Blood of the Earth (28 page)

“Did I?” Phane said. “I don’t recall ever saying that. No, he will suffer before I send his soul into the netherworld where he will suffer even more.”

“Don’t do this, Isabel,” Alexander’s future self said. “I know you still have goodness in you. You have to fight this.”

Isabel looked at him quizzically and frowned. “But I don’t want to,” she said.

Phane made a dismissive gesture and two big guards roughly dragged Alexander off to the torture chambers.

Alexander swallowed hard and fought to still the trembling in his stomach. That he had lost to Phane was bad enough, but that Isabel had delivered him into his enemy’s grasp was intolerable. He looked at Rentu beseechingly.

The elder nodded and the world changed again. This time they were standing in a cave. Alexander recognized the place. He had seen it with his clairvoyance. It was the cavern where the Nether Gate was hidden.

A battle was taking place. He and Isabel were fighting against several Reishi Army Regency soldiers led by a wizard and a wraithkin. Jack was there, as were Hector and Horace. Rexius Truss, possessed by Jinzeri, was standing behind the Nether Gate watching the battle unfold.

The Regency soldiers fell easily to Mindbender and Isabel’s magic. Hector and Horace fought well, without flash or wasted movement but deadly quick and accurate with their short swords. As Alexander and his friends fought the soldiers, the wraithkin stole the keystone from Jinzeri and fled the cavern with the shade in pursuit.

Alexander and his friends were victorious against the remaining soldiers and the wizard, but they lost the wraithkin and the keystone in the bargain.

“We have not seen this place before,” Rentu said, “but I recognize those soldiers as the other group of outsiders that we have seen in our dreams.”

“Those are Phane’s soldiers. They’re here to get the keystone to the Nether Gate,” Alexander said, pointing.

“This Nether Gate looks to be a most dangerous device,” Rentu said with a frown. “We have not seen it in our dreams.”

“If Phane opens it, everything is doomed,” Alexander said. “That’s why I’m here. I have to get the keystone before my enemies do.”

“So that you can open it?”

“No!” Alexander said. “I want to ensure that it never gets opened by anyone.”

Rentu nodded thoughtfully. After a few moments, the world shifted again. They were in the same cave as before.

Rexius truss, possessed by Jinzeri, was there. Phane, possessed by Rankosi, was there. And the Nether Gate was there.

He and Isabel were there along with Jack. All three of them were in shackles, lined up on their knees with soldiers behind them. Another woman was there with Phane. She was in her early twenties and beautiful, with strawberry-blond hair and deep blue eyes.

“It’s time, my dear,” Phane said.

“And you’re sure we can defeat Zuhl with this?” the woman asked.

“Of course, Zuhl will be crushed and Fellenden will be free. You will have saved your people.”

She thought it over for a moment longer, clearly struggling with the decision. Alexander saw his future self try to speak around the gag in his mouth as she opened the little magical box that contained the third keystone.

When the lid came open, revealing the final keystone, both Jinzeri and Rankosi started laughing maniacally. Rankosi used Phane’s magic to unceremoniously hurl the young woman against the wall of the cave with such force that her body fell to the floor in a broken heap.

“This is the worst possible outcome,” Alexander said.

“I’m coming to see that the threat is much greater than we feared,” Rentu said.

The scene changed yet again. It was night and they were on the coast of Andalia. Alexander had gained access to the Sovereign Stone’s Wizard’s Den and the door was open. They had just pulled themselves from the surf after their boat had been sunk by a fleet of pirates. Wreckage was washing ashore as a company of Lancers bore down on them from inland and the pirates’ longboats were coming from the sea.

Alexander and Jack were in the Wizard’s Den with Chloe, but Isabel stopped at the threshold, snatching the pouch with the keystone from Alexander’s belt and stepping out onto the beach.

“I’m sorry, Alexander,” she said through tears, “but the darkness is stronger than I am. You’re not safe around me anymore.”

“Isabel, come inside,” Alexander’s future self pleaded. “We don’t have time for this right now.”

She shook her head. “Close the door before it’s too late. I love you, Alexander,” she said as she raised her hand and her aura flared with magic. Alexander willed the door to the Wizard’s Den closed a moment before her light-lance spell stabbed out into the night.

Alexander closed his eyes and shook his head.

“She won’t betray me,” he whispered. “She’s strong enough to resist Phane’s darkness.”

The scene shifted again and they were in a chamber deep underground. Alexander recognized it as the place where Phane had the wraith queen imprisoned. The dark, insubstantial-looking creature from the netherworld was trapped inside three metal rings suspended over a magic circle. Each of the three rings was positioned ninety degrees to the next so that one was horizontal and two were vertical at right angles to one another.

Isabel was there, at Phane’s side. Alexander’s future self was kneeling in shackles with Jack right beside him.

“All this time, I’ve been trying to hunt you down,” Phane said. “I never imagined that you would walk right into my home and deliver not only the Sovereign Stone to me but the final keystone as well. I guess the right bait makes all the difference.” He pulled Isabel close to him with a lewd smile.

“It really is a shame, Cousin. We could have done great things together. But alas, you’re too stubborn to see the big picture and now you’ve lost everything, when you could have had it all. Your own island kingdom, your beautiful wife, your family and friends … all you had to do was kneel before me.” Phane shook his head sadly as he raised his hand and called forth his magic. Alexander watched himself die. Isabel closed her eyes as he slumped over to the floor. At least she still had some feelings for him in spite of Phane’s insidious magic.

“I’ve seen enough,” Rentu said, and suddenly they were back in the forest where they started. “I do not believe that you have come to destroy us. I now believe that you are here to preserve us from those we have seen in our dreams, but your wife will betray you and put your efforts in jeopardy. She cannot be trusted, Alexander.”

“Phane has infected her with his magic,” Alexander said. “That’s another reason I’ve come here. I know how to help her, but I need to get some very rare ingredients first. One of them can only be found near here.”

“The dreams show us many possible futures, but in most that we have seen she has betrayed you.” Rentu frowned deeply, shaking his head. “We must help you in order to preserve ourselves. I know of the place you seek, where the ancient tree grows. I can guide you there, but I require that Isabel remain here in our care until you have preserved the world from the outsiders that we have seen. We will care for her and protect her, but she will not be allowed to leave.”

Alexander stiffened and absentmindedly reached for his sword. He’d gained invaluable insight into the future from Rentu and he was grateful for the experience, but he wasn’t about to leave Isabel behind.

“You can’t do that,” Alexander said.

“I must,” Rentu said. “Her betrayal is your doom. Without her, your chances of success will be much greater. I know this pains you, but it is the path that wisdom commands me to follow.”

“This isn’t wisdom,” Alexander said. “It’s the worst mistake you could make.”

“It must be done,” Rentu said. “We will wake now.”

The forest faded away and Alexander found himself sitting in the little hut filled with aromatic smoke.

“Are you all right, My Love?” Chloe asked within his mind.

“Yes and no, Little One,” Alexander replied silently. “I was shown several possible futures where Isabel betrays me. Rentu, the chief elder, has decided that she has to stay here for now.”

“Oh, My Love, what will you do?”

“I’m not sure yet,” Alexander said silently, “but I am sure that I’m not leaving Isabel behind. Tell Jack what’s happened.”

“At once, My Love,” Chloe said.

Alexander stood facing Rentu with his blind eyes glittering. He wanted to rail at the elder, to argue his case with passion and reason, but he knew the elder wouldn’t understand him. Instead he turned and strode from the tent.

Isabel was waiting for him with Hector and Horace. Surrounding the tent were a hundred men with spears and blowtubes loaded with poison darts. Alexander surveyed the scene and decided that bold action was a sure path to a quick death. Rentu had said he would help Alexander find the vitalwood tree and the cavern where the Nether Gate was hidden. Patience was called for.

As Rentu emerged from the little hut, the six other elders approached and listened intently to his account of the dreaming. At one point, they glanced furtively at Isabel.

“What happened in there?” Isabel asked.

“He showed me a number of possible futures,” Alexander said. “In several, you’re turned by Phane’s magic and you betray me.”

Isabel stepped back with a stricken look, shaking her head. “I love you, Alexander. I would never betray you.”

He drew her into his arms. “I know, but Phane’s magic is powerful. You may not have a choice.”

“I won’t,” she pleaded. “I can’t.”

“Hush. I know your soul,” Alexander said. “You’ll never betray me of your own free will, but Phane’s magic may overpower you. Right now, it’s not important, but these people want to keep you here to protect me.”

“What?” Isabel was suddenly alarmed. “I’m not staying here.”

“I know, but we have to be smart about this,” Alexander said, motioning with a nod to the armed men arrayed around them.

“So what do we do?” she asked.

“We play along,” Alexander said. “When we make our move, we’ll have to do it quickly and they’ll probably be right behind us.”

She nodded, then looked around. “The odds aren’t exactly in our favor.”

“They never are,” Alexander said.

Rentu approached with the six elders and motioned for Alexander and his friends to follow. He led them to a large gathering area where a community meal was being prepared. They were treated like guests of honor and brought large portions of roasted wild boar, berries, and nuts. The fare was simple but good nonetheless. During the entire meal, the hundred armed men remained ever vigilant, standing in a loose cordon around the gathering place.

Once the meal was finished and darkness began to settle on the Reishi Isle, the elders led them to two huts, motioning for Alexander and Isabel to take one and Hector and Horace to take the other.

“Be ready,” Alexander said to the brothers.

“Always, Lord Reishi,” Hector said with a humorless smile.

As Alexander drifted off to sleep, he worried about Isabel. The thought of her betraying him left him sick to his stomach, but it was also a very real possibility that he had to face if he was going to have any chance of defeating Phane.

Chapter 23

Jack shook him awake in the dead of night.

“It’s time,” he whispered. “Hector and Horace are ready.”

“Good,” Alexander said and then he woke Isabel and they quietly packed their things. He handed Jack a blowtube filled with deathwalker-root sleeping powder and sent his all around sight out into the night. The armed men were still there, but only half as many and they looked tired. “We’re ready,” he said.

“I’ll be right back,” Jack said, tossing up his hood and vanishing from sight.

Alexander and Isabel slipped out of the tent and found Hector and Horace waiting for them in the shadows. Hector pointed toward the cave entrance that led back to the forest below and they started moving slowly and quietly toward their escape.

Jack returned after a minute or so.

“The guard’s out cold. We have a gap of about thirty feet in their line of sentries.”

Alexander nodded, motioning for Jack to lead the way. They crept through the dark, testing every step and taking what time they needed to move as quietly as possible. Once through the cordon, they moved toward the cave. When Alexander saw the colors of the two men guarding the cave entrance, he tapped Jack on the shoulder.

“Looks like we have a problem,” Alexander whispered. “Two guards at the cave entrance.”

“We can eliminate them quietly, Lord Reishi,” Horace whispered.

“I don’t want to kill any of these people if we can help it,” Alexander said.

The brothers looked at each other and nodded. “We can take them quietly without killing them,” Hector said.

“All right,” Alexander said.

Hector and Horace faded into the shadows, moving silently and without a trace. Alexander found himself holding his breath as he watched their colors converge with the colors of the two guards. They moved into position behind the guards slowly, without a sound. As one, they attacked from behind, taking each guard in a choke hold that both prevented them from raising an alarm and rendered them unconscious within a minute.