Jeff Inlo - Pure Choice

He was in a strange home, created out of a mix of ebony magic and bizarre material originating from that twisted realm. Trees did not grow healthy and tall. They were warped and struggled constantly to survive. Any wood used to create the structure intrinsically held to an aggressive desire, and the delver could almost sense the hostility in every splinter.

Beyond the aggressive vibrations, Ryson seized upon every remnant of each visitor. He noted the lingering traces of the elves that had been abducted and brought to the house. There were several scent trails that he identified one by one. They were of varying age, one of which was fairly fresh.

He also realized the diversity of intriguing guests did not end with the seized elves. Others had been in the home quite recently as well, including human magic casters. He even noted the obvious signs of an infern, but he would not allow the thought of a half-demon to deter his search.

In fact, he clamped down with ferocity on his delver curiosity and forced any diversion from his mind. He separated the various trails, branded them in his mind, and removed any possible distractions from his attention. He narrowed his concentration on the various signs of the sorcerer. He followed them all and placed the movements in subsequent order.

Focusing ever clearer on everything he could sense, he quickly isolated the freshest trail. He knew Ansas had been in the house very recently, appeared to have left just before Enin transported them all to the dark realm. With that realization came another; Ansas had escaped, but only by the thinnest of margins.

Believing Ansas somehow knew they were coming, Ryson thought of the arasaps. Jure explained that the sorcerer's magic was inside the creatures. If so, it was possible Ansas could have used some magical link to witness the actions of anyone near Linda. That meant that the sorcerer could have been spying on them the entire time. Worse, Ansas was still using Linda, using her for his benefit… and causing Ryson even more pain.

He wouldn't allow it to continue, not for long. He followed the trail right out the door without advising anyone else where he was going.

"He left," Jure noted with a hint of surprise.

"It's okay," Enin reassured the elder wizard. "He's not in any immediate danger. There are no creatures in the vicinity. I checked. I believe they avoid this place out of fear."

"What if he finds Ansas outside? Should we let him face the sorcerer alone?"

"Don't worry. When I cast the teleportation spell, I linked myself to the magic within Ryson. When he comes in contact with Ansas, I'll know. Let him continue his search while we see what we can discover here."

Enin walked over to the shelves containing Ansas' magically written notes. He reviewed several and revealed both astonishment and disappointment.

"Amazing," the wizard acknowledged. "He has so much insight and yet at the same time he is so short sighted. He turns everything back on himself."

Jure took a handful of papers and perused the notes as well.

"What do you mean?" the elder wizard asked of Enin, hoping to gain a greater perspective of the sorcerer.

"Reading these, you would think his interest is entirely on the ebony energy, but there is a deeper revelation. He is consumed by the desire to influence the magic and he ignores how it might influence him. He regards himself as the sole manipulator, believing that the magic is here simply for his utilization. He places himself above everything, and that is both dangerous and foolish."

"Do you think he'll…"

Jure was not able to finish his question as Ryson rushed back through the main entrance.

"I found his trail," Ryson announced. "He was here right before we showed up. It's fresh, but he must have just left."

"Where does the trail lead?" Holli asked, wondering why Ryson would have abandoned the chase.

"That's the problem," Ryson revealed with growing frustration. "It just ends."

"He probably teleported himself or even opened a portal back to Uton," Enin offered. "But don't worry. He won't be able to get away. I will still be able to follow his trail. Show me what you have found."

But when Ryson brought Enin to the spot where the trail ended, the wizard could not find any trace of a magical path, no indication that a teleportation or portal spell had been cast anywhere near the area.

"Are you sure the trail ends here?" Enin asked of the delver.

"Positive. Look, you can see his footprints."

The tracks were visible to all, and they did, in fact, just stop, as if Ansas simply stepped into oblivion.

Holli bent down to examine the markings. She felt the harsh ground with her fingers, checked the depth of the prints. She waved her hand over the last footprint and watched the gray dust scatter slightly in the breeze she made with her palm.

After straightening up, she moved carefully forward, checking the ground at varying lengths away from the last tracks and in all directions. She felt the dirt in several other areas and then scanned the skies. She quickly returned to the delver. Even without finding further traces of the sorcerer, she did not wear an expression of confusion. She appeared to understand some hidden secret, but she needed to confirm her suspicions.

"Do you still have his scent?" the elf asked of Ryson

"Yes."

"Then there must be a scent trail that matches his tracks. Does that end?"

"What do you mean?"

"Forget about the other signs. Focus only on what you smell. Tell me if the scent trail ends at the same spot his tracks stop."

"Out here? It's difficult," Ryson admitted. "The stench is overpowering."

"Ignore it," Holli commanded. "I believe we can find him."

That was all the delver needed to hear. He crouched low and tried to find the scent of the sorcerer near his last markings in the ground. Ryson inhaled the thick, humid air in light and brief breaths. He narrowed in on Ansas' scent, even moved backward along the trail to confirm he had it.

Once certain, he moved forward again to the last set of tracks. As he did, he instinctively rose his head up from the ground and kept moving forward. He even took several leaps in the air as he continued away from the others. The last leap was a breathtaking jump high above the ground that revealed his stunning delver abilities.

Ryson turned back to his friends.

"His trail doesn't end. It goes up into the air."

"He flew," Holli nodded in agreement.

"You mean he flew like Enin can?" Ryson demanded of Holli.

Looking at the others, he realized that flying was no small accomplishment. Even Enin was apparently surprised by the revelation, but Ryson wasn't ready to give the sorcerer that kind of credit. He turned his attention back to Holli.

"I've seen you float over the ground. Couldn't he have just done that?"

"I am only able to cast momentary spells of levitation. There is a difference between levitation and flight. Trust me, he flew."

"This complicates things," Enin admitted. "He is more talented than I would have guessed."

Ryson didn't care about Ansas' talents. He wanted to find the sorcerer. He wouldn't be stopped no matter what spell the sorcerer cast.

"Can we follow the magical trail?" Ryson asked of the wizard.

"No, he did not use magic to affect space. He didn't compact it for teleportation and he didn't create a magical path for a portal. He just elevated himself and then flew off. It's not the same thing."

Ryson would not be deterred.

"It doesn't matter. He won't get away. I can still follow his scent trail. Even in the air." The delver looked to Enin with expectation in his glaring eyes. "You can fly and you can carry me with you. You've done it before. All you have to do is follow my directions and I'll tell you which way he went."