Merchants and Mages (Highmage's Plight Book 2) (4 page)

The Barrows

Chapter 3

T
he old barrows lay just ahead. “We had best stay clear of them, Je’orj,” Balfour advised.

 
The archeologist’s interest was piqued, “A burial mound?”

 
“It’s ancient,” Balfour said. “It’s said to date to a time that may even go back to before the Elf and Human War.”

George’s interest was plain to see.
 He raised his staff, which glowed as he went into deeper rapport with his computer, which was, in essence, an extension of his mind and vice versa.

 
Balfour shook his head, “I would advise against that. I guided us here because the wards are so good that the Demonlord’s servants fear coming within miles of the place.”

 
George half closed his eyes and had the staff run a scan. All he sensed was a series of rolling hills before them. There was no sense of anything out of the ordinary, but George Bradley was a keen observer and could see the signs that the barrows had been used in recent years.

 
:But I cannot verify that,:
Staff asserted.

 
“You do not have to,” George muttered back, then looked at Balfour who nodded. “So, I guess my curiosity will miss out this ti…” he cried out as the now too familiar and utterly devastating agony of the Summoning’s enchantment struck him like a wave.

His horse shifted uneasily as George spurred it toward the Barrows.
His staff flared, forcing the Summoning’s inexorable will back. Grunting as the brunt of the unexpected driving agony left him. George struggled to stay in the saddle.

Se’and spurred her mount to chase his and soon grabbed up his reins as behind
them all the riders raced pell–mell after Je’orj. She shouted, “Whoa!”

 
The horse slowed as George slumped, fighting to stay both mounted and conscious. His staff was ablaze with light. Se’and carefully steadied him without coming in contact with the staff.

 
Balfour privately cursed. “It seems we are going to the Barrows, after all. Cle’or, is there any sign of pursuit?”

 
The woman turned her mount about suddenly uncertain, and moments later replied, “No, Milord.”

 
“Then why does the Summoning want us there?” he rasped as his friend took deep breaths and steadied him. “Perhaps,” George thought aloud, “it’s even more curious about something than I normally am.”

 
The elfblood saw he was not the only one disturbed by that idea. Se’and asked, “Balfour, is there any way clear of the enchantment protecting the Barrows?”

 
He shook his head, “There is only one way I have ever heard of people being permitted to enter – and that was as part of a funeral procession.”

 
“That would not be my first choice,” George responded with a shake of his head.

 
Se’and gestured, “After you, then.”

 
George nodded with a grim smile and led them closer.

The Summoning seemed to know a way, opened the way. A dirt trail appeared before them, which periodically vanished. “That way,” George rasped.

 
That earned him looks, but no one gainsaid him, so off they went.

Raven grew tired of being confused by its tricks and quickly threw off Fri’il’s
 hand––me––down old livery that she wore. Me’oh grabbed it before it could fall to the ground as Raven leapt to the ground and ran before their horses.

 
Her whole body shimmered as she changed and padded forward along the trail as a tawny-haired beast with a black mane. She could sense the trail more clearly, glancing back at her foster-father, who gave her a weary smile. She gave him a lupine smile back in return, then got back to business.

 
Suddenly they found themselves amid a labyrinth of barrows, somehow seemingly in the very heart of the place. “How?” Me’oh wondered aloud.

 
George leaned back, the Summoning suddenly stilled. “Uh, something is wrong… very wrong.”

 
A cold wind began to howl around them; the horses reared in panic. As the riders fought for control the temperature dropped below freezing.  Thick snowflakes started to fall around them, then to deluge them.

 
Balfour cried out their only warning, “Ice Elemental!  Run!”

Trap

Chapter 4

T
he elemental rose with a terrible roar. The wind battered them as the vaguely seen creature within a flurry of snow shambled toward them, seeking its target.

 
So long it had waited. It had no will of its own. Killing its target was all that mattered.  Many had come here, but none were the one. But they were here, the dreaded ones liveried in ebony black.

It reached out to crush out the life of the nearest black liveried one, radiating an icy cold that would freeze its victim even as its grip shattered her life.

Raven had little time to reflect on the danger as the elemental reached out for Fri’il.
 She knocked Fri’il off the horse, which bolted, and dove off herself, shimmering with the change to beast form.

Yet, it was fast.
 A jagged hand of ice reached out of the swirling snow and brushed the horse’s flank. The poor mount screamed and fell kicking, mortally injured. Fri’il gaped as Raven’s furred form urged her to rise and flee.

 
Blasts of energy burst from Je’orj’s upraised staff. The elemental roared as its icy form melted. It staggered backward, trying to ascertain the source of its hurt. Then it saw the mounted man and one of the hated black liveried women defending him with her puny sword upraised.

The elemental roared a thunder of snow and frigid wind as it charged.

 
Balfour shouted, “Cle’or, no!”

 
The woman urged her frightened mount headlong into meeting the creature’s attack.

 
George saw that she had somehow managed to light a torch and was trying to use it as a weapon. “Shield to widest dispersion!” he cried.

 
:Acknowledged.:
The staff flared. Light rippled outward and just passed Cle’or before she would have come into contact with the elemental’s form.

 
She was rebuffed and knocked askew even as the creature made contact with the protective field. It blazed as it impacted the elemental, which howled in agony as its now dripping form melted.

In but moments, the snow pelting around it was reabsorbed, building back its lost mass.
 But that respite was long enough for Balfour and Me’oh to forcibly pull Cle’or back and retreat.

 
Se’and saw Je’orj stagger during the attack. “Milord? Are you all right?”

 
:George, that took full rapport… I estimate that you will lose consciousness after no more than three more such contacts.:

 
“Ye of little faith,” George muttered as he turned. “Split up! Give up the horses if you have to! But get out of here!”

 
“No!” Fri’il cried, even as Raven’s teeth clamped about her wrist and drew her away.

 
Balfour struggled to think about what to do, as he realized that with his healing abilities, dealing with an elemental was completely out of his ken. He met Me’oh’s gaze and knew that they would have to trust to Je’orj’s gifts and skills.

 
The creature of ice and snow impacted the shield once more.

Se’and caught George before he could fall.
 He gasped as the shield blazed with heat. The elemental shrieked in fury and agony.

:Redefining field parameters…
 The dispersion is taking too much energy to support, George. I am sorry, but we cannot maintain this without doing you permanent injury.:

 
“Do it,” he mumbled. The defensive field vanished. Se’and hurriedly led him away toward the nearest barrow, hoping to use its shape to partially shield them.

The elemental was confused. Its hands reformed. It had been assaulted yet detected no hint of magery. Something outside its ken had hurt it.

 
The will that drove it had not warned it of such a thing, although, its purpose was still clear. He must kill the women in black livery. They must not find that which was hidden here!

Fri’il hugged Raven close for warmth. Her teeth were chattering as snow

coated her shoulders. The beast figure shim
mered. Fri’il suddenly held the
girl in her arms.

 
“I go help!”

 
“Raven, no, you’ll be killed!” Fri’il cried.

 
“Must try!”

 
Fri’il shook her head, knowing that if she could, she must help, even though, Je’orj had commanded that they run. “Damn! Be careful!”

Raven nodded, seemingly undisturbed by the terrible cold.
 “Stay here!”

 
“Where would I go?”

 
The girl ran off and shimmered. Feather and wings appeared and Raven took to the air.
 

The black liveried figure was the focus of its existence.
 It charged yet again but this time met no resistance. Then it saw the blazing staff in the man’s hands as it reached out to crush the woman.

 
Searing heat cut through its blocky wrist. It reeled back and swung its other arm to swat the man aside. A bubble of light abruptly surrounded the pair. His hand was half melted before it could prevent it.

 
Shrieking, frigid winds poured from the elemental’s nostrils and pounded down toward the pair. The raging wind buffeted the man and woman backward. In glee, it commanded the winds to batter them to death.

 
The bubble of light began to lose its brightness, heralding their demise. The ice creature turned its gaze away, seeking the lesser prey. It barely had time to register the sight of the falc diving upon it.

The bird clawed at the elemental’s misshapen face, carving raking scars into the half seen ice.
  Enraged, it forgot the pair before it and batted at the offending creature.

They had fled to the far side of the barrow. Se’and propped him as he staggered. 
:You need time to recover, George,:
the computer staff said through their psychic link as his ability to generate the shield waned.

Se’and glanced over her shoulder warily, “Raven’s distracting it…
 But I don’t know how long that will work.” She helped George sit down in the lee side of the mound, where very little of the snow settled.

 
“We have to go back,” he whispered exhaustedly. “Somehow I have got to find a way to effectively deal with that… thing.”

 
Shaking her head, Se’and replied, “You have to rest…  Give yourself a chance to recover a bit, then we can try again.”

 
He shrugged off her aid and struggled to his feet. “We’ve got to go back, now!”

 
She rose, uncertain what she could say or do to dissuade him. She saw him abruptly stiffen.

 
He groaned as the Summoning made its intentions known. The staff reacted by trying to blunt its worst effects as George grunted, taking a step back the way they had come. The Summoning clearly disagreed.

 
Se’and sighed and urged him to sit back down. He could not, which seemed to make matters worse. She helped him walk further around the barrow, then tripped as the ground beneath them shifted,

opening. She felt she could not help but drag Je’orj down with her.

  Staff registered an image of stone steps and an arched entrance, which suddenly vanished from view as they both fell into darkness.

The cold chilled her to the bone. She dusted herself off from where she had fallen, glancing about her in the gloom, making sure her dagger was still in its sheath. Wan light pushed back the darkness, outlining the figure beside her. “Je’orj?  Are you all right?”

 
George Bradley groaned as his computer staff glowed, providing their only source of light. “Se’and, between the headache I’ve got from this damn Summoning drawing me across the planet, and your manhandling, it’s astonishing I haven’t broken any bones.”

 
Coughing, she muttered in reply, “You should be grateful.”

 
:George, you really should congratulate her,:
his computer staff said enrapport with his mind.
:She did find us a way in.:

 
“Big help you are,” he replied to his computer alter ego.

Shaking her head, Se’and said, “Je’orj, what’s so important about this hillside hideaway, anyway?”

  “Se’and, we’re inside a tomb. As an archeologist, I’m in Heaven,” he said, feeling like he was in his element. “I just hope the others are all right.”

Tomb

Chapter
5

G
eorge dusted himself off. The staff in his hands began to glow brighter. 
:Do you wish me to try to blunt the Summoning’s effects?:
the computer staff asked him through their rapport.

 
“Not this time,” Se’and heard him mutter to himself. “I think we had best let it play out.  But now that we are inside, see if you can successfully run a scan.”

 
:Acknowledged.:
 Data flowed across George Bradley’s mind. The scan was effective only for a short distance before readings were impossible.  Even the limited data proved valuable.

 
The Summoning nudged him. He blinked, allowing it to lead him. “We are supposed to go that way.”

 
Se’and looked behind them, “Do you think the others will be all right?”

 
“Against whatever that thing is out there? We can only hope. But we’re here for a reason and the Summoning’s not steered us wrong, yet.”

 
“And whenever you’ve tried ignoring it, we’ve learned our mistake,” she replied.

 
He nodded and led her deeper into the tunnels.

The corridor Se’and and George followed through the tomb came to a dead end.  Se’and shook her head, “I suppose we should try the other way.”

 
“Why?” George asked, “I prefer seeing what’s on the other side of this door myself.”

 
“What door?”

 
He grinned and bent over to carefully examine the stone wall. His staff brought more light to the seemingly featureless plain then he blew gently on the wall. Dust wafted away from a very thin, but clear vertical line and replied, “This one.”

 
He quickly found the release. When he did, the door slid silently backward, allowing them egress into what proved to be the main vault. The walls were decorated with scenes, possibly from the life of the person interred here. The computer staff recorded the images for later study as Se’and looked about her at the array of objects, gold plates and goblets, as well as intricately crafted furniture.

 
George frowned, attracted to one unusual object. He knelt and looked at a marble pedestal upon which sat a dark round globe.

 
“Now what do we have here?” he murmured, walking around it.

 
“Well, why don’t you just pick it up?”

 
“That would not be the smartest thing I could do.”

 
“Why?”

 
“I would prefer leaving it undamaged and undisturbed… That way it will likely choose to leave us that way, too.”

 
“What are you talking about?”

 
He straightened, “It’s fascinating what you can do to protect the sanctity of a place when you have actual working magic at your beck and call.” At her frown, he pointed, “That, my dear lady, is a quite an anti––burglar device.”

 
Staff added,
:It is passively scanning us. It seems particularly interested in me… I am ‘feeling’ the most peculiar sensations, George.:

 
“I know. I feel them, too.”

 
Se’and sighed, knowing he must be speaking to his staff.  She gripped her dagger’s hilt.  “Does it pose a threat?”

 
“Hmm, oh, not at all… as long as we do not take anything or seek to greatly disturb the tomb.”

 
“Good,” she replied. “I think.”