Jeff Inlo - Nightmare's Shad

The magic that surrounded Jure moved entirely at his whim. The perfection of the circle remained undeniable. The depth of his magical energy might not match hers, but his control remained far superior.

"Yes, you will listen. I may not be able to tap into energy that is open to you, but I control what is within me. If I have to force you, I will, and all of the power that is within you won't be enough to stop me."

Heteera cringed. He was right, she could not defeat him. His focus was beyond her, and though he did not cast with pure white magic, it was close enough to offset anything she could throw at him. Unwilling to risk a confrontation she believed would end badly for her, she attempted to restrain the magic, to pull it back within her.

To her growing dismay, the energy flowing freely would not be so easily contained. She fought to suppress it, but it surged around Heteera, burned white hot. It began to pulsate on its own, fighting against the sorceress' will. In one bright flash, a large portion of the freed magic exploded outward.

Three walls of the store shattered into pieces. The fourth wall fell over flat. Shelves broke apart and flew in every direction. The enormous piles of upended dust created a brown cloud that followed the wave of power out into the empty streets.

The explosion did not harm Jure, did not touch him in any fashion. The white ring of magic that surrounded him deflected the explosion of force away from his being. It did, however, bring clarity to the situation. He knew Heteera was more of a potential threat than a possible benefit to their cause.

Heteera stared at the destruction. Her head drooped downward upon her shoulders as she felt absolute failure fall upon her. As she finally contained the remaining force within her-which was still substantial enough to destroy the entire town as it destroyed the store-she pointed out her own failings as further reason for him to leave her alone.

"Did you see? There's too much power."

"And that's why we need you," Jure stated. "You will help us, but I realize you are right. It will take more than you can offer on your own."

Right or wrong, he didn't ask for her consent. He knew if he did, it would serve to warn her, and her power might offset his attempt. He quickly developed the spell in his mind and cast it upon hers.

Heteera failed to react. Before she even understood what he was doing, a wall of magic formed between her consciousness and the magical energy within her. The very meaning of existence changed for her.

She remained in control of her body. She could speak and she could move. Her arms and legs moved as they always did. An untrained eye would have noticed absolutely nothing different in her condition, but she could no longer tap into the magic within and around her in any fashion.

Beyond that, the wall hampered her in other ways. All of her creativity shutdown. The barrier cut off her imagination. If she had been asleep, she would not dream. The world around her turned black and white, no color existed in anything she saw. Her emotions dried up as well. She felt no sadness, no joy, no fear, no delight. Physically, she remained as she was, but mentally, she went numb.

Jure sighed. Looking at her, she appeared capable of completing any menial task, but there was a vacancy within her. The dilemma painted her expression with complete indifference. With the wall intact in her mind, she had lost her will as well as her insecurities. With that, he had accomplished exactly what he set out to do. She was now a reservoir of vast energy, energy that could be tapped and utilized against their enemies. He guided her back toward Holli.

#

"So you instructed your forces to go on the defensive?" Ansas asked out of simple curiosity-nothing more. "Would you care to explain the tactical reasoning behind that decision?"

Holli had expended nearly all of her energy. What remained available to her could not scorch a garden spider. She was also alone when Ansas appeared. Jure and Heteera remained out of her sight. All she could do was delay the dark sorcerer who simply walked up to her and introduced himself.

"You demonstrated the ability to cast a deadly spell utilizing faint trails of previous magic incantations," Holli offered, as if speaking to an opposing general regarding strategies of a past conflict. "I had to break my connection with them or you could have used it as a path to every spell caster here."

"That doesn't really answer the question," Ansas stated with a hint of impatience. He walked past the elf guard with complete disregard. He looked into the home overflowing with trees from the spell Holli cast to destroy the rock beetles.

"Nice," he allowed. He then examined the steps leading up to the house. Without looking up, he demanded greater explanation. "I asked why you put your forces on the defensive, not why you cut off your communications."

"Without the proper links of communication, I lacked the ability to coordinate any counter attack against you. I left them vulnerable. When attack is no longer a viable option, the focus must turn to defense and possible retreat."

Ansas sat down on a wooden step and picked at a weed. He inspected it as if it held more importance than the elf he questioned.

"Your conclusion is sound, but I don't agree with your premise. Attack remained viable. There are still a great many sorcerers and wizards within the town, though one of your more powerful has left."

"Neltus?"

"Yes. Anyway, you could have ordered the others to attack any threat at will. I passed many of them on my way to you. They are all very powerful, not that it would have helped them, but they could have caused me to expend energy."

"An uncoordinated attack against a superior opponent is hardly ever the best strategy. I would lose assets."

"Sometimes you have to sacrifice assets to weaken an opponent."

"Only if you can weaken him sufficiently that it creates opportunities for attack. Otherwise, it is a waste."

"And you don't like to waste resources?"

"I'm defending an abandoned town with limited assets. My opponent-and I'm referring to Baannat, not you-appears to have near unlimited resources."

"You think Baannat is the true threat?"

"He sent you."

It was the second time Ansas was accused of being nothing more than a stooge for the slink ghoul. He was growing tired of that assertion.

"Only because I wished to come."

Holli considered the full meaning of Ansas' reply and wished to confirm the underlying significance.

"You could have refused?"

"Absolutely."

"Interesting."

"In what way?"

Holli explained fully, without concealing her theories. The truth would not assist her adversary, and it would buy her additional time.

"Enin went out searching for the most powerful spell casters in the land. He sought out those who would be able to offset powerful enemies. You are clearly a capable sorcerer. If you were not under Baannat's influence, I would have thought Enin would have contacted you. He did not, for he told me that no one denied his request to assist Pinesway. Enin must have sensed you were already under Baannat's power."

Ansas sighed. Dealing with such petty observations was clearly beneath him. He threw away the weed in his hand and then occupied himself by strumming his fingers on the wood step he sat upon. He explained not out of a desire to clarify things to Holli, but out of a hope to escape boredom.

"Perhaps your mentor did not fully explore all the possibilities. Enin went into the desert looking for spell casters. I left the desert. It was not the right place for my power. I went into the dark realm to fully concentrate on the black energy. It was only there, in a place without light and without hope, that I could keep my focus on my inherent elemental bond."