Resurgence of Ancient Darkness (25 page)

“This green-hooded magus is likely to be there, then?” he said.

“Master, it could only return from the Spirit Realm to some place here to which it was bound. That would likely mean this table, or another one,” said Spectra.

“Why can it only return to a bound place? I can enter and exit anywhere,” said Shadow.

“Whatever that creature is, it is not really alive. Its body, which I think was once human, died a long time ago, maybe even millennia ago, Master. In order for it to be bound to an entire realm, like you are, it would need a living body. Since it doesn’t have one, it can only be bound to the Spirit Realm where nothing has a body,” said Spectra.

“I see. So it gets around this by using the tables in some fashion?” he asked.

“Yes, Master. The tables must have been created before it lost its binding to this realm, or someone else created them for it to use,” she said.

“How likely is it that this magus is alone?” I asked.

“Not very,” said Spectra. “It cannot survive here without help of some kind.”

“What kind of help?” asked Master Shadow.

“Master, in order to live we have to feed our bodies with food. Our bodies then take that food and turn it into energy that our whole being can use. This creature lacks a functional body, so it needs to get energy from someplace else,” said Spectra.

“That makes sense, but from where? The tables?”
he asked.

“Yes, but the tables have to be getting that energy from somewhere. The table we examined contained a tremendous amount of spiritual energy. I don’t even want to think about where they got it all from, Master,” she said.

“Spiritual energy only comes from living creatures, right?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s what makes them living,” she said.

“I suspect I know how the tables are getting their energy,” said Shadow as he lifted his hand. In it was floating a ball of energy that contained the most beautiful crystal I had ever seen. I wanted to pick it up and examine it more closely. It was calling me, tantalizing me with its power. I knew that if I grasped it, it would give up its power to me. I almost asked Shadow to let me see it, but Spectra’s gasp stopped me short.

“Master! That’s a spirit trap!” She backed away from the table, trembling a little.

Shadow turned his hand over and the crystal disappeared. “Yes, I know. We found a large shipping container filled with them. Could these be used to fill the tables with power?”

“Yes,” Spectra said with a shaky voice.

I moved to comfort Spectra as Shadow told us about Glimmer and his indestructible, cursed container. I could feel Spectra trembling as he spoke. “
What is wrong?
”

“
It’s like candy; a foul and poisonous, yet ever-so-delicious candy. Should I ever succumb to that crystal’s call it would be my undoing!
” she sent.

“Spectra? Are you all right?” asked Shadow.

“Kymberly! Oh, no! Where is Kymberly?” Spectra asked in a panicked tone.

“Back on the Nevermore,” said Shadow.

“You must keep her away from those crystals!” she said.

“Well, they are sealed with shields and guarded around the clock currently,” said Shadow.

“I hope it’s enough,” she said.

“What is wrong?” asked Shadow.

“Master, just one of those crystals in the hands of a Spiritualist would enable him to double his power. Give a case of them, such as you have, to a beginner magus like Kymberly and she could rival most elite wizards in raw power,” she said. “The power is evil, though; pure, distilled evil. No mere mortal could use it and remain a wizard.”

“Kymberly said that a necromancer would use them to create an undead army. Could he do that?” asked Shadow.

“Yes, Master, he could. Since life force is trapped in them, he could use that to reanimate the dead, but these are much more dangerous in the hands of a Spiritualist,” she said.

“How do we destroy them?” he asked

“Master, we have to take them to the Spiritual Realm. There I could drain them off safely into the environment,” she said.

“Is there any risk you would be tainted?” he asked.

“Yes, Master, but I am the only one I know of who could do it,” she said.

“I don’t like the sound of this,” I said.

“Nor I. I will consult with Grandmaster Vydor before I risk you like that,” said Shadow.

“Masters, with all due respect, Spectra is wrong,” said Shea.

“What do you mean?” asked Spectra.

“I can destroy them,” she said. “Master, Shadow, please bring that one back out. Rocky, please stand between Spectra, Dusty, and the crystal, just in case they need you to help them resist.”

Shadow turned his hand over and the crystal was back. Knowing that it was evil, I set my mind against it and refused its call, which was sweet and alluring. I held Spectra against me and focused on the thought that I would lose her for good if I answered the call of that crystal.

Shea walked over to the crystal, reached out and grabbed it. I felt Spectra try to jump forward, but I held her back. Shea smiled at us and said, “Do not worry, Spectra. It can’t harm a priestess of Light.” She covered the crystal completely with her hands and chanted quietly. As she chanted I felt the call of the crystal decline. I could not make out what she said, but I felt power build in the room. Her hands glowed with a warm, white light, and she slowly separated her hands to reveal they were empty.

“How’s that possible?” asked Spectra.

Shea smiled warmly. “I freed the trapped lives, and they went on to their final home.”

“But you should be dead from touching it,” said Spectra. “What are you, Shea?”

“I’m a priestess of Light. No such trap could ever work on me,” she said.

“Why not?” asked Spectra.

“Because my life is not my own; it belongs to the Light,” she said.

“Shea, could you do the same to the whole case?” asked Shadow.

“Yes, the Light grants me that power, but I need to have physical contact, Master,” she said.

“That leaves the big problem of how we can get them to you,” he said.

“Master, based on your last known location, we could join up en route to the second table. If we are flying towards a common point, it should only be a few months. The only thing is that you have to keep Kymberly away from it. It will tempt her and call her in. She might not be able to resist. I don’t know her well enough to say,” said Spectra.

“When I leave here I will first stop by the Nevermore and warn Kymberly and the guards, but then I will contact Grandmaster Vydor to inform him of this dangerous find. He might suggest
other options. Let’s work out a jump route that puts our ships together as soon as possible, and then I will carry the message back to the Nevermore.”

Once the route was worked out, and a follow-up communication appointment was set, Shadow weavewalked back to his vessel.

The next day, Spectra and I arranged to meet Shea to discuss our marriage. We met her in her office down in the hydroponics lab where she spent much of her time. We found her pruning some of her fruit vines and humming a strange tune.

“Shea, we need help,” I said.

“With what, Masters?” she asked.

“I think you might call it marriage counseling,” said Spectra.

She froze in place, then turned and looked at us. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, I don't know,” I said.

“Sit down, please. Let’s talk. Master Dusty, why don’t you go first and tell me what’s bothering you?” she said.

“Well, it’s just that there is a problem with our marriage.” I paused there. I hated the idea of admitting that Spectra had lied.

“Master, what kind of problem?” she asked in a soft, reassuring voice.

“Um - you see, Spectra kind of made it up,” I said.

“Made it up?” she asked.

“Yeah,” said Spectra. “We’re not actually married. When I told you that, I got carried away and sort of spoke my fantasy instead of my reality.”

“I see,” said Shea. “This was when I asked you for the name of a person authorized to speak for you?”

“Yeah,” she said.

Shea sat there quietly for a bit and then looked at me. There was something in her eye, something in that look that told me she must know more than she was letting on. “Dusty, tell me: how do you feel about this?”

“Scared,” I said.

“Why scared?” she asked.

“I can’t stand the thought of losing her,” I said.

“Why would you lose her?” she asked.

“Because that’s what happens in marriage,” I said.

“That is not really the point of marriage,” she said.

“But it’s what happens, right? Two people get married, they fight all the time, and then they leave each other,” I said.

“Oh, you mean like Flame and Shadow do?” she asked.

“Well, no. They seem happy, but they haven’t been married very long,” I said.

She sat there quietly again, with slow, easy breathing. Then she turned to Spectra. “What do you think? You said this marriage was your fantasy. Do you want to get married?”

“Oh, yes! Definitely!” she said.

“What about what Dusty said?” asked Shea.

Spectra looked at me with her big green eyes, and I could almost detect a tear in her eye. “I’m worried he might be right about marriage. I sure haven’t seen many that work.”

Shea took each of our hands and placed them together. She leaned in close to us and spoke with a gentle tone. “Marriage does not have to be that way. I can teach you both how to make it work, just like Grandmaster Vydor and Master Kellyn have for all these years. But I can only teach you if you want to learn and are willing to work hard at it.”

I looked over at Spectra, and now the tears were definitely visible. I had never seen her cry before. “What do we need to do?” I asked.

“Well, I will need a few days to prepare, and then we will begin with some premarital classes. Then,
after
we join up with the Nevermore, you should have a wedding to make your marriage real. Once that is done, I would like to continue to see both of you at least weekly for a while,” she said.

“Oh, that would be wonderful! Can you perform the ceremony?” asked Spectra.

“I thought it would be more customary for Master Shadow to do it,” said Shea.

“Maybe, but we want you to do it,” said Spectra. “You can, right?”

“Actually, I am not sure, but we can worry about that later. For now, let’s talk a little about what marriage really is when it works well
and see if we can’t get a more positive outlook,” she said.

We spent the next hour or so just talking with her. She told us about her parents, and their parents. She also talked a great deal about Grandmaster Vydor and Master Kellyn, whom apparently she had got to know very well since moving to our realm. She also talked about Master Flame and Master Shadow. With each of the couples, she talked about their strengths and weaknesses, but mainly about why their marriage worked so well.

Rubius was alone in his office, which was a rather bland affair containing little in the way of comfort. It appeared to be cut out of a single massive block of stone with perfectly smooth, almost glass-like walls. He floated silently in a cross-legged, sitting position behind a large desk, watching something in his silver pool. The room was deathly silent and had all the warmth of a tomb.

Slowly Rubius looked up as another magus appeared in the room. This one had a deep green-colored hood, but wore the same black robes. He approached the desk and stood silently waiting.

“What is it?” asked Rubius.

“She’s alive,” said the green-hooded magus.

“Who?” asked Rubius.

“Spectra,” was his answer.

This information visibly disturbed Rubius. He did not say anything for a while, but merely looked in complete disbelief at the other magus. Eventually he asked, “Are you sure?”

“I just spoke with her,” said the green-hooded magus.

“What do you mean?” asked Rubius.

“Some of the wizards found one of our tables, and I was forced to defend it. Among those wizards was Spectra,” he said.

“Are you sure it was she?” asked Rubius.

“During the fight, she opened a gate to the Spirit Realm and forced me through, where she defeated me in combat,” he said.

“Does she know who she is?” asked Rubius.

“She called the Spirit Realm her own,” said Rubius.

“That is impossible; the prophecy clearly said that she died when the final tear was closed. We saw her body ourselves. How can she be alive?” asked Rubius.

“She wasn’t alone,” he said.

“What? Who was with her?” asked Rubius.

“A male wizard followed us through into the Spirit Realm who was far more powerful there than when I fought him here in this realm.” The green-hooded magus just seemed to let that comment hang, as if it was loaded with meaning and importance.

For a while, neither of them spoke, and then Rubius said, “That must be Dusty, the other wizard whom we had found dead in the Spirit Realm.”

“What does it mean?” asked the magus.

“I’m not sure,” said Rubius. “Where are they now?”

“I haven’t been able to find them since they destroyed the table,” he said.

“How?” asked Rubius.

“That flying machine they have is heavily armed. They used its weapons directly on the table and vanished,” he said.

“That would be Dusty’s work, I assume,” said Rubius. “Is there any indication that they know where the other tables are?”

“No, but we had no indication that they knew about this one,” he said.

Rubius looked the green-hooded magus directly in the eye and asked, “How did she defeat you?”

“She didn’t actually do much,” started the green-hooded magus, who was starting to fidget.

“Explain,” said Rubius.

“Well, after she announced who she was, she began to cast a spell whose power levels grew exponentially. I did not wait to see what was going to happen,” he said.

“So you ran like a coward,” said Rubius. “You had a chance to kill them, and you ran. How dare you come before me?”

Rubius stood to his full height and drew his staff down out of thin air. Power crackled around him as he walked around the desk towards the green-hooded magus, who fell to his knees and said, “But, Master, I’m no match for her!”