Delver Magic: Book 06 - Pure Choice (21 page)

He took several steps back,
allowing room for the others, but he remained nearby. Curiosity bid him to
watch the wall, but he forced the desire out of his mind. He concentrated
entirely on his own magical reserves. He inhaled deeply any shallow energy in
the air, embraced all traces of the humidity that might hold a flicker of
magical power. He wanted to recharge as quickly as possible. He understood that
his gifts would be needed again. The combination of hues was nothing more than
a guess. Trial and error was a part of the process and it was doubtful they
would find the exact sequence on their first attempt. The endeavor was as
complicated as it was draining, but he would not claim exhaustion as an excuse
for failure.

A young elf by the name of Flower
began her casting the moment Scheff ended his spell. A rich red oval of magic,
not quite a perfect circle, twirled around her neck as she lowered her arms and
held her hands firmly against the outside of her thighs. She kept her eyes open
and her brown pupils turned a fiery crimson.

Flower placed her sight on the
very spot of the barrier where the blue energy met the ebony magic. The red
ring continued to spin just below her chin, but a single line of straight red
power jabbed outward and flowed into the wall right alongside the stream of
blue magic.

The two energies remained
separate, each one distinct and never combining into one single line, but they
held to each other as if they had become twins. The two hues worked side by
side as the magic entered the barrier and pounded against the interior essence
of the magical wall. Red and blue forcing their way deeper and deeper into the
obstacle, the spells utilized their inherent qualities in a manner that would
maximize the effect.

The azure energy continued to work
as water would, raging like a flood and constantly flowing in currents of pure
force. It moved both ahead and behind the red power, racing forward
unrelentingly with greater stability and uniform might. It served as both the
harbinger for the force that would follow and the mighty hand that pressed from
the rear and would not allow retreat.

The crimson energy rode the blue
waves and slammed against the barrier like an avalanche of rocks tumbling down
a mountainside. The red magic did not flow smoothly or even continuously. It became
a grinding torrent of abrasive influence that shoved its way forward and then
abruptly halted to expand outward. It hammered against the opposing ebony
magic, using the blue energy that flowed with it as the driving force that
compelled it to move beyond its natural state of inertia.

The elves that scrutinized the
effect of the spells continued to sense erratic vibrations from the wall. They
believed they might have been lucky enough to find an effective pattern of
spells. While the barrier did not quite buckle, the intensity of its mystical
aura began to fade at the point of contact with the other spells.

One of the monitors believed an
opportunity was at hand. If they were going to pour all their magic into the
attempt, there was no sense in delaying a necessary boost to the assault.

"They must continue, but let
us now add the emerald energy. The power of nature will compliment the blue and
red energy. Let the three work together!"

The second monitor agreed and they
waved forward the elf blessed with the greatest gift over green magic.

The casting of emerald power shot
out like the accelerated growth of a thousand thin vines twisted and tangled
together into a massive vein of green lightning. It flashed about the long
column of red and blue magic and wrapped itself around the line.

As the third hue embraced the
other two and pressed against the magical obstacle, the opposing magic appeared
to finally strike back. A dark pulse enveloped the three strands of energy and
bit ferociously into each casting. Ebony power flowed out of the wall and
appeared to take greater hold of the emerald cord of magic.

The bright green color began to
fade quickly, like the accelerated wilting of a dying plant. Spots of
imperfection expanded along the emerald energy. A sickly brown stain infected
the entire strand, and the cord of magical vines began to fall away from the
red and blue line.

The effect was not lost on either
monitor. They began to fear their progress would be lost in the backlash.

"The black power is overwhelming
the green magic," one elf called out.

"The red and blue are losing
their potency," the other monitor added. "We must enhance the emerald
power and cut off the other two."

"Yellow magic," the
first monitor agreed. "Let it augment the strength of the emerald
energy."

The casters of blue and red were
immediately directed to cease their spells, and the elf responsible for casting
in a yellow was brought close to the wall.

The new spell caster was an elf
named Haven Wellseed, and her power over golden magic was well known throughout
the camp. She did not cast in a circle, but rather a triangle... a perfect
isometric triangle that glowed with as much glory as the sun on high. She had
always brought light to darkness by her very presence as the yellow magic
glowed around her even when she did not actively cast a spell. She was viewed
as a gift to the camp the moment the magic returned and filled her soul with
light.

Haven stepped lightly up to the
barrier, her slim frame overwhelmed by the long dark shadows that raced across
the span of the obstacle. It appeared a desperate attempt, like throwing a
single candle against the gripping darkness of the eternal abyss, and yet, when
she began her casting, the golden energy allowed the slight elf to glow like a
beacon of hope.

The yellow power of light fed the
green magic, but it also blistered its way into the shaded wall. Even as it
re-energized the emerald energy, wiped clean the sickening brown that had
infested the strand, the golden magic blazed into the nearly imperceptible
hollows left by the initial assault of storm, water and earth.

Glowing ever brighter, Haven's
spell grew in intensity, but it did not work alone. Even as it strengthened the
green magic, she drank in the energy the other elves joyously fed into the core
of her soul. The full measure of elf magic blossomed in the combination of
green and gold.

Increasing its defense, the ebony
power fought against the yellow energy, clearly showing a hostile response to
magic it found—not inferior—but clearly distasteful... and perhaps dangerous.
The output of ebony magic increased several times over, and for the first time
since the elves had been imprisoned, the translucent barrier turned completely
dark.

The elves could no longer see the
gray sky above, the birds soaring overhead, or even the burning lakes of fire
in the distance. They were completely encased in a great dome of blackness. If
it wasn't for Haven's glowing form, they would not have been able to see
anything at all, for no light could have penetrated the barrier.

The two elves casting their magic
upon the obstacle increased the output of their spells to the maximum. Spurred
on by the other elves around them, they unleashed the full limits of their
power. The green and yellow energy poured against the solid blackness.

The hot, heavy air within the
seemingly solid dome began to shudder, and every elf under the obstruction felt
the outpouring of magic. Their eyes were drawn to the flare of golden optimism
that struck out at the darkness that imprisoned them. Each elf offered up the
magic within to the cause, and a torrent of energy flowed across the rocky
ground and into the core of Haven's spirit.

Sensing a possible breakthrough,
Scheff decided to add all of his might to the effort. Rather than offer it to
the two elves casting green and yellow, he decided to cast his own spell. He
knew that his violet hue, the power of the storm, could create dark clouds and
block out the influence of the light, but the storm created its own fury, its
own lightning. He would not diminish Haven's power, but add to it in a way that
would bring it crashing through the black energy before them.

Throwing his hands together, he
warned the monitors to beware. His spell would be devastating and he would not
restrain himself in the slightest. A perfect circle of dark purple formed
around his clenched fists that he held together in front of him. When he
flicked opened his hands, the violet power flashed away from him in the form of
pure magical lightning. It struck the golden light from Haven and formed a
crackling flame of violet fire that erupted across the entire barrier.

Just as it appeared the barrier
would crumble and the elves would succeed, their captor arrived under the
darkened dome. The human sorcerer acted instantaneously, shouting out strange
words and casting a perfect ring of dark energy that initially surrounded his
body.

The ring expanded from the
sorcerer. It moved just above the ground. It rushed outward like the ever
expanding ripple on a lake surface, passing through every elf as well as every
rock and tree under the crumbling dome. It struck the failing obstacle at its
base and then rose up the barrier wall until it came together into a single
black ball at the center of the dome overhead. The dark magic reformed the
wall, brought it back to its original strength. The barrier returned to its
translucent form as the elves could see beyond its edges once more.

The sorcerer did not bother to
examine his work. He knew the barrier had been reformed, and even a brief
moment of inspection would be a waste of his time and an indication of
insecurity.

He walked brazenly among the
elves, past several that carried bows and swords. It was not his muscular body
that gave him his confidence, but his full understanding of the situation. He
showed not a care for his safety, for he walked in
his
realm, a land of darker magic, and the energy that fed him
would always keep him safe from such inferior weapons.

He ignored the elf elder as well
as the captain of the elf guard. His attention turned instead toward the spell
casters.

"Impressive," he
offered, but not as a compliment to their ability. It was spoken as a statement
of fact. "You almost broke through. I would have thought it would have
taken more time."

The human turned to the two elves
that monitored the activity. He looked at them with his sunken eyes casting a
near indifferent gaze over his own rather large nose. He might have found
tedium in addressing what he viewed inferior beings, but he could not
completely suppress his curiosity.

"You chose a caster of storm
first," the sorcerer spoke with a tone of apparent interest, but with an
expression of apathy as well. "Why him? Was it the color of his natural
magic or his ability to cast in a perfect circle?"

The two monitors did not respond.
They looked toward Birk and Shantree, waiting for instruction from their
leaders before acting on their own.

The sorcerer sighed. He wondered
why such stubborn beings could not grasp the full measure of the situation. It
was beneath him to make threats, but for some reason, he could not escape the
necessity. He knew which elf he needed to address, knew the one with full
authority over the rest. He did not look toward Shantree Wispon, but he made
his deliberations clear.

"You are the elf elder.
Instruct them to answer me or I will obliterate ten of your youngest elves. And
I assure you, I do not bluff."

"Answer him," Shantree
said with a nod, trying to appear firm, but truly fearful of what the human
might do if crossed.

"It was both," one of
the monitors finally replied. "His skill is unmatched, and the dark violet
hue of his magic is the closest to the ebony aura of the field."

The sorcerer shook his head.

"There is no comparison
between the two. Black is the only pure energy. Everything else is diluted in
some fashion. What is violet but a mix of red and blue?" He paused as his
curiosity returned. "Is that why you followed with the blue magic?"

The elf monitors did not enjoy the
discussion, but they willingly obeyed the commands of the camp elder. One
answered with honesty, but without any indication of pleasure in the debate.

"Partially, but also the
power of water compliments the surge of the storm."

"You hoped to strengthen the
pressure of the spell?"

"Essentially, yes."

"But then why follow with
crimson power?"

"We felt we needed to utilize
all the hues. That seemed the next logical choice."

"Logical? Not at all. Red
magic leads to orange, the power of fire, and fire and water do not work well
in concert. They oppose each other."

The elf saw it differently.

"Crimson energy is the magic
of the land, and in the proper sequence, it would compliment blue magic. We
ended the violet magic in order to allow the red and blue to work
separately." To confirm his argument, the monitor declared a simple truth.
"It was not the orange magic of fire that we utilized next. The red and
blue magic set the stage for the emerald power."

To the sorcerer, the results
indicated the folly of the decision, and there was no argument.

"And when you added green,
your assault weakened almost immediately," the human scoffed. "Why
debate the matter when you already know the results? You can't be that
ignorant."

"But the yellow energy
returned the green power to its original strength," the other monitor
defended the decision.

"A wasted step.
Foolishness." The sorcerer sighed again and shook his head with
frustration as if he was arguing with children. "If you were going to
start with violet, blue was the proper choice to follow, but then you should
have moved directly to the golden energy. Utilizing red and then turning to
green magic was a mistake. The inability to recognize your blunder simply makes
it that much more glaring."