Brinks In Time:The Legend of Valendri's Relic Read online

  Lindaris seemed the most impressed by what had occurred, “I so want to learn how to do that.”

  Dyenarus asked, “Are you okay, Neeza?”

  Neeza nodded; he was too tired to speak at the moment. That spell took a little more out of him than he thought. Dyenarus brought him toward their end of the boat making sure he was secured.

  Mimerck yelled, “Much obliged, Neeza! Maybe when you retire you’ll think of coming with me full time! All right ladies and gents! The worst is behind us now! Five waves more and we’ll be through!”

  Joakon yelled, “You said that twenty waves ago!”

  “Well, bound to be right one of these times!”

  Mimerck began his maniacal laugh again as Vindar looked and Condarin again, trying to comfort her, “That guy is crazy!”

  3

  “Land ahoy!”

  All the mages looked toward the starboard side of the ship. There it was, after five days of travel: The Simorgon Island Chain. Although they couldn’t see the mountain yet except for its peak, the outlying islands appeared to be tall and rocky. From what Neeza could see, there was not a beach to land their vessel. The islands were just north of the elvish territories on the mainland, so they had to move far enough out past Fort Za to reach their destination.

  The students all went to the side of the boat to try and catch their first glimpse of the fabled mountain. To think, they would be the first mages to lay eyes on her in . . . well, ever. None would admit it loudly, but they were glad to be here. It was more exciting than reading scrolls and practicing on dummies all day. Real life experiences were usually the best training. It was their first time off the mainland, so there would be a learning curve, but they had Neeza. Whatever they did wrong, he would correct them. If they were going to be marooned to a foreign shore for an adventure, they were glad it was with him.

  Mimerck said, “Looks like we are in the clear as far as the elves are concerned, which is a relief. Would really like to avoid confronting them if all possible.”

  Joakon asked, “Why would they be mad? I thought they no longer inhabited the islands?”

  “You have much to learn about the elves, my boy. Once they own something, they seem to think it’s always theirs, whether it’s true or not. They still consider Barbata theirs even though the Ettui have controlled it for over a thousand years,” explained Mimerck.

  Seeing that the student understood his statement, he walked over to Neeza, who was standing next to the stern of the ship.

  “Well, Honorable one, here we are. Mount Hrithgorn and all its damned glory. You feel it too, don’t you?”

  Neeza commented, “Yes, it’s a very strong magical energy. None like I have felt in my life.”

  Mimerck added, “This is your last chance to turn back. We shouldn’t be here. Whatever is flowing from that island is dark energy. I don’t like it one bit.”

  Neeza didn’t answer, instead he walked toward the rest of the students. He was surprised at Mimerck’s change of heart as he was here mainly for gold and that damned glory. Returning without even trying was not an option for him. They got that far. It wouldn’t be fair to the students who were starting to gain some confidence, and it wouldn’t be fair to Mierena. He was doing this for her. Giving up would be like killing her again.

  “Just find an adequate landing spot,” advised Neeza halfway to the other side of the boat.

  Vindar suddenly asked, “You told us that sailors who have sailed near these islands went mad. Why, it can’t be more than ten or so miles away. Why are we okay?”

  Neeza was about to answer, but Mimerck did first, “Powerful magic affects the races differently. Those that are weak to sensing magical properties like humans are easily influenced without knowing it. Mages and elves are very sensitive to magical energy, so we can sense and control it better when confronted with it.”

  “You should be able to feel it,” commented Neeza.

  Dyenarus was the first to answer, “Yes, and you're right. I know I’m still young, but I’ve never felt this kind of energy. We may have found a new magical source.”

  Their ship slowly began to creep toward a break in the outer islands. As they did, they all got their first glimpse of the infamous Mount Hrithgorn. It certainly didn’t look special other than its enormous size, but the surrounding islands and atolls made the view unique and beautiful. The sky was cloudy at the moment, giving it the ominous appearance that the stories told about. As they neared the gap, a scraping sound could be heard coming from underneath the ship.

  Gerran asked, “What’s that noise?”

  Mimerck cursed to himself before replying, “The coral reef. The water is too shallow for me to take the boat straight to the mountain, even as small as it is. Unless the other gaps are different, we might have to land on one of the larger islands and walk from there. Can’t risk holing the ship up, otherwise we won’t make it back to Myyril.”

  He should have assumed as much. Elf strongholds tended to have very few points of entry. If all the points between the islands were that shallow, no enemy would be able to reach the mountain without earning it.

  Neeza ordered, “Dock at the first chance you can. We’ll walk toward the mountain if we have to and see if we can find a place for you to bring the ship closer. Students! Get your things from below. As soon as we land, the trek toward Mount Hrithgorn begins.”

  The students did as told with no questions asked. He could feel their mixed emotions of excitement and fear. The realization that they were advancing on a place of legends began to overcome them. Neeza only stared at Hrithgorn and its ominous peaks. He didn’t care how difficult it would be, or what resistance they might meet. He was getting in that mountain, and he was getting that relic. Nothing was going to stop him, not when he was so close.

  Neeza whispered, “Hold still, Mierena. I’m going to bring your salvation.”

  Mimerck heard the whisper, but opted to say nothing. It was clear to him why Neeza was here. He only hoped this wasn’t a foolish quest that would cost them their lives.

  Mimerck landed on the largest island on the southeast of the Simorgon chain. It was the only one that they could find after an hour of slowly moving around the perimeter. It had an eerily quiet search. It was as though all life had failed to exist. Not even the sound of the insects could be heard.

  When the ship docked, the students began to unload onto the short beachhead. Just from there, Neeza could see much uphill walking in their future. Wasn’t going to be doing his old knees much good, but then again, neither did that adventure in the storm. When he recovered from the spell, he had felt exhausted and rested the remainder of the day. There was no denying it. He was beginning to feel his age. It only needed to last a few more days. Then he’d be back in Myyril hopefully with the answers to his problem.

  “You sure you’re going to be okay? You looked pretty bad after we got out of that storm.”

  He turned to see Mimerck looking at him with a sly smile. “I’ll be fine. It’s just I haven’t had to use one of those spells in a long time. I appreciate your concern.”

  “Well, I’m just making sure my investment is healthy enough to return home to pay me. You’re no good to me dead. That's why I’m going with you.”

  Neeza refused, “No, we need you on the ship until we can find some way to get you closer. I want the ship as close as we can get it in case we need to get out of here quickly.”

  “You still don’t trust me, do you?”

  Neeza responded, “Well, you did admit you were here for the gold.”

  Mimerck looked hard at Neeza before giving a hearty laugh. He didn’t understand what the captain had in mind. He normally didn’t take private ships, and this reminded him why. The captains tended to have agendas.

  He finally responded, “So I did. You afraid I’ll get the gold first and run? What good would it do me? Everyone knows I took you and the students. I’m certain there would be nowhere I could hide. If I was you, I would keep my focus on Moun
t Hrithgorn. I’m the least of your worries.”

  Mimerck looked toward the students, most of them already off the boat. Biverin was finishing his one bag, looking out of place as the other students at least had three each. Condarin and Vindar were helping each other with theirs. He could see the budding relationship with those two. Even their schools of magic complimented each other. He never discouraged two mages having feelings for each other during missions. After all, that was how he met Mierena. It was from that first time that had Neeza concerned for these two students. He nearly lost Mierena and himself on their first mission together. What if something happened to one or the other?

  Gerran had more map scrolls than anything in his backpack. It reminded him of his younger self a little, exception for the map part. He would spend hours in the library studying tomes and spell histories, trying to learn whatever he could. It was something he had tried teaching his daughter. He knew she went to the library as requested, but that was as far as it usually got.

  Dyenarus and Lindaris were probably the most prepared, as they packed their rations and tools in a certain order. She was obviously more polished at this point in her training, but Lindaris had such great potential. He made a good point earlier. Darcoul would often send his ‘troubled’ students on these missions. These expeditions were the best form of learning to use attack spells. If things went to plan, Neeza would be returning to Darcoul a much improved pupil. Time would tell.

  Let’s see, that is every . . . wait, where was Joakon? He finally saw him coming down the ramp carrying three large backpacks that made a noise of glass rubbing against each other with every step. The straps were loose and slipping from his shoulders, making it difficult to balance himself along with the other bags he carried. Condarin and Vindar saw his struggles and chuckled.

  Neeza commented, “Funny. I don’t remember seeing him bring all this on the ship before.”

  Mimerck cleared his throat and replied, “He was the first one at the docks. He loaded that before anyone else got there.”

  He continued to struggle with his bags full of alchemy potions. Dyenarus shook her head before looking at Lindaris. Oh, how much the Black magic mage would have loved to just watch Joakon try and get it right. This was the closest thing to entertainment they had in a few days. But Dyenarus’ nod told him it was probably best to help him. Being the faster of the two, he grabbed the two bags Joakon held in his right, while Dyenarus grabbed the other from his left, patting him on the shoulder. He still looked tired and disoriented, but thankful.

  Mimerck gave a heavy sigh and said, “Neeza, I wish you good luck. You’re going to need it.”

  ----------------------

  They journeyed throughout the afternoon, mainly under the shade of the tall trees. Neeza was always wondering on the boat trip how this part would turn out. Under normal circumstances, the mage students usually got along without a hitch. They were mainly from the same schools of magic and knew each other quite well. With exception of Condarin and Vindar, it appeared this group barely knew one another, if at all. It would have been better if they had because then the group would have an established unity and chemistry. Then again, this was definitely not one of those normal times.

  Neeza had to stop a few times to rest. He wasn’t tired because of the distance they walked so much as the travel was uphill. The island didn’t seem that high from the boat, yet it seemed like they never went downhill at all. They never realized the perspective of how high they were until they reached an open plains area offering a clear view of Mount Hrithgorn. They would have been about a third of the way up the mountain had they been climbing it.

  Neeza stopped to admire the mountain. It was much larger than he had anticipated. One couldn’t see the western set of islands barring the northern tip because of its gargantuan size. Gerran saw what he was doing and stopped next to him.

  “Looks so close, like you can almost touch it.”

  Gerran observed, “Sir, the sun is setting. We should find a suitable camp for the night.”

  Neeza agreed, “Yes, we will travel a little further until we find a good spot to make camp.”

  Gerran relayed the order to the students who moved ahead. Haldirin, who stood by, looked at Neeza and patted him on the shoulder before moving forward. He was definitely worried about his boss. His spirit was never stronger, but he was slowing down with his age. As he knew from painful experience, it was hard to convince a mage that they were getting too old to do things. Haldirin was certain he would probably be the same way when he got old and grey. One thing was certain: he was going to need to keep a tight watch on his boss’ health because Neeza wasn’t.

  Night hit an hour after they found a suitable place for camp. They chose a clearing near the top of the highest hill, located on the southern part of the island. Dyenarus was worried it would make them easily visible to anyone, but so far, they had not run into anybody. Many were even privately dismissing that there might be any locals living there.

  Biverin took care of the fire as well as getting food prepared and distributed. Neeza laughed it off at first, but having Biverin was a blessing. The farmer mage was a great cook, and more beneficial than that, he could spot poisonous plants and berries with just a glance. Without him, they might have either had some very sick mages or some very dead ones. He had just finished concocting a stew with some of the available plants and whatever he brought with. They were not likely to have a finer meal than this while they were here.

  Neeza sat near the edge, overlooking Mount Hrithgorn. It was three miles from the island they were on, but because of the atolls, it was going to be an obstacle getting to the elvish base in Hrithgorn, much less getting a ship there. One could see everything from their vantage point on the east side of the mountain. The island chain consisted of six large islands surrounding the infamous Mount. Atolls surrounded the inner circle and because they lacked a small boat, those were going to be their bridge toward their destination. From the look of it, they needed to reach the extreme south of the current island they were on to make it happen. That was the only part where he saw the land close enough for them to use.

  His focus once again returned to Hrithgorn. It seemed to growl at him, warning to abandon his quest. He knew he couldn’t. He had to see this mission through. It was going to take more than a parlor trick to scare this mage away. A quiet obsession was welling inside him as he refused to let the stories of the place deter his desire.

  “Are you all right, sir?”

  Neeza turned to see Haldirin, sitting next to him, “Yes, just thinking about what to do next.”

  “Sir, I will just say the words because I am concerned. Not just about this mission, but about you. Since you cast that spell on the boat you’ve been physically sluggish. Tiring faster than you normally would.”

  Neeza replied, “I appreciate your concern. The spell took a lot out of me, but what you are seeing is just age. You’ll understand when you reach it.”

  He stood up to walk toward the students, who were now sitting around a decent size campfire. He observed Neeza sit down, still in the distance so as to not intrude on their current conversations. Haldirin didn’t like Neeza's avoidance of his question. Of all the people on the mission, he was the one with the most to lose. He had to see that. His moving closer to the kids meant their conversation was over.

  At the campfire, the students were laughing as Biverin told a tale about his old teacher’s reaction to his deciding to become a farmer. Condarin and Vindar were sitting next to each, while Lindaris and Dyenarus sat on the other side. Gerran sat next to Biverin while Joakon sat opposite of the flame.

  Gerran finally said, “Great story! I never thought that about you. But you continue to surprise.”

  Vindar suddenly said, “Well, as we each come from different schools, I know each of our teachers taught us something unique. Don’t be afraid!”

  He started with a ricocheting light show. If the fire didn’t already draw anyone’s attention, tha
t would have. Condarin followed by casting butterflies of light that had a soothing feeling as they passed through everybody. Biverin showed his talents by planting a seed and having it grow nearly instantly. Gerran relied on his telekinetic powers to juggle four big stones, tossing them over the edge so they splashed in the water. Joakon used a couple of his mixtures, one that produced a heavy smoke and the other negated smell for a few moments. Dyenarus showed her skill by sitting up from behind a nearby log, revealing that they had been talking to a copy of her the whole time. Lindaris, however, refused to participate, thinking it a childish game they were playing. He learned Black magic so it would be destructive, not entertaining.

  When the laughter settled down after Dyenarus revealed her secret, Biverin finally asked, “I wanted to ask, since it seems everyone else knows more about it than I do. What happened here? In Mount Hrithgorn, I mean. I’m not in the schools anymore, so I’m not sure what the popular stories are. When I went there the tales involved a land of shadows to the east of the human lands.”

  Those tales were still prominent, but never proven. Quite frankly, it was never even worth exploring, at least in the eyes of the mages. There were no magical powers they could feel, and if they wanted to trade with the elves, their farthest trading partner, it was quicker by land or taking the Southern Route. The ones for Mount Hrithgorn began circulating for quite a few years as well, picking up more steam because of the rumors. As Dyyros didn’t do much trading outside Cordca, not even the humans had much desire to see if these tales had any validity to them. The mainland had everything each race needed. Someone would eventually find out, but most likely wouldn’t be in their lifetimes.

  Dyenarus replied, “Well, I mainly know it as a bard song that I heard as a youngling that I remember. Vindar, you have that flute with you that you were ever so doting about?”