The Guardian's Apprentice (Beyond the Veil) (22 page)

Great wisps of smoke curled from Brimstone’s scorched nostrils as his internal fire stoked in anger.
 

“Listen carefully
Skyv’tai
,” said the wizard as he pointed a long finger at the dragon’s nose, giving particular emphasis to the dragon’s true name.
 
“That’s right dragon, I know your true name.
 
How else do you think I broke the charm that held the Council’s pendant around your neck?”
 

A flicker of surprise lit the dragon’s eyes.
 
Although taken aback by this knowledge, Brimstone was not flustered for long.
 
This would merely delay his plans, not stop them.
 
Narrowing his eyes until they were barely slits of gold against the deep red of his scales, he snarled at the wizard.
 
“And what, pray tell me, would you have me do
oh mighty wysard?
” said the dragon, his words dripping with sarcasm.

‘You will do as you are told,” snapped Ducat.
 
“First I must do more research into the Shadow and how they were banished; I’m sure you already know but I have learned not to trust the word of a dragon.”

“You would do well not to delve too deeply,
wysard
,” came Brimstone’s reply.
 
“You are dealing with powers you do not understand.”

Infuriated, the mage’s response came in the form of another shot of green sparks aimed at the dragon’s snout, but this time Brimstone was ready.
 
The dragon’s counter charm shielded his head and the sparks danced harmlessly off to one side, skittering across the floor until they burned themselves out.

“When I cast the summons, you will respond immediately – unless you want the prisoner’s pendant back around that scaly neck of yours,” snapped the wizard.
 
Turning from the dragon, the wizard conjured the portal that would take him back to his chambers.
 
With one last baleful glance at the dragon, he stepped through and was gone.

Hmph,
thought the dragon.
 
I will respond when you summon me wysard, and when you have served my purpose I will roast your carcass over a spit for my dinner.
 

The dragon’s snout still tingled from the sparks; only magical fire could actually burn a dragon’s hide, as it is naturally fireproof against their own flames.
 
He had refrained from incinerating the man only because he still needed the fool for the time being.
 
If he killed him now, the entire Council and that damned Guardian would hunt him down.
 
No, he had to wait until the Shadow had dispensed with the Alderdrache.
 
The Council would be too busy with the chaos that ensued to stop him then.
 
Satisfied he could do nothing except wait, Brimstone curled up on the stones like some great red, scaly cat and went to sleep.

###

The Great Library of
Innenstadt actually consisted of several buildings, having grown and expanded as necessary to accommodate the ever-growing collection of scrolls, tomes and other ancient writings.
 
The Central Repository was the first and largest of the buildings, having started out as the original library several thousand years ago.
 
Originally built in Egypt during the time of the pharaohs, the Council quietly moved the library in the middle of the night when the veil first separated the two worlds.
 
The great domed building’s main floor housed some of the oldest writings in the collection, although it was the lower levels of this building that interested the visitor the most.
 
He walked quickly through the marble halls, looking for the entrance to the sub-library that was located in the basement.
 
The lower levels were off-limits to all but the highest officials as they contained the histories, spells and writings of the most powerful (and in some cases evil) of witches and wizards.
 
Those in government deemed this information too dangerous for the masses and had locked it away, banishing it from prying eyes in hopes that the powers this information had previously unleashed would never return.
 
It was here he hoped to find the secret of the Shadow.
 
Slowing his pace, he finally located the entrance to the lower levels.
 
The passageway was behind a large bronze statue of Cerberus, the three-headed, dragon-tailed dog who stands guard before the gates of the underworld.

Sensing the wizard’s approach, the middle head of the statue looked down at him.

 
“
Those seeking passage beyond this gate must pay the price
,” said a deep voice that resonated through the empty hallway.

Knowing the ceremony by heart, the wizard took out a pure silver dagger and bared his wrist.
 
He winced as the sharp blade cut through his skin.
 
Carefully, he let the blood gather along the blade and then inserted the dagger up to the hilt into a small slit in the black granite base of the statue.
 
Looking up at the great bronze head watching him intently, he intoned the required response.

“
I pay the price of my passage in my blood, my magic and my life.
 
Return within the hour to reclaim my down payment I must, lest I be struck down and payment taken in full.
”

As he finished the response, the dog bowed its third head and a rectangular opening appeared in the black granite base as the stone slid away.
 
Alexander retrieved his dagger and hurried down the stairs that appeared in the passage as the stone slid back across the opening.
 
The stairs and passages below were lit by the golden glow of spellbound orbs along the walls.
 
He had to be quick, as he only had one hour as the ceremony stated.
 
When the library had been moved to its present location, a failsafe had been put in place to keep the curious at bay and prevent some witch or wizard from researching the darkest of secrets for too long.
 
If an hour passed before he could return to the entrance, Charon, the boatman for the dead, would come to collect his soul.
 
As payment for his passage to the underworld, the boatman would drain every drop of blood from his body and leave his body a withered husk.

However, he had no intention of visiting the underworld just yet – there was far too much to do before his time was up.
 
As if to emphasize the point, he nearly fell over the emaciated husk of a wizard at the bottom of the stairs.
 
As he nudged the body with his boot, the robes and body within crackled like dry parchment and crumbled to dust.
 
Covering his mouth and nose with his sleeve, he hurried down the passageway.
 
In his haste, he failed to notice the small, red eyes that peered at him out of the darkness not far from the body of the wizard over which he had just stepped.

Passing along the shelves that lined both sides of the cavernous room, he scanned the stacks of scrolls and books looking for the sign of the ancients.
 
He finally found the symbol carved in the keystone of an archway at the end of the aisle.
 
The symbol, signifying the infinite wisdom of the ancients, was etched in the stone as well as on the large bookcase below.
 
Scanning the contents of the shelf, the wizard finally located a large, black leather tome.
 
Reaching up, he took the tome from the shelf and laid it open on the table in front of him.
 
As he pulled the book from the shelf, a trail of thick black smoke followed it.
 
The shadowy chain was attached to the base of the book’s spine at one end and the shelf at the other.
 
This tether was to prevent the dark information contained within its pages from ever leaving the bowels of the great library.
 

The binding on the book crackled as the wizard pried it open.
 
Eagerly Ducat scanned the pages for any reference to the Shadow and their banishment from this world.
 
After several long minutes, he finally found the information he needed.
 
The passage was written in what appeared to be dried blood.
 
The writing was thin and spidery, and the words appeared to crawl across the page as he read them.

The passage told about the final confrontation with the Shadow and the creation of both the Oracle and the Blackstar Amulet.
 
This was his answer!
 
The amulet was the key to everything!
 
Eagerly he devoured the words in front of him, words that told of how the BlackStar Amulet was forged by the Ancients using and trapping the essence of the Shadow.
 

This is it!
 
This is how I bend them to my will and rend the Veil to pieces
.
 
All I have to do is take the Amulet from its resting place in Pahret T’pur, place it in the keystone of the first portal located in the depths of the castle and complete the incantation
.
 

Beside himself with glee, the wizard was so busy wringing his hands and chuckling to himself that he failed to notice the small, dark hand that darted from the shadows.
 
The hand made a small gesture and a noise sounded down the aisle behind the wizard.
 
Startled out of his reverie the wizard whirled about with his wand drawn, eyes scanning the dimly lit rows of bookshelves.
 
While he was still trying to find the source of the noise, the hand darted forth again.
 
With a small flash, it sketched a silvery glyph that settled into the page Ducat had been reading.
 
The page shimmered slightly and the hand quickly and silently tore it from the book.
 

Oblivious to what had been stolen, the wizard took out his silver dagger again and muttered an enchantment.
 
As he finished, the blade of the dagger turned a dark blood red and a faint hissing noise came from the razor sharp edge.
 
Moving quickly, he sliced through the smoky chain attached to the spine of the great tome, freeing it from the shelf.
 
Checking one last time to make sure he still alone, he gathered up the book and pocketed it in the folds of his robes.
 
With only a few minutes to spare, he bounded up the stairway and inserted his silver dagger into the base of the statue of Cerberus.

“
My task is complete, the time is late.
 
I reclaim my down payment, now death must wait,”
he intoned as he removed the dagger and waved it in a slashing motion in front of himself.
 
The incantation completed and the curse aborted, the wizard returned to his chambers to finish his reading.

###

It was late that evening when Keegan finally returned to his temporary chambers, using the portal in the main courtyard as Acamar had taught him.
 

“It’s about time you came back,” said a sleepy voice near the fireplace.
 
Stretching and flexing his claws, Acamar slowly uncurled from his position near the hearth.
 
“Your grandfather was extremely worried about you, you know.”

“You were waiting up for me?”

“No, I was asleep; until you came in at least,” yawned the cat.
 
“I’ve found that since I’ve spent most of my days as a cat I prefer more warmth – your grandfather won’t let me keep the fire as high in his chambers.”

“Mmm.
 
And you knew he was worried about me, how?” asked Keegan, as he leaned his staff against the wall and slouched down in an oversized chair by the fire.

“A natural presumption, my boy.
 
He
is
your grandfather, after all.”
 
One final yawn and Acamar sat on the hearth with his tail curled tightly around his body, green eyes boring a hole through Keegan.

“I don’t have a choice, do I Acamar?”

Twitching his tail, Acamar laid his ears flat in irritation.
 
“We
all
have choices, young Master,” he said, “it’s usually just a matter of doing what’s right or doing what’s easy.
 
Most people when faced with the choice, will do what’s easy.”

Crossing his arms, Keegan glared back at the cat.
 
“I don’t see where I have an easy way out here.
 
If I don’t stay here and try to become the apprentice then I’ll probably be killed.”

“What’s so hard about getting killed?” asked the cat, cocking his head to one side.
 
“That would seem to be quite easy.
 
The hard part is staying here, facing your fear of failure and fighting to take your rightful place at the Guardian’s side.”

“I don’t have a fear of failure – I have a fear of being killed,” Keegan said matter-of-factly.

“Hogwash!” snapped the cat, who was so irritated now that he was pacing back and forth on the hearth like a leopard stalking its prey.
 
“You’re afraid to
fail
, Keegan.
 
You’ve always been afraid to fail.
 
Why do you think you’ve never gone any further in your career, hmm?
 
Why have you never had a relationship that lasted more than six months?
 
Because you never take a risk, you never try for the higher rung on the ladder, you never take a chance.
 
You have lived your entire life up to this point sheltered in a cocoon that you’ve woven about yourself to keep you safe!”