Cursed Bones

chapter 13



Alexander continued to work on mastering his magic, alternately using his clairvoyance as the sovereigns had instructed, looking into the very nature of the substance around him and attempting to see the world and more as a whole. He came to understand the nature of things more intuitively, learning how substance held together and how the world revolved around the sun.

He meditated on the basic building blocks of substance, watching them interact with one another, trying to understand why they behaved as they did. It was a subject he found his mind returning to with maddening frequency. He had other things to attend to that were far more pressing than such an academic pursuit, yet he felt drawn to it, almost compelled to understand this infinitesimal new world he’d discovered.

Periodically, he would float in the firmament, calling out to Siduri, but he never heard even a hint of reply. At times he wondered if Malachi had been right, if Siduri had just been a projection, but then he thought about his conversation with the first adept and remembered his colors, vibrant and subtle, refined and complex, like nothing else Alexander had ever encountered. That fact, more than anything else, convinced him that Siduri was real. Given his eccentric nature, it was likely that he’d said everything he had to say and saw no value in making a second appearance to reiterate his warnings.

Besides, Alexander was in no position to use the blood of the earth anytime soon. The more he thought about it, the more he doubted the wisdom of proceeding with his plan to create the potion. If Siduri’s warning had given him pause, the sovereigns’ warning had unnerved him. As much as he wanted to save Isabel, he knew she would never countenance him risking the world of time and substance for her.

He came to believe as the sovereigns did, that such power was better left alone, yet he couldn’t bring himself to even consider returning the tiny sample of the blood of the earth that he’d collected. To do so would be to cut off that option, that one precious chance to save Isabel. Even though reason told him he could never risk it, his heart told him to hold on to that hope in the event that all else failed.

Hector and Horace departed on a small boat rowed by Bragador herself. She took them to the coast of Lorraine and left them to their own devices to find passage to Karth, a task they both expressed supreme confidence in their ability to accomplish. Alexander felt much better knowing that help was on the way, that Isabel wouldn’t be totally alone in enemy territory. It was small comfort, given her situation, but he would take what comfort he could.

Anja grew quickly, spending more time with her mother, feeding and flying until she was nearly her full size. When Alexander expressed his astonishment at how quickly she had grown, Bragador just smiled knowingly, taking pride in her daughter. Anja still came by to see him, though much less frequently as Bragador placed heavier demands on her time. Alexander was both relieved and saddened. He’d become very fond of the young dragon and enjoyed her company.

Alexander finally succeeded at projecting a still image of himself during clairvoyance. His illusion appeared inside his Wizard’s Den and lasted for only an instant, but it was enough to confirm Alexander’s hope that he could use his illusions at will through his clairvoyance. The possibilities left him breathless. He could act to help his friends and allies even while confined to his bed.

“I saw you appear for just an instant, then you flickered and disappeared,” Jack said when Alexander opened his eyes.

“Really? I wasn’t sure if you could see it,” Alexander said.

“You appeared right over there,” Jack said, pointing, “although, I think you might want to work on the details. Now that I think about it, you didn’t look quite right—no Thinblade. The details matter.”

“I’m just happy to have confirmation that I can use my illusions in conjunction with my clairvoyance,” Alexander said. Then he froze, his blind eyes staring straight ahead, as he used his all around sight to scrutinize an area of the room that had begun to look unusual.

It started as a plane of color floating in the air near the ceiling, oval in shape. As it became clearer, Alexander could see a face through a window looking into his Wizard’s Den. He could hardly breathe as realization filled him with trepidation and fear. What had he said in the preceding months? What secrets had he revealed?

Through a window in the fabric of the world itself, he saw Phane watching him like a bug in a jar. Jataan had said that Phane had powerful ways of gathering information, but Alexander had never questioned the Commander on the details, an oversight that he now sorely regretted.

Then it hit him. He was seeing Phane as the Reishi Prince looked at him through his magic mirror. The implications were staggering. How long had the prince been spying on him? On his companions and allies? No wonder Phane always seemed to be a step ahead.

Alexander wasn’t the only one with the ability to see.

“My Love, the draft is making me cold. Could you close the door so I can get warm?” Chloe said out loud.

“Of course, Little One,” Alexander said just before he willed the door to his Wizard’s Den closed. The moment it shut, the window in the fabric of the world vanished, along with Phane.

“Phane was watching us,” Alexander said. “It looked like he was peering through a window right over there.”

Jack stood up, looking around uncomfortably. “Dear Maker, there’s no telling what he’s learned. Is this the first time you’ve seen him?”

“Yes, but I have no way of knowing if this is just a new ability or if this is the first time he’s watched us,” Alexander said.

“Let’s assume it’s a new ability,” Jack said, sitting down again. “What have we told him?”

“He’s got to know that Isabel’s on Karth,” Alexander said. “He probably also knows that Hector and Horace are on the way. They’re in trouble.”

“He also knows you can cast illusions through your clairvoyance,” Jack said with a sigh, “so much for the element of surprise.”

“But he doesn’t know that I can see him,” Alexander said. “We can use that.”

“How, My Love?” Chloe asked.

“It’s risky, but it might give us an option later,” Alexander said.

“What do you have in mind?” Jack asked.

“When the Wizard’s Den first opened, there were a number of magical books inside,” Alexander said. “Two in particular might be used to lure Phane into a trap. Both are in that strongbox.” Alexander pointed to the heavy steel box in the corner.

“Only a few people know about these books, and I’d like to keep it that way. If either fell into the wrong hands, the results could be disastrous.”

“Well, you certainly have my attention,” Jack said.

“The first book will draw the mind of anyone who reads even a single word of it into the netherworld, to be lost forever.”

“A trap,” Jack said.

“One set by Malachi for Phane should his wayward son murder him and claim the Stone,” Alexander said.

“What a twisted way to live,” Jack said, shaking his head sadly.

“The second book is even worse. It contains a spell that transfers one’s soul into a specially prepared item, effectively killing the caster, yet animating his corpse at the same time. The result is an undead version of the caster that can’t be killed without destroying the item containing his soul. Malachi was trying to become immortal.”

“Dear Maker,” Jack and Chloe whispered at the same time.

“So you want to let Phane know that this book exists and then trick him into reading the other one, the one that sucks his mind into the darkness,” Jack said.

Alexander nodded.

“That’s risky. If he ever got his hands on that undead book, there’d be no stopping him.”

“I know, but it might be the best chance we have to kill him,” Alexander said. “Let’s face it, my magic will never be a match for his head-on.”

“That’s a terrible gamble,” Jack said.

“You should destroy that book right now,” Chloe said.

“I know, on both counts, but I just can’t bring myself to do it,” Alexander said. “I can’t explain it, but for some reason I think it might become vitally important later.”

“Hmm … I wouldn’t bet against your insight,” Jack said. “For all we know, your magic could be giving you that feeling. But the thought of an immortal and unkillable Phane running around the Seven Isles for all eternity is beyond insanity.”

“I know,” Alexander said, “but this is the first time I’ve been able to see a way to actually kill him. How can I pass up that chance?”

“Maybe you don’t pass it up,” Jack said, “maybe you put it off until you’re healed. The moment Phane gets a whiff of that book, he’ll send everything he can muster after it and you’re not exactly in fighting form right now.”

“You’ve got a point there,” Alexander said, closing his eyes and considering his options. “I guess it wouldn’t hurt to wait. I’m sure there’ll be other opportunities to set the ruse in motion.”

“I really think that’s for the best,” Jack said. “In the meantime, what should we do about Phane’s snooping?”

“If you see me tap my finger three times, it means he’s watching us,” Alexander said. “For now, let’s be careful what we say and have any important discussions inside the Wizard’s Den with the door closed.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Jack said.

“Why don’t you start a fire?” Alexander said. “I don’t want Phane to know I can see him watching us … and I closed the door because Chloe was cold.”

Jack smiled and winked at Chloe before going to the hearth and stacking up logs over a bed of tinder and kindling. Once the fire was burning brightly, Alexander opened the door to the Wizard’s Den.

He was surprised to see a young woman standing a few feet away, looking around with a mixture of curiosity and sadness. She was startled when the door opened, then she smiled broadly when she saw Alexander.

She was just over five feet tall, thin, not quite a woman yet. Her coppery red hair was cut short, flaring out just over her shoulders, and tiny freckles spread across her nose and cheeks. Her golden eyes reminded Alexander of his own.

“There you are, Alexander,” she said.

He stared incredulously, focusing his all around sight on her intently. He’d never seen her before, yet her colors were unmistakable.

“Anja?”

“Do you like the way I look?” she asked, a bit self-consciously.

“You’re beautiful … but how?”

“She snuck into the Temple of Fire and used its power to cast a shapeshift spell … without permission,” Bragador said, striding purposefully into the cavern.

Anja looked down sheepishly, like she was trying to disappear.

“What have you to say for yourself?” Bragador asked her daughter.

After a moment, she looked up defiantly. “I wanted to be able to talk to Alexander,” she said. “I can’t make human words with my real mouth yet, and I have so many questions.”

“Why didn’t you come to me and ask for permission?” Bragador asked.

“Because I knew you’d say no,” Anja said.

“You are but a child,” Bragador said. “Your ability to wield magic is limited for a reason. In time, you will grow into your power. Until then, it is very dangerous to attempt to cast spells without guidance.”

“But why? It didn’t seem that hard.”

“That’s because the Temple of Fire was acting as a buffer between you and the firmament,” Bragador said. “Without it, attempting such a spell would surely cost you your life.”

“I still don’t understand,” Anja said. “When you cast a shapeshift spell, it doesn’t hurt you.”

“I am several centuries old,” Bragador said, “you are a child.”

Anja fixed her mother with a defiant scowl, still refusing to accept her answer.

Bragador continued in a more measured tone. “Dragons can access the firmament much like human wizards, but without the need to undergo the mana fast because we are innately magical creatures. Unfortunately, the firmament still tugs at our psyche as it does with humans, and we can become lost in the limitless potential just as easily, especially if we’re careless.” She fixed Anja with a stern glare before going on. “You must learn to master the passion that only a dragon can know and temper it with stillness of mind before you’ll be ready to cast spells on your own. Until then, you risk your life each time you link with the firmament.”

Anja swallowed, nodding a few times before looking down at the ground.

“Where did you even find a shapeshift spell, Child?” Bragador asked.

“There’s a big pile of books in the treasure chamber,” Anja said, suddenly excited. “Most of them are boring, but a few are really interesting.”

“I’ll have to have a closer look at those books,” Bragador said.

Anja frowned, suddenly realizing that she’d given away too much.

“Come, Child, release the spell and return to your true form,” Bragador said.

“No! Please let me stay like this for a while,” Anja begged. “I have so many questions. I just want to talk with Alexander for a while. Please?”

Bragador let out an exasperated sigh, looking to Alexander for his approval.

“On one condition,” Alexander said. “Promise me that you won’t go behind your mother’s back again.”

“I promise,” Anja said.

Bragador gave her a fond smile, before turning to Alexander. “Don’t reveal too much to her, she’s just a child, after all, and far too young to bear the weight of the world.”

They spent the evening talking. Jack regaled them with stories of their adventures over the past year, told with mastery and more than a little exaggeration. Anja laughed and gasped in surprise and asked a thousand questions. Alexander answered her honestly in every instance, with Chloe adding detail as the opportunity presented itself. They deliberately shied away from some of the darker moments they’d experienced, sticking to their victories and focusing on the happy moments.

Anja wanted to know everything about Alexander’s childhood, what it was like growing up on a ranch, how he met Isabel and if she was worthy of him, what his parents were like, even what he liked to eat. She was fond of large fish, preferably whole.

She cried when he told her of his brother’s murder and cried again when he told her about his wedding. She cheered when he won the Thinblade and gasped in surprise when Jataan P’Tal abruptly switched sides because the Sovereign Stone bonded to Alexander. She sat on the edge of her seat with childlike wonder and limitless exuberance, hanging on every word of their stories.

And then she stopped, cocking her head to the side and looking at his wounded leg.

“How were you injured?” she asked, pointing at his leg.

“Perhaps another time,” Alexander said, as a knowing came over him … Bragador was coming.

“But I want to know, Alexander,” Anja said. “You haven’t told me why you came here or how you got hurt.” She frowned, dark and angry. “Someone did this to you, didn’t they?”

“Indeed, Child,” Bragador said, entering the Wizard’s Den quietly. “Thieves stole into our home and took you, attempted to use you as a bargaining chip against me. They demanded that I kill Alexander or they would kill you. And I meant to meet their demand.” She fixed her daughter with a look of dreadful purpose. “And though I hunted him, he found you before I found him and he protected you against those who took you from me, protected you from their blade with his own flesh. Alexander saved your life before you took your first breath, and that is why I have permitted him to remain among us. As a rule, humans are not permitted within the ring of the Spires, though we do make exceptions from time to time.”

“You were hurt protecting me? But why? You didn’t even know me. I wasn’t even hatched yet.”

Alexander smiled gently before answering. He realized in that moment that he had come to love this whelp of a dragon, masked in human form by a spell beyond her ability and so full of life that she was practically overflowing with it.

“I protected you because you’re alive,” Alexander said, “because you have a right to your life, because you are innocent and those who would have harmed you are not. I protected you because you were a child in harm’s way and I had the power to do so.”

She rushed to him, then stopped abruptly so that she could hug him gently. “Thank you, Alexander,” she said.

“You’re most welcome, Anja.”

She stopped at the doorway as she was leaving with her mother and turned back to him.

“I love you,” she whispered.

“I love you, too,” Alexander said.

He saw Bragador close her eyes in pain for just a brief moment before she slipped past the edge of the doorway and into the dark of the cavern.