David Wells - Cursed Bones

He looked to the next cell over and saw the man she’d been traveling with … the man without a conscience. A frantic search of the room revealed that the little black box was stored in the footlocker against the wall, along with the rest of their belongings.

Puzzled, Alexander began to systematically search the ship. His alarm grew when he saw the banner of Zuhl flying on the mainmast. The men manning the ship were all big, brutish soldiers, wearing furs and carrying crude, but effective-looking weapons. Then he saw something he didn’t expect, something that nearly made him lose his focus-a wraithkin. He would recognize the colors of Phane’s created agents anywhere, man mixed with darkness.

But why would Zuhl have a wraithkin aboard?

It made no sense.

He searched more carefully, scrutinizing the men, one by one. When he saw the Regency crest tattooed on the arm of one of the men, his puzzlement grew. Phane and Zuhl wouldn’t be in league with each other. Zuhl would never agree to it and Phane would double-cross Zuhl the moment the opportunity presented itself.

As he was floating there, trying to solve the mystery, a sailor walked straight up to him, as if he could see him, and smiled.

“Hello, Alexander,” he said, his voice not quite human, his colors altogether inhuman, “so nice of you to visit.”

“Rankosi?”

The sailor’s smile broadened.

“The keystone is nearly in my grasp,” Rankosi said, “and there’s nothing you can do about it. All I have to do is wait for Phane’s ruse to play out,” he said, motioning to the rest of the crew, “and I’ll have my prize. What’s that? Oh, I almost forgot … you can’t speak.”

Rankosi walked away laughing.

Alexander rose into the sky until he could see the ship. It was sailing in a circle in the ocean between Ithilian, Fellenden, and Tyr. He returned to his body, confused and disturbed.

“I can say for certain that she’s on a ship in the open ocean due west of here,” Alexander said. “The rest is less clear.”

“How so?” Jack asked.

“The ship is manned by Regency soldiers pretending to be Zuhl’s barbarians,” Alexander said. “Lacy is in the brig. There’s a wraithkin onboard. And the shade is there as well.”

“The shade is on that ship, with the princess and the keystone?” Bragador asked, slightly alarmed.

Alexander nodded, frowning.

“Why hasn’t he taken the keystone?” Jack asked.

“That’s a very good question,” Alexander said. “Maybe it has something to do with the box. Mage Jalal said he couldn’t see the keystone, even though he was able to locate the other two. Maybe the box won’t open for the shade.”

“Mage Gamaliel might know more,” Jack said.

“Probably,” Alexander said. “I’ll see if I can send him a message.”

“For now, its location is sufficient,” Bragador said. “I’ll dispatch Aedan to retrieve Princess Lacy and the keystone at once.”

“Who’s Aedan?” Alexander asked.

“He’s the dark green dragon that met you when you first arrived,” Bragador said. “He’s well suited to the task.”

“Lacy is innocent in all of this,” Alexander said. “Please don’t harm her.”

“Of course,” Bragador said, getting up to leave.

Anja looked at her, then back at Alexander before curling up at the foot of his bed and closing her eyes.

Bragador stopped at the door, frowning slightly at her daughter before she left.

Alexander stared at the ceiling while the frustration of his predicament built in his gut. The world was fighting a war that he was supposed to be leading and he was helpless to act. He’d failed to retrieve the keystone … for the second time. And Isabel had left him. The last remaining shade was aboard the ship with the third and final keystone, his last chance to quickly end the threat of the Nether Gate, and he still didn’t understand the game Phane was playing.

Why send soldiers pretending to serve Zuhl to capture Lacy when he could have just as easily brought her to Karth in chains? Alexander had too many questions and too few answers.

Then there was Siduri. He didn’t know what to make of him, didn’t know if he should believe him … and yet he did. As fantastical as his story was, Alexander believed every word of it, and that scared him even more. He wanted to talk to Jack about the first adept but that would only give rise to questions within the inquisitive mind of his friend, questions that he couldn’t answer.

He needed counsel, so he decided to turn to the only people he could trust to remain absolutely silent about his experience-the sovereigns.

“I’ll be a while,” Alexander said, as he touched the Sovereign Stone.

He briefed the Reishi Council thoroughly, leaving nothing out since he last spoke to them. He told them of the contents of the Wizard’s Den, the trip to Tyr, the addition of the Reishi Protectorate to his ranks, the destruction of Zuhl’s shipyards, the seven ships that managed to escape, the battle with the wraithkin and the pirates, the recovery of the Tyr Thinblade, his wound by wraithkin dagger, Anja, the loss of Mindbender, his uneasy alliance with Bragador, finding the blood of the earth, and his disturbing conversation with Siduri. Finally he told them about Isabel. He saved that information for last, not because it was the most important item on his very long list, but because it was the most painful.

When he finished, he sat back and hung his head, Isabel’s absence once again threatening to overwhelm his composure. He understood why she left, might have done the same if he were in her shoes, but none of that undid the empty feeling it left inside him.

The table was silent for several moments.

“Much has transpired,” Balthazar said.

Alexander nodded.

“Perhaps we should set aside those things about which we have no insight to offer,” Balthazar said.

Alexander nodded again.

“The destruction of Zuhl’s shipyard is a victory,” the First Sovereign said. “His escape with seven ships is a defeat. The recovery of the Tyr Thinblade, your wound, the newfound loyalty of the Reishi Protectorate, and Isabel’s decision to leave require no counsel. That leaves a long list of things we can offer you advice about.”

“May we start with Mindbender?” Constantine asked, sitting forward with interest.

“Sure, but I’m not sure there’s much to discuss,” Alexander said. “In fact, I’d add that to the defeat column.”

“I’m not so certain,” Constantine said.

“Nor am I,” Darius said. “Please describe the destruction of the sword in detail.”

Alexander told them about the battle with the pirate wielding the Thinblade, how he’d been distracted by the crossbow bolt to the shoulder at just the wrong moment, how the ancient, sentient sword had been cleaved in two, and finally, about the lights that played across the cavern walls before seemingly soaking into him.

“You say the light expanded to fill the cavern?” Dominic asked.

“And then collapsed into you?” Constantine added.

“That’s the way I remember it,” Alexander said.

They looked at each other.

“If I might,” Balthazar said. “A phrase from your conversation with Siduri caught my attention. He said ‘a link with source requires a place to reside.’ Is that correct?”

“I believe so,” Alexander said. “What are you getting at?”

Balthazar looked to his son Dominic, who nodded. Then to Constantine, who nodded as well.

“It may be that the magic of Mindbender, or more precisely, Benesh Reishi’s link with the firmament, now resides within you,” Balthazar said.

“How can that be?” Alexander asked.