David Wells - Cursed Bones

“You have made a fatal mistake, Human,” Ixabrax said. “I’m hungry and in no mood to hunt.”

Faster than a blink, he snapped at Alexander, his fangs passing through the illusion and falling on empty air.

“What wizardry is this?” the dragon said, looking about warily.

“I’m Alexander Reishi. My sister freed you from your bondage and now she’s in need of your help.”

“And here you stand before me without standing before me,” Ixabrax said. “While I am in her debt, I’m in no condition to help her.”

“How were you injured?”

“I tried to free my sire,” Ixabrax said. “I bit down on his collar with all my strength and yet it held. He did this to me, though he could have done far worse. Even as we fought, I knew he was resisting the power of his collar with all his might.”

“If I can help you heal, will you help me free Abigail?”

Ixabrax’s eyes narrowed. “How would you heal me?”

“In truth, I’m not sure yet,” Alexander said.

Ixabrax chuckled, a deep rumbling coming from his belly.

“Another honest human,” the dragon said, “you and your sister are indeed cut from the same cloth. If you help me heal, then I will help you free your sister but only if you give me your word that you will then help me free my family. Her sword can cut the collars that bind them. I know of nothing else that can.”

“Bargain struck,” Alexander said. “Look for my people within the week.”

“How will I know them?”

“They’ll call you by name,” Alexander said, fading into the firmament.

His head hurt when he returned to his body, but less so. As he’d hoped, practice and experience were beginning to expand his ability to project an illusion over such vast distances.

By dark, his headache had subsided entirely. Not long after, a dragon in the form of a woman appeared at his door.

“I’m Tasia. Lady Bragador asked me to watch for your couriers. They have arrived.”

Two Sky Knights entered, looking a little pale.

“Lord Reishi, we’ve come as quickly as our wyverns could carry us,” the lead man said.

Alexander got up, leaning heavily on his cane, and hobbled to the strongbox. He removed a book, tied securely with a stout leather thong, and set it on the table before relocking the box.

“Take this book to Conner Ithilian in FellendenCity,” Alexander said. “Do not open it for any reason.”

As the man grasped the book, Alexander didn’t let go, but instead fixed the man with his blind eyes.

“Give me your oath that you will not permit this book to be opened,” he said.

“I swear on my life, Lord Reishi.”

“That’s good, because if you open this book you will surely die,” Alexander said. “Make haste and deliver it into Prince Conner’s hands and no other’s.”

“It will be done, Lord Reishi.”

Tasia escorted the knights back to their wyverns, then transformed into her true form, a magnificent iridescent silver dragon nearly as large as Bragador, and flew with them until they passed over the Spires on their way north to Fellenden. Alexander watched with his clairvoyance until they were clear of the dragons’ domain.

“Just one more piece to put into place,” Alexander said. “I think I’ll wait until tomorrow before I go to Blackstone. That conversation’s liable to take some time and I’m not looking forward to the aftermath.”

“So use your dream-whisper to set things in motion,” Jack said. “Blackstone should still have some Rangers sleeping in shifts to receive your messages.”

Alexander snorted, shaking his head. “I’d gotten so caught up in this new ability that I’d forgotten Blackstone is the one place where I can reliably send word without projecting an illusion. I’ll be back soon.”

He went to the message board first, disembodied awareness floating unnoticed in Kelvin’s workshop as his people toiled on a variety of projects. There were a number of messages for him:

1. Blackstone’s magic has failed. The heartstone is shattered.

2. Lucky has become a mage.

3. Wren has vanished, but we’re certain that she didn’t leave by crossing the bridge.

4. We’re moving the Wizard’s Guild to Glen Morillian.

5. Duane reports that the assassins assigned to kill Elred Rake have failed. Their heads were delivered to his sentries in a basket.

He floated there reading the messages over again, trying to make sense of all that had transpired. The news of the heartstone was grave and worrisome, yet expected.

Lucky’s ascension to mage was a triumph that had the potential to turn the tide of the entire war. His security had quite suddenly become of paramount importance.

He was happy to see that Kelvin had decided to relocate his guild to the relative safety of Glen Morillian and sad to hear that four more good people had died by his order in the attempt to kill Elred Rake.

Wren’s disappearance puzzled him. She was a beautiful and vibrant young woman, precious beyond measure for the simple fact that she was alive, but in the grand scheme of things, she was nothing more than a serving girl who’d befriended his wife and sister. Her disappearance troubled him, more for the inexplicability of it than anything else.

He faded into the firmament and thought of the waifish young woman. A moment later, his awareness coalesced over a small ship sailing south along the west coast of Ruatha near the GreatForest. He pushed into the ship, disembodied awareness floating among the crew. The men were pirates, but there were three among them that were more-two wizards and a wraithkin. Alexander avoided them and went into the hold of the ship.

He found Wren chained to a bulkhead. She was wrapped in a single thin blanket, shivering and crying softly.

Alexander materialized and knelt next to her, whispering her name softly. She looked up with a start, fear in her wide innocent eyes.

“Lord Reishi? Is that really you?”

“Yes and no,” Alexander said. “You’re seeing a projection of me. I’m not really here.”

“So you didn’t come to save me?” she sobbed.

“I just discovered you were missing,” Alexander said. “You have to believe me, I’m going to help you and you’re going to make it through this, but right now I need to know who took you and why.”

“I don’t know,” Wren said. “I was in bed when they came. It was dark. They gagged me and put a bag over my head. A wagon took me for a while, then they put me on a boat. I’ve been here ever since. They don’t talk to me, even when they bring me food. Why are they doing this to me?” she sobbed again, breaking down in tears.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out and I’m going to send help,” Alexander said. “I have to go now. I need you to be strong, Wren. Help is on the way.”

She nodded, sniffing back her tears as he vanished.

He shifted his awareness to Blackstone’s sleeping room in a blink. Three Rangers awaited his message. He slipped into the dreams of the nearest, manifesting on a battlefield as the Ranger fought to defend the walls of New Ruatha. The enemy was mounting a charge and Alexander could feel the fear and hopelessness of the Ranger as his nightmare threatened to overwhelm him.

Alexander imposed his will on the man’s dream and cleared the field of everyone save himself and the Ranger. The man was confused at first but gathered his wits quickly once the unreality of the dream set in and he remembered that he was the vessel for Alexander’s messages.

“Lord Reishi, I stand ready to deliver your orders.”

“Tell Mage Gamaliel to send all of the explosive weapons he has to the Gate immediately. I’ll have Lord Abel open it as soon as they arrive. Tell Mage Alabrand to prepare to leave for Glen Morillian in the morning. Instruct Captain Alaric to send a thousand Rangers to escort him, then tell Mage Gamaliel to send as many wizards as he can spare and all of the Sky Knights still in the Keep as well. Lucky must arrive there safely as soon as possible.