Jeff Inlo - Nightmare's Shad

Enin nodded, but failed to see the significance.

Jure scratched the top of his head and his fingers ran through the slightly graying hairs. He began to see a solution that would solve the question of the interrupted magic as well as to Enin's inability to sense it.

"Maybe the first spell wasn't completely dismissed. That could be your answer."

Enin raised an eyebrow, but cast doubt on the assertion.

"The first portal was closed. Of that I'm sure."

Again, Jure did not wish to contradict the more experienced wizard, but he saw something in the sequence of events that fit together.

"I'm sure it was closed, but that doesn't necessarily mean the spell was completely gone."

"What exactly do you mean?"

"Even if the first portal was closed, the spell that created it was clearly unstable. Remnants of that spell could have been caught in…" Jure paused to try and find words to complete his thought. "Not a plane of existence, but something just the opposite. How do I explain it? A stable portal would create a passage through a veil that would bridge two realms, exist in both at the same time, but an unstable gateway would drift both in and out of existence."

This awoke a deeper consideration for Enin. He thought of his meeting with Baannat and the slink ghoul's explanation of restoration. Baannat was not quite whole, not in body or in spirit, but there was something more to it than that.

In and out of existence!

That was how Enin sensed Baannat in the dark realm. Indeed, the slink ghoul was not whole, but it went beyond not regaining the full measure of his body or the full power of his magical ability. Baannat was not hiding in some distant dimension. He was in the dark realm, but at the same time, he wasn't.

"Give me a moment," Enin requested.

Jure complied without argument.

As Enin walked about, he thought of Baannat; perhaps trapped in a veil between realms, or hiding in that same veil… not in an envelope of magic, not in a chamber created between dimensions, but actually in the curtain that already exists between the two. He was killed in a pocket of magic, but dark creatures removed his body to the dark realm. The envelope of magic Baannat created dissolved, but the veil between dimensions would always exist.

That was where Baannat was! That's why Enin's spell of destruction failed to obliterate the slink ghoul.

It also explained why Enin could not close his own portal. Portions of Heteera's spell were trapped in the veil. Her portal was closed, but remnants of the spell remained and attached themselves to the new rift. Enin's spell was not completely his own. He had reenergized remnants of Heteera's portal, and thus, the portal could be claimed by Baannat who had his own link to Heteera.

Enin smiled upon Jure.

"You have done well. You have opened my eyes. We have a chance to stop this."

"I'm not exactly sure what I've done," Jure confessed, "but you spoke of a debt?"

"Yes, I did… a debt of all spell casters. I was referring to the time before SanctumMountain, the time when Ingar first created the sphere. Spell casters actually fought against every race to prevent the sphere from being entombed. They aligned with the dark creatures because they wanted the sphere freed for their use. They did not want the magic removed from the land."

"The legend of Shayed," Jure responded. "The elf sorceress fought with the races as the only spell caster determined to see the sphere buried in SanctumMountain."

Enin nodded with a smile.

"It is good to see you are studying the lore along with practicing your spells. You truly are expanding your knowledge. But we have to face the full truth. The other spell casters fought on the side of selfishness. That is a mistake that all spell casters carry with them. The magic has returned and we all have a chance to repay the debt. That, however, applies to magic casters who have not yet done their part. You have already paid your portion. I will request no more of you."

Jure beamed, but only for a moment. He could not take pride in such a small offering. He had lived long enough to know that life was a continual test and he didn't wish to sit on the sidelines. He sensed the coming storm, the chaotic tremors that broke through the portal in the distance. He could not stand by as an observer as if he made his full contribution. It wasn't enough.

"Maybe you don't want to request my help, but I want to offer it."

Once more, Enin could not help but notice the strong aura of compassion bubble from the spell caster. As much as he wanted Jure to help fight this war, for it was character and strength of spirit that would be needed to defeat Baannat, he could not dismiss what Jure already contributed. It might have seemed a small offering in the eyes of the spell caster, but to Enin, it was a grand revelation and perhaps a key to avoiding all hostilities.

"I will not deny your assistance would be most helpful, but where I have been willing to pressure other spell casters into offering their aid, I will not make such demands on you. I must make it clear to you that you no longer have any obligation to me."

"Then think of me as a volunteer as opposed to a recruit," Jure stated. "Look, I don't want to overstep my bounds. I'll do whatever you ask of me, but I'd rather be part of an army than standing out here alone. Really, I want to help."

"Very well. Accompany me to Pinesway. I have summoned dozens of spell casters already. When we return, I will make my plans clear."

He did not want harm to come to the algors, he wanted to help them, but Ryson's heart and mind remained in the mountains with Linda. After leaving Enin and letting the wizard deal with Neltus, he made the trek to the algor den as quickly as caution would allow. He wished to alert them to the danger, encourage them to accept the help of the dwarves, and then turn his attention back to his true concerns.

When he reached the sandstone cliffs dotted with tunnel openings the algors used as shelter, he found little amiss. Most of the tailless, lizard-like creatures acknowledged him as any other algor. For the most part, they went about their business. They revealed no curiosity to his appearance and no exuberance to his arrival, nor did they show any dismay as if he was an uninvited guest or an unwelcome invader. The greeting as a whole ranked somewhere between comfortable acceptance and simple indifference.

Most of the upright, green-scaled algors acted as if just another one of their kind had returned from a long absence in the desert. It was a very common occurrence. Algors came and went with casual frequency. They ventured out into the wasteland in search of isolation and then returned back to the fold, to rejoin the community as if they had never been away.

The difficulty Ryson now faced was getting their full attention and conveying his message. There was no council for him to advise, no royal family to meet, no single commander of an army to warn. The algors existed in a bizarre split between complete individualism and a hive-like belonging with no queen. All held equal standing. There was no leadership, and thus, he had to speak to them all, or at least to as many as possible.

He considered shouting out to the tunnels, but decided against it. He was slowly beginning to understand the collective thinking of the algors and decided to use that in his favor. One after another, to every algor that passed, he made one simple request.

"I need to speak with all of you. I will remain here until you've gathered. Please spread the word."

His attempt did not meet with complete success. Some of the algors ignored him, just ventured off into the desert alone, as if they suddenly decided they didn't want to be part of whatever he had to say. Others decided they would listen, but felt no need to communicate the message to others. They made an individual choice and felt no need to include others. These algors simply gathered around Ryson and waited patiently.