upon. They were used to help Bridget and Tanya get me free."

"So you are telling me that two of our people stormed the city with an army of monsters at their sides and broke the city that we've never managed to conquer in all of our written history?" Balen demanded, balling his fists at his hips and scowling.

Endrance hesitated. "Yes." he finally declared.

"Son of a bitch!" Balen snarled, turning away from the mage and raising his fists in frustration. "I can't believe it! That's an accomplishment worthy of the greatest songs, and we can't even tell the people!"

Balen continued to rage at himself for several seconds. Endrance quickly grasped the situation, remembering that Bridget and Tanya were Draugnoa, or ghost-women. They were already dead, and no one, by Balatoran custom, other than the Spengur was supposed to see them or even recognize their presence. If the conquest of the capitol of the kingdoms of Ironsoul were to be attributed to someone like that, it would ruin the whole campaign.

"It wouldn't count then, huh?" Endrance supplied. Balen turned to look at him, his anger turning into confusion.

"What?"

"If the city fell to a swarm of monsters, that would be more like saying a city was overrun by an avalanche or broken by an earthquake, yes? That means that the city has yet to be actually conquered by anyone from Balator, right?" Endrance goaded, careful to not use complicated phrases or terms. Balen needed to come to the conclusion on his own.

Balen's eyes lit up quickly. "Ah!" he said, at last understanding. "Then the city is just vulnerable, not already conquered!"

The barbarian general looked over the ruined walls of the city and sighed. "Still," he complained. "It's not the roaring battle of conquest that I was dreaming of."

Endrance shrugged, already forming a plan in mind. "Well, let's be fair. It seems that in the confusion, a mage has managed to take control of Ironsoul." he said, waving a hand dismissively. "But I heard that they might be willing to surrender, if the right man were to demand it."

Balen stared out over the city walls. "I see." he said with a bit of humor showing on his strong features.

The barbarian turned to Endrance and grabbed the front of his shirt with one hand, lifting him into the air with hardly any effort. The barbarian's muscles bulged under his armor, causing the chain links to strain to remain in place.

"Spengur! I demand you surrender Ironsoul to me!" Balen demanded.

The wards carved into the mage's skin flared to life. "I don't know." Endrance said with a grin. "Are you worthy?"

The barbarian snarled and threw Endrance to the ground a couple of yards away. "No one else interfere!" Balen demanded as Endrance picked himself up. "This mage is mine."

Endrance paled a little when he saw the Inheritance in Balen's hands, but he recovered quickly enough to continue the façade of humor. "This city is full of innocents." the mage exclaimed. "I will only turn them over to a leader who is worthy of the Spengur's respect!"

Endrance knew that with Balen using the Inheritance, the axe Joven had used for a long time, he would have to seriously defend himself. But given the culture of the barbarians, they wouldn't accept capturing such a long time antagonist without some kind of victory. He had to at least make it look good, but there was a good chance he-

Endrance hardly had time to react to Balen's first swing. His wards flared against the strike, and Endrance rolled from the blow. As he did so, he channeled power into his left palm as it struck the ground during the roll. The spell worked into his hand propelled him into the air at an arc. He landed on his feet unsteadily half a dozen yards away, shaking out the numb feeling in his hand. That spell wasn't meant to be used that way, but it made for a flashy evasion.

Balen kept up the pressure, charging straight at him. Endrance backpedaled, channeling a small amount of power into his lightning spell and pointing with his right hand. The thin ray of light missed Balen by a hair's breadth, instead blowing dirt into the air as the big man juked to the side. Endrance was struck again before he could cast a proper spell, bouncing him off the ground one more time.

"Is that it?" Endrance asked, goading the man on as he popped to his feet and started gathering power. "Your brother was a better warrior than that."

Balen shouted in rage and leapt into the air, bringing the axe down in a powerful downward strike. Endrance knew that his wards were good, but the kinetic force bleeding through from that kind of hit could break his bones if he wasn't careful. Endrance did the only thing he could think of, he stepped forward and to the side. Balen hit the ground, and the mage was almost within his arms.

Endrance channeled some of his gathered power into his lightning spell again, but instead of firing it he simply slapped the chainmail-swathed arm closest to him. The electricity discharged across the armor, and Balen grunted as his body temporarily froze up and the spell ran its course.

Endrance didn't use this moment to finish the fight, instead he snagged two throwing axes off of Balen's belt before darting away. The man was tough, and he was only stunned for a few instants before he whirled on the mage.

Endrance touched the power he had gathered into his spell matrix, and in the back of his mind he started shaping it for a display of power. Physically, he hefted the axes and grimaced. He would have to divert some of his power.

"Potentus." Endrance spoke, slinging a spell that he hadn't used in years, but had reviewed while imprisoned. Vitality flooded his body, his strength becoming that of the earth. What feeble strength he had was amplified, though it would be more effective on someone like Balen.

"More magic?" Balen called, swinging to hit Endrance in the gut. The mage threw himself out of the way, feeling his wards take a glancing blow across his back.

I seriously should have challenged him to something other than martial combat. Endrance thought. He is not going to give me any space.

The mage swung one of the throwing axes like a melee weapon, the attack being startlingly accurate. Balen pulled his head back in surprise, coming out of the attack with a slice across the bridge of his nose.

"Let me show you what Joven taught me since the last time we met." Endrance muttered, panting.

The mage began his assault anew. He was not in the best physical condition, but the amplification spell gave him enough physical might to at least work at his healthy strength. He unleashed a flurry of attacks, swinging independently with each axe, forcing Balen to either defend or risk getting hit while attacking. It wasn't perfect, and Endrance was slow compared to before his time in the Bastille. He had to expect as much, considering he was only two weeks into recovering from his imprisonment.

Balen managed to see through his attack pattern easily, making a broad swing that used the range Endrance lacked. The mage took yet another blow that would have likely cut him in half. His wards took the hit, but Endrance lost the advantage as quickly as he had gained it.

They exchanged blows in the battle, and while Balen was able to land several hits on the mage, Endrance had no such luck striking the general. He knew he wouldn't match the barbarian in battle, but he had hoped he could have scored at least a glancing strike on his opponent. Perhaps Joven had been going easy on him. He mentally shook his head. Joven might have gone easy on him, but his other teacher, Jalyin, wouldn't have. He was just that much out of shape and practice.

Nearly two minutes passed where all Endrance could do was keep Balen from killing him too quickly. He wasn't worried that his wards would fail, but he needed the fight to look good, not necessarily be realistic. Finally, he had taken too many strikes and the four spectators were starting to look at him with worry.

Endrance tossed his right hand axe into the air over their heads as he jumped back from Balen's swing. He pointed at Balen's feet. "Culare!" he shouted, launching a thin blue ray of light that caused ice to form where it struck. The ice burst into existence almost instantly, freezing Balen's feet together before he could leap back out of the way. The throwing axe Endrance had discarded landed in the dirt a few feet from his position.

"Enough!" Endrance declared. "Now you'll see what kind of power I command!"

He had finally gathered enough power. He connected the stream of power to the circle on his back. A fire erupted around him, setting the grass ablaze and making Balen shield his eyes from the sudden flare. The back of his shirt burned away in a second, revealing shining golden lines that filled the circle from the outside in. Upon completion, a disc of fire sprang into existence, parallel to his back but hovering several inches over him. The disc was large enough that even hunched over, the edge of it skimmed the ground and had to be at least three meters in diameter.

Balen had heard Joven talk about Endrance's familiar, and was not surprised he would call upon such help, but he was not expecting a fireball of such a size to erupt from the mage. The thing was at least two yards across, rocketing into the air with a screech that stung sharply in his ears, and a heat that made his eyes water.

The ball of fire exploded in midair, creating a shockwave and concentric rings of fire that spread from the site of the familiar's arrival. The explosion was so large that citizens on the far side of city could see the sphere clearly, as if a small sun had come into existence for a brief moment.