After the Battle

Where Vaeren's imposing fortress had once towered, there was now nothing but a barren, completely flat plateau of black rock, on which the four heroes stood. "I can't believe this," said Jarlath after they had taken it all in. "We did it! We did it!" Belinda joined in with a raucous Aqualarian battle cry, and even Matthias was caught up in it before long. Carola wanted to feel joyful too, but she still vividly remembered flashes of her vision.

"Do you still think we're useless to you?" Belinda teased after they'd calmed down a bit.

"Definitely not," said Matthias sincerely. "You and your sister were very courageous. We never could have made it without you." Much to Matthias's surprise, Belinda then embraced him passionately and kissed him on the cheek. He was a bit taken aback for a moment or two, but then grinned broadly. "Well, we could never have done it without you men either," Belinda said. "Wait until our sister hears about this!"

Jarlath sighed inwardly. From what he remembered, Matthias hadn't done very much once they'd been imprisoned. He, on the other hand, had figured out a plan of escape and helped Carola focus her powers. But of course he wasn't nearly as tall or handsome as Matthias. Oh well. "Thanks a lot," he said to Belinda and Carola. "You were great. I don't think even I could manage power like that, Carola."

"Well, I never could have handled it without your help," said Carola. "Sorry everyone, I'm still just a bit overwhelmed by... by what I just did."

"You have every right to be," said Jarlath. "It looks like you even managed to save our stuff." He walked over to where their packs and weapons were lying on the ground, a few feet away. He rummaged through his pack and smiled. At least his spellbooks were intact. In fact, there seemed to be some writing on their margins that hadn't been there before. He flipped through his books, examining the writing a bit more carefullly and his jaw dropped! "Yes! Yes! Yes!" he shouted. The others looked at him a bit askance. "I--sorry. Apparently, at least some of Vaeren's magical knowledge was transferred into my spellbooks somehow. It looks really strange and interesting--if I can ever make sense of it, it could revolutionize magic." The others didn't seem convinced it was that exciting, but Jarlath didn't care. He was absorbed in the strange tangle of weird symbols. Who needs beautiful women when I have this, he thought.

"Are you sure there isn't some sort of curse from him in your books?" said Matthias.

"Definitely not," said Jarlath. "If there were any malignant magic in my spellbooks, I'd notice."

Meanwhile, Belinda noticed that something still seemed to be weighing on her sister. She frowned. She knew her sister, and something was definitely troubling her more deeply than she was letting on. "What's wrong?" she asked Carola. "Did you see something?"

"Yes," she said weakly. She paused, trying to fully absorb and remember her vision. "I only remember a little of it," she said, her voice now stronger again but somehow even more filled with fear. "But I do remember that something horrible was attacking Caemlyn. I remember seeing a great castle reduced to rubble"

The other three shared a look of horror. "We've got to go there at once," said Matthias.

"Hold it," said Jarlath. "We know that... you know, that guy will be sending his minions against Carola. What if Caemlyn is actually going to be attacked because we go there?"

"I don't know," said Carola. "But I do know that whatever happens we can't accomplish anything until we get some sleep, so we can think more carefully about this. It's getting late and I'm very tired." Indeed, the sun was setting low in the sky. Carola couldn't believe it had only been two days since she'd met Jarlath and Matthias and less than a day since she'd been charged with guarding the pyramid.

"Amen to that," said Belinda. Matthias nodded as well. They both knew they'd sleep uneasily after what Carola had told them, but they had to sleep.

Jarlath, on the other hand, didn't feel tired at all. He suspected he'd absorbed some of the residual mana from Vaeren's construct. It made him feel very restless yet oddly clearheaded. This meant that he wouldn't have to meditate to recharge his mana for several weeks--which was good, as meditation was not at all what he was best at. Still, after everything that happened he probably needed a bit of time to himself, especially with all of Vaeren's knowledge to examine...

When Vaeren's construct had died, a hole had formed for a moment in reality as the conduits spewed out energy with nothing to conduct it into. A small speck of black within the angry red spewed out. As it drifted farther, it grew larger and darker. The shade was a vaguely female shape, about five foot seven, in the image of the one it had been sent to kill. It would not attack just yet, rather, it would wait until the right time...

1. The night passed without event. The heroes awoke the next morning and took council.
2. During the night...

Add New Option

Go Back

View Forward Story Tree
View Back Story Tree