Delver Magic: Book 05 - Chain of Bargains (50 page)

"You think the enchantment
will save you?"

"No, I think the enchantment
will destroy
you
. If anyone has
anything to fear, it's you."

The infern glared at the delver
with a growing hatred of its own. It had discovered it could not build Ryson's
concern into anything more than sensible respect. Any advantage it hoped to
garner slipped through its fingers. Still, it did not appreciate being deemed
inconsequential.

"I told you before I didn't
like your overconfidence."

"Tell it to your friends...
the ones I've already disposed of."

"They were not prepared for
you."

"And you are?"

"You have not caught me by
surprise."

"You think I have to surprise
you?" Ryson scoffed. "I don't. I just have to outmaneuver you. I've
already proven I can do that, even when you had the advantage."

"You were lucky when you
escaped last time, but this time escape will not be so easy."

"I have no intention of
escaping. I'm going to eliminate you and then finish off your friends."

"You seem to forget just how
close to death you were."

"Different situation. I was
trying to outrun the magic the last time. It's hard to outrun something that's
a part of you. I'm not worrying about that this time." All of that was
true, but Ryson glanced about at the spreading fires. He had made his point,
but it was time to end the dangers to Ashlan. "Look, we're wasting time.
You're no different than the rest. If you think you can just incinerate me,
then do it. Do it now."

The infern snarled, but initially
resisted the challenge.

"I'll do it when the time is
right."

"Your time is just about
up," Ryson stated. "The truth of the matter is we both know you can't
do it."

The half-demon nearly exploded
with rage. It kept just enough composure to hide its assault. The infern did
not move, but its red eyes flared ever so slightly.

Ryson smelled the scent of demon
fire. With a quick dodge, he bolted to his left and then came to an abrupt
halt. While he didn't look over at the flash of white flame, he knew it would
have engulfed him had he not moved, but he had moved and was never in any true
danger. His speed was superior. He kept his eyes on the infern and pointed out
that simple fact.

"That wasn't even close.
Holli was right. You needed the beacon stones to link to me. Without them,
you're firing wild. You want to try again?"

Ryson noticed another spark in the
half-demons eyes and the delver raced forward several steps. He was closer to
the infern when the demon fire lit up the street behind him.

"I thought you were
fast?" Ryson asked.

The insult formed as a question
enraged the infern further. The beast opened its mouth and spit flames directly
at Ryson's face, hoping to cause great pain and suffering before ultimately incinerating
the pompous delver.

Ryson never even felt the heat. He
leapt to the side and ran past the half-demon in an instant. He had to admit,
he was actually enjoying the encounter. His fears of the infern proved
pointless, just as pointless as his concerns over the magic. Just because there
was magic within him, it caused no great danger... gave no advantage to his
enemy. His abilities as a delver made him uniquely able to avoid the fire and
decidedly capable of battling the half-demon.

Realizing instantly it had missed
its target by a wide margin, the infern accepted just the opposite. It knew its
existence was in great danger. The delver held to a confidence that was
unbreakable. If the half-demon could not change the facets of the battle, it
would meet the same fate as its brethren.

With no intention of being
destroyed, the infern chose the option of flight. In a burst of heat, it rushed
upward into the night sky. It knew Ryson could not fly, and it hoped to escape
before the delver decided to go on the attack. It did not, however, expect the
delver would part with his weapon.

Vowing not to allow the infern to
get away, Ryson charged after the streaking half-demon with all of his speed
and agility. In order to stop it, he needed to get to higher ground, and he
chose a nearby building that had not yet been touched by flames. His
acceleration was so great it propelled him nearly half way up the side of a
building before he furiously climbed the rest of the way. He found solid
footing on the rooftop, planted himself firmly, and threw his sword like a
spear at the fleeing infern.

Flung with such velocity, the
Sword of Decree cut through the black armor and thrust itself firmly into the
half-demon's chest. The monster lit up like a comet. The burst was so powerful
that it pulled from the fires well below the soaring infern. Flames raced up to
and across the sky. The glowing flash was far more extensive than any of the
previous encounters, perhaps due to the depth at which the sword was embedded.
A huge fireball blotted out the body of the half-demon, consumed it in an
instant, and then exploded.

Ryson watched as the light burnt
out. The infern was gone. Just his sword hung in the empty air, upheld by the
tremendous wave of heat that erupted from the blast. After but a moment, the
blade plummeted to the ground and fell into the middle of the road below. He
climbed back down the side of the building, but did not dare touch the weapon's
handle. The intensity of the last blast made the entire sword glow.

He remembered a fountain in the
center plaza behind him. There was plenty of water, but nothing to carry it. He
ran down several side streets until he found an abandoned merchant's cart with
a small pan. He grabbed it, returned to the fountain and filled it with water.

Racing back to the sword, he threw
water over the weapon. Every drop turned instantly into steam. Over and over
Ryson returned to the fountain and then ran back to his blade. Eventually, the
sword cooled enough for him to take hold of it.

Before turning his attention to
the western side of the city, he took stock in his surroundings. For the first
time, the fires started by the infern had not all been extinguished by its
demise, probably due to the larger size of the blaze and the half-demon's
attempt to escape. Whatever the cause, two buildings still burned and there was
little he could do about it.

When he did look to the west, he
noticed blazes spreading there as well. Time was working against him. The
fires, however, would have to wait. He knew there were more inferns stalking
the city, and they were his first priority. He raced on to meet every new blaze
and confront the infern responsible.

Defeating them took more time than
he hoped, as the half-demons could not help but notice the bright flare in the
sky and the end of the fires in the east. They knew something was working
against their efforts, and they moved with greater caution.

Ryson faced them all, and defeated
them all, but several fought him or tried to escape. The delay allowed the
fires to spread even further, and just as in the center of town, many of the
blazes in the west survived the destruction of the last infern.

Ensuring all the inferns had been
eliminated, Ryson circled the city in a quick scout. He noted the location of
each fire. The eastern section of the city remained secure, but the western
portion of Ashlan suffered from scattered fires burning from north to south
right to the center of town. Unchecked, the fires would eventually spread to
the east as well and destroy the entire city.

The only solace he could find was
that the goblins had already forced the evacuation of the city. The residents
of Ashlan had not yet returned. He noticed many of them slowly moving in from
the west, but stopping well short of the city borders. Ryson knew they were all
wondering the same thing. He couldn't help wonder himself. How long would it
take for the city to burn completely to the ground?

Ryson realized there was little he
could do. Any attempt at bringing water to each fire would be futile. Even with
his speed, he wouldn't be able to keep up. He hoped that perhaps Enin or Jure
would return. They were better equipped to handle such a dilemma. Disregarding
the flames, he turned his attention back to the source of the crisis.

The draevol.

The demon had waited for them in
the basement of the town hall, but they had all left... ordered by the elf
guard to deal with other distractions and calamitous diversions. He, Enin and
Jure were sent away, and that was clearly the plan. Holli was left alone to face
the demon, and if his assistance was needed, it would be there.

#

The space within the cellar of the
town hall was tall and wide. The area covered the entire expanse of the
building above. It was mostly open, save for several support columns and some cabinets
and shelves around the walls. The clear area would allow Holli to utilize her
agility, but offered little cover, not the best circumstances for the foe she
faced.

With the demon waiting at the
center of the expanse, it could spread demon fire or cast out spells with few
obstacles. The elf could dodge certain blasts, but in an enclosed space with
little protection, a wave of force or fire would quickly eliminate her. Holli
needed to alter the battlefield if she hoped to survive and she did so by casting
the first spell before the conflict began.

Calling on trees that surrounded
the town center, she cast an incantation that accelerated their growth rate and
spurred both roots and stems to come to her aid. The shoots blasted through the
rock floor of the cellar as well as the brick walls. They did not fill the
space completely, but rather encircled the draevol, forming a cage like
presence. Some branched out further and formed natural barriers. They grew
thicker as they pressed through open air and created several safe havens for
Holli to utilize. Those shoots that filled in the space around the initial cage
did not form a maze, but scattered about to create several clear paths that
extended throughout the basement. In essence, the thick branches and roots
formed a mini forest within the confined space, an environment that aided an
elf guard.

"You waste my time and doom
yourself to death," the draevol snarled. "This is your last chance,
leave now and you will live. Continue, and you will die."

Holli responded with another
spell. She called on the surrounding ground water to swell into the roots of
the trees. She knew what was coming and was already preparing for the assault.

Realizing the elf was intent on
battle, the draevol cast a spell of its own. It needed to be free of the cage
of roots as well as the annoying sorceress, and it deemed to do both with one
blast of fire.

An oval of dark brown magical
energy raced about the demon's body. It grew brighter as it expanded to a full
wall that encircled the draevol just inside the cage of roots and branches. The
brown shade faded into a burnt orange and the energy turned into a barrage of
fire.

The draevol threw out its arms and
the flames of plague magic burst out in every direction. The blaze filled all
of the open area within the cage and then shot out through the entire cellar.
Fire consumed most of the space, but several of the thicker roots and branches
blocked enough of the fire to create small breaks of safety.

Relying on her agility as opposed
to the magic, Holli leapt behind a thicket of roots and branches before the
draevol completed its spell. She covered her face with her left arm as she
continued to hold her bow in her right hand. She felt the heat all around her,
but she was not burned.

The results of the spell surprised
the demon. It expected to see the tree shoots burned to blackened crisps that
he could snap with ease, but though many were scorched, most held to their
healthy vibrancy. While it did not know Holli fortified each branch and root with
a deluge of ground water to resist the fire, it surmised the elf had something
to do with the results.

"Very impressive," the
demon allowed, "but still pointless. I did not use my full strength for I
did not wish to waste it on you. I will need it to escape."

"You are not going to
escape," Holli called out, remaining behind the thicket. "You will
either crawl back to your dark realm, or you will be destroyed."

"And what if I just teleport
out of here now?"

"I will follow you," the
elf persisted.

"But then you'll be too weak
to fight me."

"Perhaps, or perhaps I will
find another way to defeat you. I told you, I am a sorceress
and
an elf guard. I consider all the
aspects of battle. If you simply teleport out of here, you will leave a
trail... a trail that Enin can follow. You will be weakened as well, and he has
the power to destroy you even at full strength."

"Then I will have to kill you
quickly and rebuild my strength," the draevol announced, as if it was a
verdict that could not be overturned.

Holli wondered if she might have
pushed the draevol too far. Where she believed she could emerge victorious in a
battle of wills, she could not defeat the demon if it became a contest of
magical power. The tactics of an elf guard were just as important as her physical
attributes and both had to be used in accord with her sorceress skills. She
needed to rely on everything she had become and use all of her talents
together.

Hoping to surprise the fiend with
her daring, she stepped out into open space.

"You are a demon and you are
not against bargains, correct?"

The draevol withheld its attack,
for the elf's words were true. Bargains were at the heart of its existence.
Demons traded the decency of their souls for power. They allowed corruption
into their essence in order to spread plague and famine. The fiend could not
ignore the statement as it offered opportunity.