Wizard Unleashed Page 16

  "Gester," I said. "The demon you left behind."

  "What did you trade with it?"

  "His promise to tell me the truth and to not hurt me, my family or friends. I also agreed to place a book on a night stand so he could read it."

  "What book?" she asked.

  "Ancient Persian rubbings," I said, to which she flicked an eyebrow up in recognition and sighed.

  "Is that how you phrased it?" she asked.

  "How I phrased the promise? It's close. But he broke his promise. He most certainly hurt me."

  "It is a problem with the ambiguity of spoken English," she said, her tone instructional. "Not to hurt you, your family or your friends." She emphasized the word 'or.' "Strictly speaking, using Boolean logic, the Ghrelin agreed that it would not hurt you or he would not hurt your family or he would not hurt your friends. He did not hurt your family nor did he hurt your friends, therefore the logical statement was satisfied. Had you said not to hurt your family and not to hurt your friends, you would have achieved what you were after."

  "He has hurt my family and friends," I said. I wasn't ready to argue the finer points of logic, mostly because I could see what she was saying, if only tacitly.

  "Not directly," she said. "What of the rubbings? The demon has read them then?"

  "We're spending a great deal of time on a mostly blank page," I said. "I made no promise to turn pages."

  For the first time in my adult life, my mother smiled. "Clever. You didn't answer my question, though. How did you end up in Kaelstan?"

  "I get these premonitions," I said, recalling the dream I'd had of Missy being killed by Fagin.

  "Curious," she said. "Go on."

  "In my dreams, I saw a girl killed by a wizard. He had a staff and when he touched it to her chest it pulled the life from her," I said. "I tracked her down and my dream started coming true."

  "Let me guess, you played Don Quixote and rescued her," Mom said.

  "Something like that," I said. "I faced down the wizard and I was winning, but a woman showed up. I think it was a demigoddess called Adajania." I patted my stone arm. "Just in time, I was pulled through some sort of portal to Kaelstan."

  “So Adajania knows you’re alive.” She seemed defeated as she shook her head. “What a mess. You still have the Key, then?"

  “I dropped it in the warehouse as we portaled out. I suspect she has it.”

  Flick returned, holding a pair of purple breeches. "I'll ready the carriage," Flick said.

  "You have a trip planned?" she asked.

  "The girl I rescued; she was taken," I said. "Flick and I are going to find her."

  "What about your arm?"

  "I thought you said it couldn't be fixed."

  "I can't very well have you stomping around Kaelstan making trouble. You'll be dead within a couple of days." Mother reached into a pocket and tossed out something that looked like an avocado-sized acorn.

  "No!" Flick dove to intercept the acorn.

  I grabbed Flick's arm to pull him back, but he was too fast and plucked the acorn from mid-air.

  "Find the Lesser Prince," Mother said as the world around us twisted until the room looked like a long, narrow balloon and she resembled a circus clown. "He might be able to help."

  "What in the hell!?" I said as I fell from the bed onto hard ground, Flick and I rolling in a tangle of arms and legs.

  Flick, sensing my anxiety, quickly extricated himself. "I am sorry, Master, I was not quick enough."

  Whatever Mom tossed at me had transported us to a place I didn't recognize. We found ourselves on the side of a mountain overlooking a broad, forested valley. Behind us, the mountain range soared skyward. Snow-capped peaks poked out to my left as the range cut into the valley. Two rivers joined, then snaked across the landscape, mostly parallel to the slope where we sat. To my right, the mountain range continued as far as I could see.

  "I guess we're not in Kansas anymore," I said, standing. To his credit, Flick didn't respond.

  A gentle breeze wafted across my bare legs and I pointed to the wine-colored breeches Flick still held. Wordlessly, he handed them over and I pulled them on. They were a little short for my taste and not particularly a color I would have picked, but it was nice to be clothed. Now, if I only had some shoes.

  "I am sure we are not in Kansas, Master."

  "Felix," I said. "Please, call me Felix. I don't want to be anyone's master. I'm having enough trouble taking care of myself."

  "Have I displeased you?" Flick switched to female form and I smiled at the attempt to manipulate my sentiment.

  "No, Flick. You're much nicer than any demons I've met," I said. "I don't like the idea of anyone being a slave to another."

  "I have nowhere to go, Master Felix," she said. "If you release me, I become the property of Master Meriath, as is stated in Master Neferante's estate. Please, I will serve you very well."

  "I'll make you a deal. For now, I won't release you, but you must call me Felix, not master and not Master Felix," I said. "Now turn around so I can see your back. I recall you had a nasty wound from the flesh-eaters."

  She held my gaze, narrowing her eyes as she considered what I'd said. "Yes, ma… Felix," she said after a moment and turned, exposing her narrow back. I pulled the poorly applied dressings and inspected the wound. Three angry, six-inch-long cuts ran between her shoulder blades. I was dismayed to discover the dressing was the same emergency dressing I'd applied the night before. The wound oozed a thick, greenish fluid and smelled of rot.

  "This will not do," I said. "Your wound is festering. Did you not think to wash it out?"

  "Master Neferante forbade such."

  I sighed. "Flick, while you are with me, you will not do things that might hurt you. I want you to be healthy and safe. You must forget what Neferante has said."

  "It will be difficult," she said. "I have been with him for many cycles."

  I pulled my shirt off. "Hand me your knife."

  She handed me her knife without hesitation. It was a beautifully crafted blade with three cutting edges set like the lines of a peace sign, narrowing to a point at the tip. The flat sides of the blades were engraved with runes. The blade easily cut through the shirt's pristine white fabric as I fashioned long bandages.

  "I don't think placing bandages over the bad stuff will help you a bit. We'll need to find water so I can clean your cuts."

  "There is a river, there." She pointed to where a frothy river disgorged itself from the mountain range to the left. It was at least twenty miles from our position.

  "That is several day's walk," I said. "There will be water in the forest below." I handed her knife back and pulled on the remnants of the dress shirt.

  As we picked our way through the boulder field, my mind wandered. Gabriella was likely beside herself with worry and I wondered what had happened to Lace. Had she been able to escape from the warehouse or had Adajania or Fagin discovered her? How did Mom find me so quickly? And, where had Missy been taken? That, at least, was something I might be able to get an answer to.

  "Tell me, Flick," I said. "Where did the dragon, Smaragdinus, take my friend Missy?"

  "You still do not know? You referred to Emira Baltazoss as your mother. Does this not mean she is the woman who birthed you?"

  "What does my mother have to do with Missy?"

  "Emira Baltazoss is a disciple of beautiful and wise Shahbanu Adajania," she said. "Emira Baltazoss is caretaker of Arlcliff Palace where it is said Shahbanu Adajania often resides. The dragon must have taken this girl to the palace, as the dragon also serves Shahbanu Adajania.”

  "You're saying my mother lives here?"

  Flick cocked her head in my direction as we continued down the rocky slope. We'd yet to reach the line of trees ahead. "No, Felix. Your mother lives in Kaelstan. I do not know where we are, but it is certainly not Kaelstan."

  "How do you know?"

  "I can feel it," she said. "Nothing in Kaelstan is this green. The sky is blue and I find
only a single moon - and even that is in the wrong part of the sky. The air is filled with many smells to which I am unfamiliar. No, this is not Kaelstan. The weapon your mother attempted to deceive you with must have transported us to a new location."

  "There are three worlds locked together as one, but existing in different planes," I said, repeating what I'd learned from Rosen's book. "There is Earth, where I come from, Kaelstan, and the third is Gaeland, the heart of Faerie magic. I'm hoping we've made it back to my home – Earth."

  "The trees are strange looking and there are so many of them," Flick said as we broke free of the boulder field and entered the forest. At our current elevation, the trees grew sparsely. I knew that as we continued to descend, they would become more densely packed.

  "I smell water," I said, pointing to the left. My stomach growled as we walked toward where my sensitive nose indicated. I wished I'd eaten some of the breakfast Flick had brought me and was no doubt still lying on the bed. "Tell me, where did you come up with food? I didn't think demons needed to eat."

  "Why would you think that?" Flick replied. "Demons take great pleasure in their food."

  "How is that possible? I have a Ghrelin trapped in a spell circle at my home. It has been there for an entire year and has not eaten, drank or slept."

  "Your Ghrelin is being fed in its lair in Kaelstan while its spirit travels," she said. "It is the responsibility of the servants to keep care of travelers while they are away."

  "You're saying Gester is in two places at the same time?"

  "Not really. Your Ghrelin is not on Earth, at least not as you think. It requires a host to survive," she said.

  "This demon is trapped in a spell circle and has no host."

  "Yes. The spell circle is maintaining the Ghrelin's spirit, just like a host would. If you released the Ghrelin, it would need to find a host very soon."

  "Can you be summoned into a spell circle?" I asked.

  "Yes. But there would be no point. Peutering are bred to be servants for the higher-order demons. We have no magic."

  "You are able to change from male to female," I said. "That’s magic."

  "It is minor," she said.

  The gurgling of a mountain stream distracted me from the conversation and I urged Flick across the steep hillside. The stream was small, but the water ran clear over lichen-covered rocks. "This is perfect. Back to male Flick, if you don't mind. Take your shirt down."

  I walked along the stream for a few yards and found where an obstruction created a long, narrow pool. At the bottom of the pool, was a small pocket of sand which I scooped up with my hands. The sand was a poor substitute for modern cleanser, but the wound needed cleaning immediately and I’d have to make do.

  "Sit on this rock," I said. "This will sting. Tell me if it is too much."

  "I do not think you can hurt me as Neferante has," he said. "Do what you must. I will not complain." He leaned forward over his knees and wrapped his hands around his ankles.

  Gently, I laid the sand over his back and slowly rubbed it against the wound. I did not want to cause further injury, but the infection had to be completely removed. Flick's skin was a different texture than ordinary human skin. It was harder, almost the texture of latex or rubber. I gritted my teeth as I poured water over his back and uncovered other old, poorly healed wounds.

  When I was satisfied the injuries were cleaned, I rinsed the sand from the wounds. With bandages I'd stripped from my shirt, I bound them. Flick's torso was much smaller in diameter than my own, which allowed me to tie the strips tightly against the folded-over bandages.

  "You were very brave," I said, offering him my hand so he could straighten up.

  "Master. Look out!" he exclaimed, pushing me backward. An instant later, an arrow appeared in Flick’s chest, just to the left of dead center. I grabbed for him as he collapsed and swiveled my head, looking for the unknown assailant.

  I was off balance when a large net sailed through air, entangled us and caused us to fall over into the stream. It took everything I had to avoid bumping the arrow sticking out of Flick’s chest as we tumbled.

  "Tempra. Demons!" The high voice was excited and I caught a glance of a small figure darting between the trees. "Viessa has netted them in the stream."

  "Adoleret." I focused my fire so that it dissolved a portion of the net. A second arrow thunked into the mud only an inch from my face as I freed my arms. Flick, unmoving, was hopelessly tangled in the net. Worse, his head was beneath the water's surface.

  A figure popped out from behind a tree and raised a longbow. An arrow was released almost instantaneously and I winced in anticipation as it flew. The arrow struck my chest and shattered on impact. My face lit up in pain as fragments of the shaft ricocheted upward.

  I knew better than to use my magic, but I couldn’t see any other way for us to survive this attack. "Scutum." I brought up my shield, which illuminated brilliantly. It's true that under duress my magic seemed to work better, but the shield's strength was significantly stronger than I’d ever seen.

  I pulled at the net that held Flick so he was out of the pool. Hunkering over him protectively, I waited for the next attack. It didn't take long before arrows, one after another, streamed toward us from two different positions. This time, however, my shield easily deflected the missiles.

  I hunched down closer, trying to cover even more of Flick. The well-aimed arrows were mostly directed at him. I feared the first arrow had already completed the job the others seemed so intent on finishing.

  A flash of red to the right caught my attention and I barely had time to raise my right arm in defense against an oaken bo staff. It would have been ideal if the staff had broken on my arm, but aside from a loud thwack, it looked to be just fine. The second blow, which came less than a second later was much more effective and caught me on the chin. The world grayed. It was all I could do to lay my body over Flick's as I lost consciousness.

  Chapter 16

  Elves Of The Glade

  "He is breathing poorly." I recognized the voice as belonging to the first of our attackers. While grateful, I was surprised to still be alive. Generally, those willing to toss arrows in your direction, weren't the take-prisoners type.

  As I slowly gained consciousness, the pain in my chest grew. I realized I was the one the high-voiced individual was referring to, as I pulled hard to gain breath. I attempted to talk, but a gag tied around my mouth made breathing all that more difficult.

  A slight woman of indeterminate age and bright red hair barely tamed by a leather cord sat next to a campfire. Quite a bit of time had passed, as darkness had fallen and with it, the temperature.

  I swung my head around but was unable to find Flick.

  "He looks for his demon. The sorcerer is a demon summoner." I zeroed in on the source of the high voice and found what - to my eyes – appeared to be an early teen, sitting comfortably in a tree fifteen feet off the ground. "That's right, dark mage. You and your imp aren't welcome here."

  The red-haired woman rose to her feet and padded over to where I lay on the ground. I closed my eyes for a moment and focused on breathing, the pain in my chest almost completely disabling.

  The woman stopped in front of me and sank to a crouch. "Is Tannyl correct? Are you a demon summoner? Did you come to start a new war with Gaeland? And what is with your arm? Why are you laboring so to breathe?"

  I tried to speak but the gag in my mouth prevented me. The exertion caused more pain and I found I wasn’t getting enough air as I struggled. Closing my eyes, I drew a painful breath, but it felt as if a great weight sat on my chest.

  “Where are you going, sorcerer?” A painful rap on my forehead caused me to reopen my eyes. “I will have my answers. Tell me, how did this come into your possession?”

  She held the giant acorn in front of my face – the object my mother had used to teleport us. It was the first time I’d been able to inspect the object up close and it really did just seem like a big acorn. I turned my attentio
n to the lithe, red-haired woman who peered at me. She had pointy ears, eyes uplifted on the outside, a petite nose and high, sharp cheekbones. Except for the flaming red hair, she was the classic definition of a wood elf from my Taxonomy of Unusual Creatures book. I no longer believed I made it back to Earth. Disappointment hit me hard. I’d hoped the Katty sisters would be able to stop the infection caused by the stone spell, if I could only get to them. Instead, it appeared my mother had decided to toss me into yet another new world.

  I raised my eyebrows. I didn’t think this elf was so stupid as to believe I could speak through the gag. She was merely letting me know she was in control. Message delivered.

  She pulled a curved, short sword from a sheath at her waist and held it to my throat so the sharp edge caught my skin. “My friends have their bows at the ready and I assure you, this time the arrows will not strike stone. I will allow you to speak, but if you try anything, you will be dispatched as surely as I stand here. Nod if you understand.”

  I nodded and she used her free hand to loosen the gag. The action caused the extremely sharp blade of her sword to cut into my neck.

  “Why have you attacked peaceful travelers?” I asked. I knew the answer, but I needed some room in the conversation.

  “You travel with a demon,” she said.

  “My friend. What have you done with him?” I asked.

  “There is no other,” she said. “Only you and your demon slave.”

  “Flick is not my slave. He is my friend,” I said. “Why is this such a hard concept?”

  “You must kill him, Tempra. He admits to befriending the demon.” The voice belonged to the one they called Tannyl.

  “Is this true? Are you a friend to demons?”

  “Are you really elves? Am I in Gaeland?”

  I didn’t see the staff appear in her off hand, nor did I see the blow to my forehead. It’s fair to say I felt it, however. I blinked tears from my eyes as Tempra reprimanded me. “You are tied up. My sword is at your throat and I am deciding if it is my responsibility to dispatch you and spread your remains across the hillside. You will answer my questions or you will feel great pain.”