El-Vador's Travels (56 page)

'Your
silence does you credit, assassin. Though by now you will have formed
the misconception that I am one such as your benefactor beyond the
ether. A spirit form of the Brotherhood that desires to waylay you
from your efforts at redressing the balance.' The voice drifted
closer then, if such things as space were relevant in this domain.
'No, I am not one such as this, I am known simply as the arbiter. You
have overstepped your bounds in your machinations against the
Brotherhood and as an impartial observer I cannot allow such gross
imbalance to continue.'

'I
have never heard of an arbiter, my so-called benefactors made no
mention of it in their words with me, why would they conceal such a
fact?'

The
chuckling, which was hard to pinpoint to what Anacletus thought were
his own senses, continued unabated. 'I have knowledge of you
Anacletus, you are not that naïve to think that those who employ
you would inform you of the entire truth.'

Whatever
the intentions of this voice, it had a point. He himself was a master
at withholding just enough information, why would those who used him
as their tool be any different?

'When
one such as you can tap into the ether and also walk upon the
material plane, it causes a great imbalance. That there are now three
of you doing so means only that elements of the Brotherhood should be
given the opportunity to arise and strike against you for the sake of
parity.'

'What
of the lair that the Brotherhood had previously constructed?'
Anacletus hissed back at the voice. 'Where was your balance then?'

A
mildly amused tsking sound followed his question. 'As you already
know, the forces for which you act in favour were much more powerful
when given a focal point to target. Since the destruction of the
Brotherhood's sanctuary the focal point has diminished, and as a
result their power has waned. The defectors were an unforeseen
consequence of that destruction, and now the Brotherhood will redress
that balance through the actions of Salvarius.'

Anacletus
attempted to shake his head in disbelief but the attempted movement
only served to reinforce how paralysed he was. He refused to believe
that an arbiter could be so short-sighted in their understanding of
the ether and the elements within. Whatever this thing holding him
was, he was determined to discover a way out.

'So
you have taken me out of your game, so to speak.' he offered,
speaking to the darkness in general. 'Do you plan to hold me here
permanently?'

'Yes,'
the voice replied simply, fading away into nothingness.

Alone
in the darkness, or so it seemed, Anacletus mulled over the situation
and tried not to panic. By implying that he was to be simply removed
from the equation, the voice had given lie to his claims of being an
impartial arbiter. If that were the wish of such a powerful force
then he would be dead already. No, this imprisonment was the sum
total of what his enemy could do to him. All that remained was for
him to figure a way out.

The
darkness stretched out endlessly, and time became meaningless as
piece by piece, the gears of Anacletus's sharp mind formulated new
plans.

The
fortuitous timing of this documentation means that I can expend a
great degree of energy into the readings of those who once opposed
me. To do so requires no small amount of sacrifice on my part that I
am not willing to divulge. The tale would not be complete in the
telling if the perspective did not shift to the antagonist. In a
sense they all have one final chance to damage me of my own volition.

M
ina
stared at her new-found body naked in solitude. Not even the pounding
of the horse's hooves or the wagon's creaking could disturb her from
the child-like fascination as she beheld her form. The flickering
light of the swaying lanterns seemed to sparkle off her thin wings as
she experimentally flitted them open and closed before her. Aside
from this minor quirk the lithe body she had formed from her twin was
not displeasing to her. She had seen how Salvarius's lackeys had
looked at her, they sought her exotic form in spite of her alabaster
skin.

She
gazed into the mists of the future even as the scion for the
opposition did the same, but its portents remained cloudy at best.
There was always the one image that remained with her, a strange
figure marching through that mist at a measured pace with sword
unsheathed and a cool smile upon elongated features.

The
transformation was not yet complete, there were still elements and
aspects that required further honing in order to become the beacon
she was required to be by the others. Soon her twin would feel the
inexorable tug of certainty upon her. The reality that she must
become one with her in order to exist, the absence that would grow
within her the longer they remained apart would only draw her closer.

She
was the puppet for this Salvarius to claim to wield, she was
subservient to his wishes and desires both in order to appease the
figurehead he would undoubtedly become for the final passing of the
Brotherhood through the ether.

They
would soon have power enough not only to hold the others at bay, but
to create a new Brotherhood entirely with what was left of the used
Salvarius at its helm.

She
smiled at that thought, she need only remain a beacon, the girl would
come of her own subconscious volition. For a heartbeat she imagined
the thought of the fleshy entwinement with her twin and the era it
would usher forth, then she resigned herself to the building blocks
she must make do with until that point.

Still,
the marching figure through the mists must be dealt with, and she
must make her master aware of this somehow.

The
irony of their goal was delicious, that through the conduits they had
discovered an old artefact from times long passed, one that had been
entrusted by the opposition with powers yet untapped. The workings of
their ancestors would undo their own efforts to return and cement the
place of the Brotherhood for all eternity. Whatever the voices had
promised Salvarius as they spoke to him during her forming, the man
now seemed possessed with an intensity that was breathtaking to
behold, a singular purpose that remained bent upon acquiring the
artefact and augmenting himself with it. Should he succeed then there
would be nought in this world or the next that could prevent his
domination of the lands.

'Mina,
we must speak.' came the familiar voice from beyond. Salvarius had
need for her once more.

She
made her out of the moving wagon and onto the platform above the
horses where Salvarius spent most of his time gazing out onto the
horizon.

He
turned toward her now, his eyes flashing dangerously. 'The voices
claim that without the conjoining of your twin the artefact will be
useless. How much longer until you are a beacon to them?'

Mina
moved to her master's side and slipped a hand from within the cloak
to lay it on his sword arm. If any glimpsed her nakedness within the
shadows, none gave sign, they knew not to stare upon her when
Salvarius was present.

'I
can feel myself beckon to her already, master.' She smiled carefully.
'She will come eventually, of that I have no doubt.'

'Your
claims do not give me heart. Why do we ride out further and further
from civilised lands if we wish her to follow us?'

'Another
seeks the power of the artefact, the man from the mists of my
visions.' She suppressed a shudder. 'We must retrieve the artefact
before this other finds you.'

She
crouched, allowing the cloak to puddle around her. Cool air rushed
in, exciting her flesh. She slowly reached out with her right hand,
fingers splayed, then tucked them in toward her palm as if plucking
the warp and weft of some arcane weaving. She felt vibrations, and
the voices began to whisper in her head.

She
clutched the robes to her naked form to ward off the chill. 'Someone
from the other side has hold over her, but she can be seduced into
escaping capture if I channel enough power.'

'I
am not to be defied, Mina.' Salvarius raised his face to the heavens.
'The artefact's location draws near, we need that twin. We can afford
no further delays.'

'And
you shall have none, master.'

Again
Mina played her fingers through the air and encountered more strands
of eldritch energy. Some swirled and eddied, like currents in a
stream that trapped debris in stagnating pools. These numbered in the
dozens, and were the most powerful. She found them rather attractive.
They beckoned her on like a melody, to spin her about and out and
away, without her ever realizing she had not gone in the direction
she desired.

But
there were other strands, tiny strands, more fragile than a whisper,
as fleeting as a dream upon wakening, and she found them, too. They
shied away from her, recoiled, became dead at her touch. The sharp
scent of rotting flesh filled her head, almost causing her to gag.

She
steadied herself, then smiled. If this is the game they wished to
play then so be it. 'I have studied the currents master, the
enchantment that my twin is under is powerful but can be subverted.
As for the one who follows... I have laid a trap for him.'

Salvarius
smiled, though how much of it was truly the human vessel any more she
could not tell. 'Good Mina, good. The twin shall be drawn to us and
the bonding shall begin, then the artefact shall become mine and all
that have harmed me before will wither into ashes.'

My
encounters have been many, and a great deal of them have nearly
bereft me of my life. The operative word is nearly, for ultimately
the conflicts I have endured have left me stronger than before.

E
l-Vador
crested the bleak hillside as the morning sun pierced his gaze.

He'd
spent the night wandering through the barrens after stretching out
his thoughts and discovering the faint lights that indicated
Salvarius and his forces.

After
a time he could clearly see the wagon tracks leading through the
flattened plains, and even as night fell he ignited his sight and
followed, burning darkness in order to remain awake.

Then
he had hit a wall.

It
was not a literal construct that barred his way, more a feeling that
hindered his progress by invading his thoughts. Trying to go further
just didn't seem worth the effort.

He
suspected, in fact, that if he followed the road and tried to enter
the barrens from another direction, he'd end up hitting the same wall
of nothingness that somehow prevented him from passing.

But
it is worth the effort. El-Vador took a deep breath and faced himself
due west. He spotted a stone twelve feet in front of him. His shadow
touched it. He deliberately put one foot in front of the other and in
two strides had reached it. Something tried to convince him that he'd
gone far enough, but he picked another target and moved to it.

With
each step, the force tried to fight back. It tried to convince him
that he need not go any further. But its argument melted in the face
of his conviction that he did need to go further. In fact, its every
attempt to discourage him just encouraged him more. He pitted his
determination against that of the strange energies protecting the
land and refused to be stopped.

He
glanced at his back trail. It looked as if he'd not gotten very far
at all. Hopelessness slammed into him. He snarled. Indulging it was
as bad as a warrior indulging in bad form. He would not. It was not
part of him, so it would find no purchase in his mind or upon his
soul.

He
turned back and pushed hard, then something broke. He stumbled
forward, all opposition gone and all energy from the effort seemingly
drained from him. El-Vador wasn't certain what had happened, but he
figured it was not good.

Slowly,
jerkily, the ground beneath El-Vador coalesced into a form unlike any
he had seen before. A shimmering translucence that seemed to warp the
land behind it into form.

The
being rose from the earth and gazed at him, two points of light for
eyes that seemed to blaze forth with a coldly malignant stare. This
thing was the cause for the reluctance that El-Vador had felt, or its
emergence had been triggered by his shattering of the barrier. It had
no mouth, and staggered toward him soundlessly. It extended a clawed
hand to snatch the now-drawn sword from El-Vador's grip.

Wary
of this new opponent, El-Vador retreated step by step. The cool
sunlight tinted the creature's shimmering shape and confused his eyes
with the dancing of light. All was silence as the figure continued to
approach. He was thankful that the creature had not attempted to
creep up on him, otherwise he would have been long dead.

As
the arm reached out, the Elf's reaction was automatic, he struck out
instinctively at his foe.

The
blade whistled and smote the outstretched arm, which fell severed to
the ground before them. No blood spurted from the translucent stump
of the forearm, nor was there any cry of pain. The creature simply
advanced.

The
wound would have slowed any ordinary warrior, but it appeared not to
make any difference to the being before him. It merely withdrew the
stump of the maimed arm and extended the other.

El-Vador
shot out a hand, blackness ready to gout forth and devour the enemy
before him. Only nothing happened. El-Vador stood panting as he tried
to will the energies forth, but he was truly spent. With widened eyes
he watched as slowly, the creature continued its inexorable and
unstoppable march toward him.

Back
they went, slowly being pushed out into the barrens and from whence
he came. El-Vador swung lustily but retreated step by step before the
unstoppable advance of the thing that came on and on.