The Forgotten King (Korin's Journal) (64 page)

Chapter 58

Tough Decisions

Ithan’s plan to remove Lyrak’s spell from Soul Crystals was brilliant. 

I hated it.

Ithan believed he could, as he termed it, “unravel” the spell on the Soul Crystals by utilizing the Source crystal to reach out to them.  Sal’s ability to see magic would allow her to examine the structure of the spell so that she could give him an idea on how to break it down.  Ithan even had a suggestion for procuring the massive amount of magic energy necessary for such an undertaking. 

That’s where my dislike for his plan came in.  Magic energy can only be drawn from living beings.  The only living beings in the room were Max, Sal’, Ithan, and Briscott. 

And Harken. 

Drawing a portion of the remaining magic energy within Max’s Reservoir, Ithan scanned Harken’s mind.  He concluded that Harken was mentally too far gone for a return to sanity.  He’d be destined to a bed-ridden life, needing full care at all hours. 

After a quick, heated discussion, we came to the conclusion that such a life was no life at all.  Using Harken’s life to de-spell the Soul Crystals would potentially save untold lives, and Harken would mercifully be granted an escape from the torment in his mind.  

That didn’t mean I had to be happy about it.  Harken was still an innocent man.  Though he no longer possessed the mental capacity to choose for himself, making the decision for him didn’t feel right to me, no matter how prudent it was. 

While Sal’, Max, and Ithan focused on taking care of the Soul Crystals, I remained across the room, sitting by Til’s body in the soft orange light of a lantern I’d fished from his belt pouch.   My thoughts and emotions swirled tempestuously, filling my head with a seemingly endless stream of troubling questions.

Once Ithan finished with the Soul Crystals, then what?  If we got the bracelet to work, would Raijom already be expecting us in Paigea?  Would we arrive just to be killed by his forces?  The thought of any more of my friends dying was almost too much to bear.  Depressingly, Til’s death made such a possibility all too real.

“Til’, I’m so sorry,” I whispered, staring down at his blanket-covered form.  I pulled out my Vesteir-sigiled fortune block, running my fingers over the beautifully carved symbol of the one god I’d always put stock in.  I unsuccessfully tried to hold back my tears. 

“You were the most selfless friend I’ve ever known,” I continued as the room grew blurry.  “I wish I could’ve thanked you for everything.  I wish I could’ve told you goodbye.  I wish . . . I wish I could’ve protected you.  If not for you, I would’ve never made it here.  I failed you, Til’.  You didn’t deserve this; you—”

I was interrupted by a hand firmly gripping my shoulder.  I looked up to see Briscott standing beside me, compassion filling his watery green eyes.  Only then did I notice pain tickling the back of my throat.  I must’ve been screaming.  Sal’, Max, and Ithan were all staring at me despondently from the other side of the room, illuminated by the lighted orb on Lyrak’s table.

“Sorry,” I mumbled, wiping my nose with the back of my hand.

“
It’s okay, Korin.  You have to deal with this in your own way,” Briscott responded, easing himself down beside me.  “Just remember that this was not your fault.  As Max said, Til’ made his choice.  He was a good man, a
great
man.”  Briscott held his own fortune block, letting his head drop.  “Without his bravery and sacrifice, we’d all be dead.”

“I know.”

“Little guy, always so excited,” Briscott chuckled.

I found myself smiling. 
“Couldn’t ever get him to shut up.”  We shared a reminiscent laugh.  “I’m really going to miss him.”

“Me too, Korin.
  Me too.”

“Ha!” Ithan whooped suddenly, drawing mine and Briscott’s attention.  He hunched over, embarrassed.  “Sorry.  I was able to remove the spell from this rock,” he explained, gesturing to the Soul Crystal before him.  “Now, with the Source crystal, I should be able to use the Link to do the same for the rest.”

“How long?” I asked.

“It may take a while, and it won’t be easy.  Once I begin, stopping is not an option without having to start over completely.”

“We’ll keep you protected if we have any unexpected guests,” I assured him.  The remaining passage into the room was sealed with a sliding stone panel that only unlocked from our side by means of a lever.  If anyone wanted in, we’d hear them well before they were able to break their way through. 

With an affirmative nod, Ithan went back to his task. 

“Well, looks like we have some time.”  Briscott scratched at his beard.  “What happened to you and Sal’, and who was this Lyrak?  Sure as hell isn’t surprising that someone named after the blighted king who nearly ruined this kingdom would be the one responsible for this mess.”

I ran my hand through my shaggy hair with a sigh.  “I’d rather wait until Ithan finishes so I can tell everyone at once.” 

The memory of everything Lyrak had said and done wrapped icy tendrils around my heart.  Anger started coursing through my blood, trying to dominate my emotions.  Ever since Til’s death, that anger was constantly under the surface, ready to burst free, but I was slowly learning to master it.  I had no choice but to do so in order to keep it from consuming me.  If I couldn’t, then no one would ever truly be safe around me. 

“Fair enough,” Briscott returned, snapping me from my thoughts.

Our attention was pulled to the sound of Harken’s whimpering.  Sal’ and Ithan had pulled him to his feet.  He shook uncontrollably, Sal’s and Ithan’s support the only thing keeping him from dropping to the floor. 

I looked away.  “How did you all even find me?” I asked in an attempt to distract myself from what was about to happen to the unfortunate king.

Briscott gestured to the others.  “Ithan’s and Max’s blighted brilliance, that’s how.”

“Wizards’ intelligence can be humbling sometimes.”  My eyes went to the three wizards across the room.  “And a bit annoying as well,” I joked, though I was unable to muster a smile.

“Tell me about it,” Briscott laughed mirthlessly, scratching at his beard again.

After a moment of silence, Briscott let out a heavy sigh. 
“When the dragons were . . . when the dragons fell, Max and Ithan saw us safely landed.  I thought we’d reached our end when I saw the enemy closing in on us.  That clever little rodent, however,” he nodded towards Max, “cast some sort of spell to make Ithan and Til’ look like those blighted soldiers you and Sal’ fought.  Next thing I know, I’m on the ground, looking like you saw me when I came in here.  If not for Max’s quick explanation, I probably would’ve put up a fight when Ithan and Til’ tried to lift me, looking the way they did.  And then, Max was suddenly all bloody, and he dropped to the ground.  Honestly, I thought he’d really been killed.

“We were met by more of those soldiers with Lyrak’s blighted emblem on their armor.  Ithan informed them that, well, he and Til’ were dead.  I thought the soldiers would see through the ruse, but they didn’t raise a single question.  One of them simply grabbed Max and led us into the castle.”

I shook my head, amazed that Max was still conscious and, quite honestly, still alive.  I’d seen him use illusion magic for brief periods of time before.  Very brief.  Casting an illusion over himself, Til’, Ithan, and Briscott all at the same time for as long as he did was beyond incredible and borderline impossible.  I guess necessity trumps impossibility.

“The blighted soldier paid us no mind, so we fell back to form a plan while he carried Max ahead of us.  I think Ithan cast a spell to mask our conversation.”  Briscott glanced down to Til’s body with a reverent smile.  “Til’ had stored that magic box containing the rock in his bag.  Ithan had the idea of using the rock as a weapon to save you and Sal’.  We tied it to one of my arrows and coated the arrow’s tip with some sort of black . . . slime, I suppose—that Ithan had brought with him.  He said the stuff would allow the arrow to cut through magic barriers.”

I rubbed the back of my neck, shaking my head with a weak chuckle.

Briscott leaned back.  “What?”

“Nothing. That’s just the second time I’ve been saved by that goo now.”

Briscott shrugged.  “Anyway, with Lyrak’s attention on you, Ithan was able to take out the soldier who brought us here.  Max’s spell faded before we were completely ready to attack, though.  If we’d had just a few moments more, I would’ve been able to hit Lyrak before . . . before . . .
”  Briscott shut his eyes and took a deep breath.  “At least I was able to compensate for the weight of that blighted rock.  If I’d missed, or if the arrow hadn’t pierced far enough, or if I’d hit his stomach and the arrow ripped all the way through . . .”  Briscott covered his mouth, raking his fingers through his beard.

“Your shot was perfect.  You saved us,” I affirmed.  “Thank you, Briscott.”  I could tell he was thinking that missing would’ve made Til’s sacrifice meaningless.  But no, I’d been the one to do that.  I squeezed my eyes shut, grimacing at the thought.

“You stop that.”  I opened my eyes to see Briscott staring me down, his eyebrows drawn and his tilted eyes serious.  “Loranis always has a plan.  Stop blighting beating yourself up over what happened.  We
will
fix this.”

I bit my lip, nodding, but I still couldn’t shake the fact that if not for me, we would’ve already ended Lyrak’s control over the undead and enslaved.  I opened my mouth to reply but was cut off by a loud
thump
. 

We turned to see Harken sprawled on the floor, his eyes wide in death.  Then I looked to Ithan.  He held the Source crystal in his hand, eyes closed, sweat beading across his forehead despite the chill of the underground room.  Harken’s body hadn’t provided enough magic energy to complete the task.  Ithan was using his own body to draw the magic energy he needed.

And no one was stopping him.

“No!” I screamed, leaping up and nearly face-planting when my knee locked up. 

Before I could advance, Briscott was behind me, his arms encircling my chest and holding me back.  “Korin, don’t,” he grunted as I fought to break free. 

“Briscott, he’s going to kill himself,” I insisted.

“Korin, Ithan told me to keep you from interfering.” 

My breath caught as Briscott’s words sunk in.  Ithan had known Harken wouldn’t provide him with enough magic energy.  Everyone had known. 
Everyone except for me.  They’d kept the truth secret so I wouldn’t try to stop him.  Anger flared within me once again, breaking through my tenuous control.  I’d lost one friend already.  I wasn’t going to lose another.

With as much force as I could muster, I broke from Briscott’s grasp.  I didn’t make it more than a single step before Briscott tackled me to the floor.

“We can’t let him do this!” I yelled, clawing at the floor in an attempt to pull from Briscott’s grasp. 

“This is Ithan’s choice,” Briscott argued, tightening his grip. 

Sal’ and Max watched me, Sal’ with tears running down her cheeks.  “Korin, this is the only way,” she spoke, her voice breaking.  Max remained silent, giving a single nod in agreement.

I stopped fighting against Briscott’s hold on me.  If Sal’ and Max had accepted Ithan’s plan, then there was nothing I could do.  Max had already pushed himself further than should’ve been
possible, and Sal’ had nothing to use for magic energy aside from her own body.  Forcing them to use magic against me would only hurt them, and I’d still fail to save Ithan.  Yet again, I was helpless.  I was getting sick and tired of that feeling.

Ithan’s body
jerked, and only Sal’s intervention kept him from collapsing.  His whole body trembled, his breathing coming out in stuttered gasps, his face twisted in a pained grimace.  After a lifetime or two, his eyes opened and turned to me.  He smiled with quivering lips as the Source fell from his hands.  Sal’ was unable to support him as he dropped limply to the floor. 

For the second time in that very room, my heart shattered. 
“Ithan!” 

Briscott released his grip and helped me to my feet.  Sal’ sat down on the floor, weeping, and lifted Ithan’s head into her lap.  Ithan stared vacantly up at her, unblinking.  He was still alive, though, his chest moving with his continued breathing. 

For a moment, I was relieved, but as I limped closer, I saw that there was no life shining through Ithan’s amber eyes.  Everything he’d been was gone.  I’d thought that seeing that look in Fleet’s eyes had been disturbing, but to see it in a human, especially a friend, was unbearable.  Like Til’, Ithan had sacrificed himself to save Amirand.

I took a seat by Sal’, the sight of her hand on Ithan’s face lost through a wall of tears I hadn’t thought left to shed.  Briscott patted my back in a vain attempt to console me.  Max scampered onto my lap.

The twisting, wrenching, crushing agony of losing my two friends was a new sensation for me.  I felt as if two pieces of my very soul, two pieces that could never be replaced, had been viciously carved from me with a rusty blade.  It hurt.  Bad.

“Max,” I literally forced from my constricted throat, “did he do it?”

Max closed his eyes, letting out a deep breath, his whiskers pressed flat against his furry cheeks.  “We will not know until we leave this room and see for ourselves.”