A Dead God's Tear(74)

"What do you get out of this? You're not offering help just to be nice."

"Of course not. I have a little problem that you are uniquely suited to handling."

"You could get the elves to handle it, if it was that important."

Velynere picked up a wine glass, gently swishing the contents as he regarded Marcius with an amused look, "Hah! Hardly, human. Selenthia tolerates my presence because I am too powerful and useful as a resource to do away with. They keep me like a guard dog, chained close enough to keep an eye on, yet far enough away to quell the fear in their hearts. Look around you. I am a prisoner within a golden cage." He winced at his own admission before giving a shrug, "Still, it isn't so bad. I preoccupy myself with my magic, my research, which brings me full circle as to why I need you."

Marcius would have been lying if he said he wasn't at least curious as to why the thing in front of him needed a lowly apprentice's help. "Alright, there is no harm in at least listening. What are you proposing?"

"Let me lay out my offer to you first." the elf said, setting down his glass carefully, before leaning forward on the table, "Two promises," he said, raising a like number of fingers up, "One: I will answer the question that you will have upon conclusion of your training at the Academy."

"What qu-"

"-you will know what the question is when you think of it," he interrupted, drowning out Marcius's response. "It will be something that only I can answer. Two: I will train you further, once your Academy training is complete. I will give you the power and means to avenge your father and Master. I can give you the knowledge you crave, deep down in the darkest pits of your mind, Marcius."

Marcius's breath hitched in his throat. Was it possible that this being spoke the truth? If so, everything he was striving for was within his fingertips. But, was that what he wanted? Was it so hard to just be left alone to practice magic? He was shaking his head, trusting his gut, before he even fully thought about the elf's offer. "No, things aren't that simple." He could hear Jared and Alicia's disappointment if he'd just accept at face value what Velynere was saying. "You're promising me a lot of things, so you must be desperate."

"No, not desperate, but something has caught my fancy recently," Velynere said, but it was the cold amber eyes that shone with a hunger that had Marcius doubting the elf's words, "You see, I have recently come across the solution to a mystery that plagues these woods. You know of the Myst, yes?"

Marcius nodded, Selene's words came to the forefront of his mind. The elf continued. "The Myst is a byproduct of the intense amount of nether gathered here. It warps reality and makes. . . unnatural. . . occurrences and phenomenon. Up until now, we have had to depend on the spirit beasts, which generate an alear, a shield of sorts, to protect us from the warping and monsters that roam the Mysts. But, I have found a way to generate a false field that mirrors the spirit beast's alear!"

"What does all of this have to do with me?" Marcius asked. Academic learning was something that always held a sway over him, but he doubted the elf forcibly invited him over to discuss theory.

"There are numerous parts of Selenthia that transform when the Myst takes over. Up until now, we've had no way to reliably explore them. I want you to investigate some information I've uncovered."

"Why me?"

"Because you're best suited for it. I'm kept chained to this estate. A prisoner. The rest of Selenthia tactfully ignores or spits at my very existence. I had pulled many favors to even be allowed out for a brief respite, to attend your trial. Depending on how long this upcoming war lasts, there might not be another outsider willing to do this for another few hundred years. We have long memories and even longer grudges."

"I don't know. . . " Everything Velynere proposed was laced with logic, but there was something the elf was leaving out.

"Look," Velynere said, reaching into a pocket along his side. He pulled out a simple looking amulet. The large stone in the center was clear, and a thin wisp of hair seemed to float in the milky depths, caught in stasis. "This will shield you from the Myst and will alert you when you get near what I am looking for. Just say the word imprinted on the back to activate it. Wait until night, when the Myst is thick and follow where it takes you. Bring anything you find back to me and I'll reward you handsomely. Think about it."

Marcius couldn't help himself. He reached out, taking the offered amulet from the elf. It was cold in his hands, a certain lack of warmth that extended farther than it should have. The stone flashed brightly as it spun slowly on its chain.

He glanced warily up at the elf. Every fiber of his being, every ounce of logic imparted on him by his father and Antaigne, all screamed to not trust this thing. And it was a thing, he was sure of that. Even the movements of Velynere came out wrong, off-center, twisted subtly by whatever pact he made to reattain his familiar. The actions were that of a predator, a certain economy of movement reserved for a creature that depended on being just a little faster, smarter, or stronger than whatever it was they were trying to kill.

He shouldn't do it. He knew that. There was more to this than the elf was saying. It was obvious. But what about his father? What about Antaigne? Where was the justice that Jared so often spoke of? Velynere was offering something that Marcius knew was a double edged sword, but perhaps the risk was worth the reward?

He pocketed the amulet slowly. "I'll have to think about it." Marcius tried to ignore the hunger that erupted in the elf's eyes.





Chapter 26

Velynere managed to hold onto his smile and amiability until after Marcius left, but his true nature came forth the moment the grateful apprentice had shut the door behind him. The elf growled, slapping aside a bowl of venison. It bounced off the wall and shattered, spraying the entire area with shards of pottery and globs of meat. The nerve of that human! That child! Telling him that he'd "think about it"!

He flexed his hand, relishing in the strength he felt, the unnatural result of his experiments. Still, he was sure that he laid the appropriate groundwork to entice the human. He could see the yearning, the anger, the need to get retribution in the apprentice's face. Yes, he was sure the human would decide favorably.

Velynere stood and went to a worn bookshelf. Reaching a hand along the back of the case, he traced the edges until his fingers sunk into a slight indention. He pushed and there was an audible click, the shelf sliding along the floor to reveal a passage behind. He didn't bother to take a candle with him as he navigated the darkened hallway; the elf no longer had need for such things for he could see as easily in the dark as one could on a well-lit day.

Down the winding passage he continued, until he came upon a stout door wrought with chains and iron. His eyes dipped into the nether as he pushed his hand against the seemingly solid door, the metal twisting and bending as the illusion shriveled and curled up like leaves in a fire to reveal an open doorway. The rest of his body followed and the magical sigils, traps designed to explode violently, gave way for their maker, allowing Velynere to walk calmly into a dim room.

"Back again? Don't you ever have enough?!" a voice said harshly from the corner. A figure was chained to the wall, the metal clinking as the person struggled to stare directly at Velynere.

"Now, Ganiele, I'd like to think after all we shared that you'd at least be pleasant to me."

"Go rot at Dryken's feet, you monster!" the elven mage spat feebly, his strength giving away mid-sentence.

In a flash, Velynere closed the distance between them, his hand latching onto the mage's chin. "Like I said, you should be pleasant." He gave one last shake for emphasis before releasing the elf.

Velynere turned a critical eye at his captive. Ganiele's hair hung around his face, the former luxurious mane now nothing more than a stringy substitute. His skin had pallor, like death warmed over. He didn't give the elven mage much more time alive; it was amazing he still managed such resistance in this condition.

"Now, my elven friend, the question is: are you hiding anything else in that head of yours? I met the human you mind-melded with, and I know you must have more in there for me, yes?"

There! He saw it! The slight widening of the eyes, affirming his suspicions. He quickly grabbed the elven mage's head between his hands. "Let's just see what you're hiding, yes?"

He mind-melded, forcibly entering Ganiele's thoughts and memories. Nothing was sacred as he rummaged around; relishing in the mental pain he was causing the elf. Eventually he found it, there in a secluded recess of the elf's mind. How had he missed it before? A way for him to get the human to do what he wanted! No wonder Ganiele had hidden the information the first couple times Velynere had probed his mind.

Ganiele slumped when Velynere released him, the thin body heaving in exertion and pain. Surprisingly, the elven mage managed, with some difficulty, to look back up at him. "You'll never get away with this, abomination! They will question where I've gone. There will be inquiries!"

Velynere laughed in his face. "Come on, we both know that is nothing more than a bluff. Why else do you think you were sent here to request my presence at the trial? You were betrayed by the Elders, foolish mage. You were nothing more than a sacrifice, an incentive, to buy my cooperation. Your own people sold you, like a common trinket. How does that make you feel?"