Jeff Inlo - Nightmare's Shad

Enin remained in the air and focused on the fires below. He knew Holli's concerns were justified. It went beyond saving her forest. Dark Spruce could not be allowed to be decimated by fire. It served many purposes and many creatures. To let it be destroyed so early in the war would be devastating.

He contemplated summoning rainstorms, but the fires were already burning hot. Rain would slow the spread, but would not consume the flames. He considered a flash flood. There were plenty of streams and creeks throughout the forest and major rivers to the north and east. He could expand the waters, redirect them with a focused spell, but would that serve his purpose? How much damage would the flood cause in the affected areas? It would save the majority of the forest, but he could not accept destroying such a large part in order to save the whole.

He turned his mind from water to air. That was his answer. If he could not douse the fires effectively and efficiently, he could starve them out. It would take more of his power, but the price was not so steep in comparison to that which would be gained.

He flew higher into the sky and stopped only when he could distinguish all of the fire as a single line through the forest. He cast his magically enhanced gaze along that line and burned the edges of each flame into his consciousness. He folded his hands in front of him as if in prayer and whispered words that would focus his energy over the element of air. White magic dropped from him like a long net and expanded as it fell down upon the burning forest.

As the magical energy struck flame, it enlarged into sheets. The flames hissed and fluttered, seeming to struggle against the powerful spell. It was, however, a battle that fire could not win. The air rushed from the flames and soon every fire was extinguished.

The forest was safe, but only for the moment. The goblins could simply start another blaze and threaten the trees once more. Enin needed to dissuade them from such an idea.

He grinned as an idea grew from his imagination. He felt it fitting.

With a spell in mind, he did not have to expend much of his own magical power. Instead, he allowed the energy to come from the forest itself. He made it a point not to modify the concepts of nature. It was not his place to change the aspects of life. He did not, however, find it beyond the scope of ethical integrity to offset Baannat's aggression against the forest with a suitable response. He did not truly alter the trees, did not give them consciousness. He simply utilized his mastery of the energy to allow the trees to defend themselves.

He cast his spell over much of the forest. It was more of animation than illusion, but the spell called on both properties. The result appeared subtle from above, as if nothing below had been changed at all.

The goblins down in the forest, however, met the effects with disbelief at first and then panic when they attempted to reset their fires.

Just as trees would grow toward the sun, search for open space, and send roots for deep water, they now moved branch and bough with great speed against goblin fire. Thick lush leaves batted out torches, and thick limbs swatted away goblins. It was as if powerful winds gave both intent and direction to low lying branches as the trees themselves fought back against every assault.

The goblins retreated in superstitious terror, wondering if the land was rising up to smite them. They scattered from their camps, trying to find refuge, but in the depths of Dark Spruce there was no sanctuary. They half expected the trees to dislodge themselves from the ground and chase them to their death, but not one uprooted itself.

Gaining only minimal courage, the goblins struck back with fiery crossbow bolts. If they could not light fires with torches, then they would rain flame down upon the forest with a volley of crossbow fire.

Once more Enin's spell allowed the trees to fight back. Swaying back and forth, heavy pine branches swallowed each bolt before it could embed itself in dead, dry wood or in the piles of dried and discarded needles. Flames were extinguished once more and the vast movement of the trees seemed to create an infinite sigh of exuberance.

Again, the goblins raced away, ran with disregard to any higher order. They headed westward to the far borders of Dark Spruce, toward the badlands where Enin's portal remained and away from the trees.

Confident the threat had passed for the moment, Enin turned his attention to other matters. Preparations were now vital. Holli would warn the elves and they would in turn assist in protecting the forest.

The trees, however, were not one of Baannat's true priorities. The slink ghoul had a mind to other targets, and they would have to be protected as well.

Ryson would be sent to the desert. That would be a problem in itself, but Enin believed it could be overcome. Many were at risk, one in particular, and that's where the delver would find issue.

Enin, however, had no real choice. Though he blinded himself to the destinies he could once see, he saw the direction laid out before him like lines on a map. He would have to make a stop at the ColadMountains before returning to Connel. As Baannat had warned, wars were made up of many battles. The fires were just the beginning. Enin had to prepare for many more encounters or discover a way to end the war before it began.

Upon the wizard's return to Connel, Enin needed to address his plans for Ryson in the most sensitive fashion possible. He sent word to recall the delver, Linda, and Sy Fenden to a private room at a small tavern near the edge of the city.

Before setting his plans in motion, the wizard took a brief moment to size up the city that was becoming his second home. He considered the history of the legends and how they played out in Connel. As he took one brief moment to stroll the perimeter of the inn before entering, he patted the ancient wall built by dwarves countless cycles ago.

The wall served as the barrier that protected the five races when spell casters and dark creatures aligned to take Ingar's sphere by force. It was built to deflect magic-spells cast by wizards and sorcerers to kill the innocent. The spell casters didn't care about right or wrong during that legendary battle. They only wanted the captured energy freed, but they were defeated at Connel. The sphere was taken to SanctumMountain, buried, and then forgotten.

In more recent history, the sphere was destroyed and the magic set loose once more, but the disgrace could not be forgotten-not by Enin nor by any other spell caster who arose to utilize the return of magic. He cursed the memory of now long dead wizards and sorcerers, despised their desire to remain relevant-powerful-even to a point of risking the very safety of the land. The stain of their selfishness may not have tainted the newly released magic with any poison, but it certainly left a bitter taste to any spell caster who now benefited by powers previously unimagined. It was an injustice that perhaps could be corrected.

Enin looked down the streets and alleys. Connel itself remained bustling with activity. The citizens of the city, as well as those new settlers willing to join in the burgeoning and lucrative trade with the dwarves, were not yet aware of the new threat. They certainly knew of Enin. Many didn't comprehend the full extent of his power, but with each day the inhabitants of Uton were growing more accustomed to magic. These people knew he placed his watchful eye over them, and the city's population grew because of that simple fact.

His involvement allowed Connel to revive from near devastation. He was not quite the leader of the city, more of a guiding patron, but his counsel and contributions brought stability and security.

He looked once more upon the intricate weave of stone that made up the wall around the city. It represented a connection between dwarves and humans, a strong tie between the races that existed in the past and that was being rekindled in the present. Connel was becoming a beacon of hope and a model that others could follow.