Delver Magic: Book 06 - Pure Choice (18 page)

"What of the portal?"
Holli questioned.

"The portal was large, but
almost insignificant in comparison to the energy used to teleport the elves to
this spot. Still, I can follow the path of the portal, for it's not just the
magic that leaves the trail but the distortion created between planes of
existence. It was definitely here, and it definitely led to the dark realm."

Holli accepted the information
from the wizard without reluctance and began to set a new path for their
investigation. Before she revealed her intentions, she requested an opinion
from the delver.

"What about you, Ryson? Is
there anything that concerns you about what Jure has told us?"

The delver placed everything he
learned together. He considered information obtained from the goblin, Okyiq, as
well as what he was told by the swallit and Jure. Most of it fit together as a
series of events, but the process itself and the reasoning behind it left him
confused.

"Not so much about what he
told us," Ryson admitted. "There's no contradictions I can find, but
I just don't understand the logic behind any of this."

"We have seen many things
lately that defy logic," Holli responded.

"Can't argue with that, but
there always seems to be some reasonable explanation. I guess what I'm trying
to say is I don't understand why someone would abduct a camp full of
elves."

"That is beyond my
understanding as well," Holli revealed. "Perhaps we will understand
it better when we know who is behind it."

"It has to be someone who can
cast powerful spells," Ryson added. "We know that much. But even with
that, things still don't make sense. Maybe Jure knows." The delver then
looked to the elder wizard. "One thing that bothers me is the
teleportation. Why teleport elves into a portal? I'm not an expert on magic, I
admit that, but I've watched enough to get an idea of different spells. These
teleportation spells basically compact space, create paths from one place to
another by using magic to remove the constraints of time and distance.
Right?"

"That is a very good way to
put it," Jure responded.

"Then that's what has me
confused. The portal was right here in the middle of the camp. Most of the
elves were very near it. Using teleportation doesn't make sense to me. Why not
use the magic to bind the elves and then force them into the portal? Wouldn't
it be more difficult to teleport all the elves at once?"

"Actually, it depends,"
Jure answered. "Mass teleportation can be very efficient. As long as the
spell caster can track each elf, there is no wasted magic. A portal is opened,
the elves are instantly teleported into the dimensional breach, and the portal
is closed. The process can be completed in the blink of an eye."

"But you seem surprised by
the amount of magic used," Ryson noted.

"I am. It would take a great
deal of energy, but it would be an instantaneous use, not a continuous
flow."

"Is that kind of spell
difficult to cast?"

"Absolutely. Tracking every
elf before hand would take a great deal of patience and concentration. The
caster would have to have a very organized mind, very deliberate. It would also
take a great deal of control to teleport to an exact spot, especially so many
elves all at once. If the caster had that kind of control, then it would be
possible, as long as a generous supply of magic was available for one
instantaneous disbursement of spells targeted at each elf."

Holli offered an explanation of
her own.

"That may be why the magic is
eluding you," she noted. "If the teleportation energy was focused on
each particular elf, it might reject you because it was meant to be used on
someone else."

The wizard did not like to
contradict the elf guard, but he sensed something in the magic beyond the
remnants of a particular spell.

"Maybe," he allowed, but
he also needed to express what he believed, "but I really think it goes
beyond that. It's the magic itself, not so much the spell that molded it. I
think the magic almost wants to return to its original caster, as if it belongs
to that individual."

"You believe the magic is not
pure?"

"Actually, quite the
opposite. It seems very pure. If anything, I sense it views me as a possible
taint to its purity."

Holli nodded as she began to recognize
a common thread forming. She believed it was time for them to move forward to
confront the individual responsible for the insidious assault on the elves of
Dark Spruce.

"As there is now too much
evidence to dismiss the swallit's story, we must accept the probability that
the elves have been abducted against their will." She then turned to the
wizard. "You said you could follow the path of the dimensional rift. Can
you match the portal... create one that would lead us to a similar point in the
dark realm?"

"I can, if that's what you
wish. It won't be exact, but the entrance into the dark realm will be close
enough for our delver friend to locate the elves, if they're still near the area
where the portal led."

"So we're going to the dark
realm?" Ryson asked.

"That is where we will find
the individual responsible," Holli answered.

"Blast," Ryson muttered.

Under a gray sky which never
altered between day and night, an entire encampment of elves from Dark
Spruce Forest
struggled against the hostile environment. The rocky ground was near devoid of
life. The scent of decay lingered in every crevice, and the pungent odor was
fanned by a hot and heavy wind that brought neither comfort nor relief. The
landscape appeared unnatural, something forced from a confused and harrowing
dream. Shadows bent across barren rock and seemed to move with a life of their
own.

The dim, burnt amber glow that
created the long, menacing silhouettes did not come from some bright orb in the
heavens. It was spit out of fiery pools fed by the burning core of an angry,
twisted land. It was the blazing flame of hate, not the spark of hope, the
illumination of warped desires, not the breaking rays of a new dawn. Sadly, it
was the only source of radiance in an otherwise dismal existence.

Along with offering the only
ambient light, the enormous lakes of smoldering rock exuded a sulfurous stench
that would smother a normal bird in flight, but in that realm, there were no
normal birds.

The creatures that soared through
the grim skies were hatched in blood soaked nests and abandoned early in their
bleak infancy. They sang no comforting song, offered no lyrical whistle.
Instead, they shrieked and screeched with ravenous hunger and vicious intent.
When they flew, they cut across the gray horizon high above the jagged cliffs
only to plummet in chaotic dives and fall upon some hapless creature of equally
dire existence.

The elves trapped in that
unforgiving environment never got used to the smell of burning rock that
surrounded them or the shrieks of the twisted birds that soared overhead. The
noise and the stench created a hardship that added to their misery, but the
burden of surviving was so great, that they forced the anguish from their
minds. They had no choice, for if they were to live, they needed to place all
of their attention upon overcoming the harsh conditions of the dark realm.

Even as the thick air choked their
every breath, they managed to coax water from the ground and purify it with
magical spells. They employed emerald energy to quickly grow edible plants from
the putrid soil. They managed to do just enough to stay alive. Still, they
focused on more than just survival. They yearned for escape, clung to hope that
they would find their way back to their lush forest home.

Some, however, felt that their
path back to Dark Spruce would be one they would have to forge themselves. One
such elf, Birk Grund, understood that the elves he was charged to protect would
only be safe when they fled that plane of tortured existence.

As the elf guard captain, he
positioned his guards around the bleak terrain and guided them in tactics that
would increase their safety, optimize their resources, and offer a small degree
of hope. Despite his actions, he knew that more than a burning stench hung in
the thick, humid air. Desperation and ultimate surrender waited to claim them
all, and both were far too near for his comfort.

Shantree Wispon yearned to return
to Dark Spruce with equal desire. Whereas Birk was in charge of security, she
was the final word in all matters. As the council elder and leader, the entire
camp's well-being fell upon her shoulders. She was the decider of the elves'
present course and the director of the camp's future; a task that often
fatigued her aged frame, even when they stood upon the much more inviting lands
of the large western forest of Uton.

Despite the weariness that gnawed
at her consciousness, she remained attentive to every last detail. She folded
her hands patiently behind her back as she listened carefully to the report
from the elf captain.

"The guard continues to
patrol the region," Birk offered. "The trees, if you can call them
that, offer little in the way of cover, but they serve to mark the limits of
the barrier that holds us to this place. Everything remains fixed. The
obstructing field neither contracts nor expands. It has held constant since we
marked its borders."

Shantree knew that the field of
magic that blocked their escape also served as a shield against the horrors
that abounded in the dark realm, but as her focus remained on details, she
always requested confirmation.

"Contact with other
creatures?" Shantree asked.

"Also remains constant. We
cannot get out, but they cannot get in. I surmise the birds of prey above can
see us, but they cannot reach us. As for dark creatures on the ground, we have
spotted several of various sizes in the distance, but they do not get as close
as the birds. I believe they can see us. I cannot imagine how they would miss
us, and yet they show no desire to test the barrier. At least they have not
come close to it. I have found that... interesting."

"Why?"

The captain pointed to the skies
above, to the birds that circled and soared wildly overhead even at that very
moment.

"The birds maintain a
constant presence above us while the creatures on the ground ignore us almost
completely. Shags and rogues pass us with regularity, but they do not linger
near the barrier's edge. They continue on their travels as if seeking new
territories to claim without giving us a second look. We are trapped and
apparently easy prey, yet even the giant monstrosities move quickly past. They
do not even approach the barrier wall." Birk then gave another quick
glimpse to the darkened skies. "But the razor crows and hook hawks have
shown a more patient tendency. The birds may be there for a reason beyond their
unending hunger."

"You think the birds serve as
a watch?"

"That, of course, is
something we must consider, and it would explain the behavior of the winged
monsters."

"A simple sight spell
overhead would be much easier than controlling several prey birds and linking
with their consciousness," the elder elf suggested.

"Agreed, but if forcing us
here and creating the barrier that imprisons us is within the sorcerer's power,
then controlling several birds would be of minor consequence. We know very
little about the sorcerer other than what his brief visits have allowed us to
observe, but his strength should not be underestimated."

"Point taken, but we have
discussed the fact that we are probably being watched. Even if the sorcerer is
utilizing hook hawks and razor crows, you seem to be more concerned by that
prospect now."

"That is not completely
accurate. While I wish to understand all threats, I am concerned with the
inconsistencies in the beasts that surround us. Why do the birds remain
overhead while creatures on the ground refuse to come near the edge of the
barrier?"

"Do you have any speculation
on the matter?" the elf elder questioned.

"I do."

Shantree raised an eyebrow
offering an expectant expression of curiosity.

"There maybe a secondary
barrier," Birk continued, "something that is deliberately
discouraging the creatures on foot from remaining in this area. Perhaps not a
physical obstruction, but a deterrent nonetheless. That would explain the buffer
between us and them."

"You think the sorcerer would
place a second barrier to keep the dark creatures away from us?"

"It is a possibility."

"That sounds rather
inconsistent," Shantree noted as she considered the concept of the devious
sorcerer acting as both their captor and their benefactor.

"Not necessarily."

"Explain, please,"
Shantree requested, trying to weigh the likelihood of such a possibility.

"We do not know why we were
brought here, but we do know that six individual elves have been transported
out from under the barrier. We do not know what happened to them, but we have
to accept that there is a purpose to this madness. The sorcerer wishes to
utilize us for something. In order to meet his needs, he must keep us alive.
That means keeping hostile creatures away from us... until, of course, his
needs are fulfilled."

"So you believe we have been
afforded additional protection in the form of some second barrier?"

"It is a possibility. Many of
the larger creatures of this realm might have the sheer power to break through
one barrier, but not if they are being persuaded by other magical means to stay
away. Even if something as large as a thrastil approached, it might have to
fight its way through some additional buffer. The sorcerer would potentially have
sufficient warning to intervene to save us from such a threat."