Michael Manning - The Archmage unbound

It smiled again in its disturbing way. “I see you might be civilized. I propose we exchange questions, one for one, until one of us refuses to answer.”

I gnawed my lip in uncertainty, but eventually I came to a decision. “Fine, answer my first question and I will exchange questions and answers with you.”

“Which part of that question?” it asked me cleverly.

“All of it, in both senses, if you would show good faith in this game,” I shot back immediately.

Timothy frowned, “You drive a hard bargain but I will answer, even though that is truly two answers. Timothy, the human boy became this way when Millicenth drew his spirit out and opened the way from the void for me to enter. She did this using the man you know as Father Tonnsdale as her agent, what you would call a ‘channeler’.” It paused after that, as if unsure how to continue.

The statement that Millicenth, the goddess of the dawn had been directly involved in the recreation of the shiggreth was a shock to me as I had previously assumed it to be the work of Mal’goroth, but I hid my surprise. “And the rest of your answer?” I said prodding it verbally.

“I used my art to hide my spirit in the void, to escape the genocide of your treacherous ancestor. I remained trapped there until Balinthor released us a thousand years or so ago, and then I was trapped again another thousand years or more until Millicenth called me out into this body,” it replied carefully.

“For what purpose do you return from that ‘void’?” I asked.

“That is a separate question. I believe it is my turn human,” Timothy replied. “Have you ever heard of ‘Illeniel’s Promise’?”

That was simple enough, “No.” I followed with the only question that really mattered to me, “Why did you ambush the kidnappers that were sent for my family?”

Its answer was immediate, “To gain favor with the king or a lever against you. Have you fully explored the Illeniel house in Albamarl?”

I answered quickly, “No.” The question struck me as odd, for it indicated an unhealthy interest in the Illeniels. Taken with the previous question I couldn’t help but wonder what the shiggreth wanted. It made choosing my next question even more difficult. “How does killing my family gain favor with the king?”

Timothy snorted, or tried to; in the end he only succeeded in seeming even more disturbing. “You ask stupid questions human. You squander your information. Killing your family does not help us gain favor with your king, or a lever against you for that matter.”

My blood pressure was rising quickly, “Then why did you kill them?!” I shouted.

The monster held up one small boyish hand, “My question mortal, and do not test my patience. Does the phrase ‘Illeniel’s Doom’ mean anything to you?”

I bit down on my anger and forced myself to think. Fear and rage were clouding my mind and I could see that I was missing some obvious conclusions. “Yes, Celior warned me that it would destroy everything. I haven’t a clue yet what it is.” As I finished answering my mind snapped into motion and I realized I had been a fool. “Where is my wife?”

It smiled wickedly, and for once it got the expression right. “She arrived at Albamarl yesterday. Where she is now I have no way of knowing,” the creature paused thoughtfully before continuing, “It seems you do have a brain after all. I had begun to despair of you ever thinking clearly. If Illeniel’s Doom was hidden in Albamarl where would you think to look for it?”

My mind was racing at the revelation that Penny was still alive. I don’t know that, he might have been referring to her body, I corrected myself mentally. Still the implication was that she was alive… as a bargaining piece. A bargain with whom? “It would depend upon who last possessed it, otherwise I would have no clue where to start,” I said, answering its question. “What bargain did you make with King Edward?” It was a risky question, for it was possible that it had been someone else, in which case I had wasted a turn. If my guess was correct though, it had saved me a question or two.

After an interminable pause the thing spoke, “We offered him your wife and her guardian in exchange for Illeniel’s Promise, which you have heard called Illeniel’s Doom. Do you think he can deliver upon his end of the bargain?”

“No,” I replied honestly, “I doubt he has any idea what or where it may be. Why didn’t you seek to deal with me directly?”

The thing that Timothy had become laughed, “Judging by your entry here I doubted we could have a meaningful discussion. The King needed a lever to control you and with it he claimed he could force you to deliver that which we seek.” It stared at me for a long minute, “Why did you come here?”

“To destroy you,” I said plainly. “Why do you want ‘Illeniel’s Promise’?”

“To restore my race,” it replied simply. “Is there anything we can offer you if you find it?”

A chill raced up my spine before being replaced with a surge of adrenalin. Our conversation was nearly at an end and I could feel the creature’s anticipation radiating toward me, an almost palpable hunger. I bared my teeth, “I’d rather be damned than deal with you, nor will you walk free from this place. The shiggreth are not a race, you are a creation, and one that must be undone.”

It frowned. “You are wrong mortal. We created ourselves in a last act of desperation. We are the spirits of the She’har.” As it spoke it brought up its hand and began weaving signs I could not recognize though I saw the arcane symbols forming in the air.

I was prepared already and pointing my staff at it I spoke, “Pyrren thylen!” and a focused line of fire and power struck the abomination before me. It was a spell I had used before, and in combination with my staff it had sliced easily through channelers shields in the past yet this time it scattered and fizzled as it struck the glowing symbols that hung in the air between us. Timothy began laughing as my face registered shock and dismay.

The undead monstrosities beside him had not remained idle; they had leapt forward only to be met by Harold’s swords. He ducked a massive sweeping paw from one and removed its foreleg at the shoulder. Spinning back he turned to meet the other but it had moved with unexpected speed and it caught him solidly. This time he was flung like a ragdoll and sent hurtling into the far wall. He struck with a resounding clamor and I wondered if he could recover. At the very least he had to be reeling inside his armor.

I had no time to think however, for the child-like creature I faced was already weaving more signs. The symbols writhed in the air as if they were made of living blue fire. Twisting they stretched toward me rapidly, spreading and seeking to enfold my shield like a net. It stopped them for a moment before I felt them burning inward, eating at the power that I had formed my shield with and causing it to sag. It was an odd sensation, at once similar to the physical touch of the shiggreth and yet this touch ate away at only my magical strength.

I had mere seconds to react. Seeing my failure to harm it directly I changed tactics and turned my power directly upon the ground beneath it, “Grabol ni’targoth,” I said quickly, opening a hole in the earth beneath the childlike creature. It was a spell I had used once to incapacitate Cyhan and it worked just as well here as it had then. The undead spellcaster fell into the hole and the magic eating at my shield vanished as it lost its concentration.

I spoke another word to close the hole and trap it within the earth and then I turned my attention to the great bear that was bearing down upon me. “Pyrren thylen,” I said again and this time my magical fire tore into its target, slicing the undead beast into two large and smoldering pieces. I felt a surge of exultation as it fell apart and I turned to finish the other monster lumbering toward me on its three remaining legs. Then the light I had conjured above went out and the subterranean chamber was plunged into darkness.