Nicholas Raven and the Wizards' Web - Volume 1 (9 page)

King Justin relinquished the box and key to Mayor Nibbs, telling him to keep them close at hand. But as Otto accepted the items, the eagle Xavier broke free and swooped past the mayor, seizing the key in its talons and flying out of sight. Despite that setback, Otto still possessed the iron box–soon dubbed the Spirit Box by the locals–and deemed his village safe. A manned guardhouse was built across the road from the caves–similarly named the Spirit Caves–as an added precaution. But after several years and fading memories, it was abandoned and slowly decayed.

King Justin eventually released Caldurian and Madeline, instructing them to warn Vellan not to interfere in Arrondale again. They were escorted to the southern border, taunted by the jeers of the citizens of Kanesbury along the way, many whom demanded the wizard’s arrest, and some even his death. While passing through Kanesbury on the first leg of their journey south, Caldurian heard the mournful cries of Xavier in a nearby field where the bird lay injured under a shade tree. Wounds were visible on the back of its head and behind its left leg. Caldurian tended to the eagle and brought him along on their march, his hatred of the people of Kanesbury growing.

Earlier that day, after Xavier had escaped with the key, he took refuge in a field near Kanesbury, resting in the shade of an oak tree. The bird examined the key in its beak, unaware of a ten-year-old boy exploring close by. The boy spotted the eagle and crawled toward it through the tall grass while clutching two stones. The dark eyes set in the boy’s pointed face locked onto the bird, desiring its catch. His wind-tossed hair was as light and brittle as the grass. With the eagle’s back to him, the boy slowly stood, imagining the trajectory of one of the stones before hurling it through the air, striking the back of the bird’s head, stunning it and dislodging the key from its beak. Xavier wobbled a few uncertain steps when a second stone struck it behind the left leg. Its wings flapped explosively as it dizzily fluttered away, leaving the key on the ground.

Buoyant with victory, the boy raced under the tree and spotted the key in the grass, grabbing it with his sweaty fingers. At home he found a strong piece of twine and strung it through the key, tying the two ends together. He looped it over his neck, keeping the key hidden underneath his shirt. Dooley Kramer revealed this treasure to no one during his youth, and many years would pass before another finally learned of his secret.

Caldurian, Madeline and the wounded Xavier were released at the southern border of Arrondale. They first journeyed to the Red Mountains where Caldurian had been raised. Along the shores of Lake Lasko, Xavier died. The loss of his messenger and confidant saddened and enraged the wizard. He vowed revenge against the people of Kanesbury, particularly Mayor Otto Nibbs, for the humiliation and torment they had caused him.

He and Madeline continued to Kargoth, during which time Caldurian took her on as his apprentice, teaching her the wizard’s craft as Vellan had taught him. When they reached his stronghold in Mount Minakaris and explained their failings, Vellan exploded in anger. The disintegration of his plans and the loss of an Enâri company incensed him to no end.

Vellan retreated to the darkest recesses of his fortress, feeling powerless and drained of vengeful thoughts. But over the years, time slowly returned his emotions to what they once were–base, vindictive and arrogant. He again plotted how to exact his revenge on his fellow wizards, envisioning a more direct way to go about it.

For a second time twenty years later, the wizard of Kargoth set his plans in motion, once more sending out Caldurian as his primary accomplice. He vowed to gain the allegiance of other realms in Laparia, only this time not through diplomacy but rather at the point of a sword. And Caldurian, out in the world on another mission for Vellan, saw a perfect opportunity to exact a bit of revenge against those who had humiliated him years ago. And it would all begin during the Harvest Festival in the tiny village of Kanesbury.

Mune watched in amazement from behind the guardhouse as the Enâri escaped from the caves. They marched north to an area called Barringer’s Landing just as their creator’s disembodied voice in the blue mist had instructed. They were told of the events of the last twenty years as they were revived, including the details of their imprisonment. That only filled the Enâri with rage and strengthened their loyalty to Vellan.

Mune grinned wickedly. Everything was going according to plan just as Caldurian said it would, and he was eager to report this good news. He would meet with the wizard before dawn on the edge of the Cumberland Forest to receive his new orders.

Mune observed as the last of the Enâri exited the caves and then heard the flapping wings of a large black crow. Gavin had been perched on the rocks above the caves and now took to flight. He served as a messenger for Caldurian’s team and would follow the Enâri north to make sure they arrived at their destination and then make his report. Satisfied that all was in order, Mune trudged exhaustedly back to Kanesbury in the chilly night air.

Gavin, in the meantime, watched the Enâri from the air on their northern trek to Barringer’s Landing, a tract of uncultivated farmland containing several abandoned barns. They were to assemble there to await Caldurian’s return and final instructions. The Enâri scrambled around or over the Spirit Caves to the north side and then trudged across a shallow section of the Pine River. The sounds of splashing water accompanying their raucous conversations were cloaked in the night’s inky blackness.

Gavin watched with a sharp eye as their shadowy forms crossed the river and traversed the gently sloping hills beyond. The wind slapped their faces as they shot through fields of dried grass. For the first time in twenty years the Enâri tasted freedom, and in their hearts each of them vowed never to let down Vellan again. Except for one.

Gliding on a high current of warm air, Gavin noticed that one of the Enâri was lagging behind. His running stride slowly turned into an easy gait, then an aimless walk that separated him from his companions. The crow swooped to a lower altitude and clearly saw a confused and troubled look on the creature’s face. Maybe a forced twenty-year sleep had taken its toll on some. Gavin flew toward him, alighting on a nearby thorn bush and cawing several times.

The Enâr stopped, easily understanding Gavin’s language, one of the many traits Vellan had instilled in his creation. He looked up, his eyes empty, his mouth half open as if trying to form words that wouldn’t take shape. He staggered closer to the crow.

“Are you hurting?” Gavin asked.

The creature nodded and plopped down in the grass, holding his head in his hands. Gavin flitted over and landed on a tuft of weeds, stretching his glossy wings before folding them snugly. The creature mouthed a few inaudible words.

“I don’t understand,” the bird said. It bobbed along the ground and jumped on the creature’s left arm. “Speak louder. What do you want to tell me?”

The Enâr, whose name was Jagga, raised a weary eye to the crow. It exhaled slowly through his teeth and then suddenly grabbed the bird by both legs with his right hand. Gavin flapped up a storm trying to escape, but Jagga held on tightly as he jumped to his feet, keeping the bird at arm’s length.

“Let me go, trickster! When Caldurian hears of this outrage, you’ll be punished. When Vellan hears of it, you’ll be turned into the stone and dirt you were made from!”

“You value yourself too highly, crow.” Jagga had a new life about him. His strength and stamina were evident in his gravelly voice. “Neither Caldurian nor Vellan would value your life over mine.” He squeezed the bird’s legs tighter. “And if you wish to keep yours, you’ll answer my questions.”

Gavin flapped his wings again, but Jagga held on firmly, so the crow relented. “What do you want?”

“Information.” Jagga walked slowly through the cool dark field. A breeze rustled his tangled hair. “I need to know about the threat.”

“What threat?”

“The threat to the Enâri, to our very existence.” Jagga’s cold eyes bore down on the crow. “Vellan told us every detail about our imprisonment when he spoke to us from the blue mist. I learned how we were forced to sleep for twenty years by the cruel hand of the wizard Frist. I know about the spirit that has been growing inside an iron box for the same length of time, and of the existence of a single key that can release it and destroy the Enâri.” Jagga shook his fist in the air, causing Gavin to squeak in discomfort. “I know the bumbling tactics of Caldurian got us into this mess, but I’ll never understand why Vellan sent some of us away under his command. Caldurian is a failure. But Vellan willed it, so I complied. But not anymore. I have my freedom, and I intend to keep it.”

“Be off then! Let me go, beast! I won’t mention this incident to my superiors.”

Jagga snarled. “I don’t trust you any more than Caldurian, crow, and would gladly crush you in my fist if I didn’t need you.”

“And I would carry you high into the air by my talons had I the strength and drop you onto a pile of sharp rocks to end your miserable existence!”

“But that fantasy is not to be. Answer my questions and I might think about letting you live. Fly off to that fool Caldurian afterward and tell him your tale of woe.”

“Be quick about it! What information do you seek, Enâr?”

“First, who ventured into the caves and released us?”

“Some local from the nearby village. Mune conned him into delivering a device into the caves, a device created by Vellan to release you from your sleep.”

“Who is Mune?”

Gavin craned his neck and snapped his beak. “An associate of Caldurian. He does much of his dirty work, strictly for profit.”

“A coward,” Jagga said. “He hadn’t the courage to enter the caves himself and face our awakening.”

“Caldurian only told Mune what to do, not how to do it. And since the Enâri are indeed awake, you ought to be thankful. The job was handled successfully.”

“Apparently Caldurian’s only success.” Jagga glared at the crow. “What are his plans now? Vellan didn’t reveal that when waking us.”

“I don’t know the details of Caldurian’s latest orders. But he will meet with you on Barringer’s Landing a day after he finishes some other business in Kanesbury.”

Jagga recalled the name of that small village from twenty years ago. “That is where our troubles began. What business does Caldurian have there now?”

“I’m not at liberty to say.”

Jagga shook his fist several times, jarring the bird. “Well, crow, you had better say before I squeeze the life out of you!”

“Caldurian would lose confidence in me if I betrayed his trust!”

Jagga squeezed harder as Gavin struggled. “For the last time, what is Caldurian’s business in Kanesbury?”

Gavin couldn’t tolerate the searing pain in his legs any longer. “
He’s found the key
!
He’s found the key
!” The bird’s wings flapped wildly. “Caldurian is going to meet with someone who has the key to the Spirit Box.”

Jagga loosened his grip slightly as his eyes widened. “Who?”

“I can’t say!”

Jagga placed his other hand around the bird’s neck and gazed into its eyes. “Unless you want to die, crow, you better tell me every detail about that key. If any other words come out of your mouth next except those, don’t expect to ever utter another. Hear?”

Gavin’s heart pounded. He quickly told Jagga everything he wanted to know. “Caldurian is supposed to meet with the man tomorrow evening.”

“What’s his name again?”

“Farnsworth. Zachary Farnsworth.”

“And you’re sure he has the key?”

“Yes, I told you he does!”

“How did Farnsworth come to possess it?”

“He’s friends with the person who found it years ago–Dooley Kramer.”

“You’re telling me the truth, crow?”

“Yes! I swear it!”

Jagga lessened his grip as he contemplated what to do. Possessing the key would guarantee his safety, and part of him believed that Caldurian wanted to retrieve the key for the same reason–to protect the Enâri. But Jagga distrusted Caldurian as much as the people who imprisoned him, wondering if Caldurian would use the key to force their continued cooperation in Vellan’s absence. But Caldurian would also need the Spirit Box to do so. Did he possess that already, and if not, who did? Jagga’s mind raced along several lines of reasoning at once, wondering who in the world controlled his existence.
He
wanted control.
He
needed to ensure his safety, desiring nothing more than to live in freedom, a servant to no one. Jagga realized that he must locate Zachary Farnsworth or Dooley Kramer before Caldurian did. It was his best chance for success.

As those thoughts ricocheted through his mind, Jagga inadvertently loosened his grip just enough for Gavin to escape with a powerful flap of his wings. The crow shrieked, taking a peck at Jagga’s forehead before flying out of reach on a nearby shrub.

“You’re in for it now, traitor! I’ll report you to Mune before the sun rises. He’ll let Caldurian know about your treachery.”

“You do that!” Jagga scowled. He made a half-hearted grab for the bird, but Gavin was mindful of his intentions and shot high into the air.

“You’ll never catch me twice, Enâr!”