5000bc-

“Yes, I know I need exactly the right spot.” The hunchback held his collection of

scrolls to his chest. “I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

He paused as if listening. Then his lined face twisted in anger.

“I know what I am doing.” The hunchback paused. “I don’t need you to keep talking

to me about it. I just need to find the right place. Once I touch the Spring, I will be

able to activate the rest of the words.”

He started walking again.

“Yes, the way will be clear for the Destroyer to arrive.”

The hunchback walked until he arrived at the city’s harbor. He ignored the various

styles, languages, and foreigners. He had a place next to a warehouse. Once he was

home, he could divine where he needed to go to carry out the rest of his bargain.

The Destroyer would spare him as the summoner. He would have some sort of

leverage to keep his part of the Earth as it was. The rest would be gutted and shaped

to whatever means the otherworldly force wanted.

That didn’t bother the hunchback. The only thing that mattered was that he got what

he wanted out of the deal. If the rest of humanity suffered and died, so what? They

should have spent years learning how to do summonings and dismissals.

Then they could try to stop the Destroyer when he arrived with his army.

He set the scrolls on a stand. He settled in his favorite cloth chair. He didn’t

remember where he had gotten the chair, but it helped him with the curve of his spine.

He needed that relief for a second as he tried to think of his next move.

He decided the best thing to do was try to draw a map. That might give him a clue

which way he should go to harness the Spring.

“Yes, I know what’s at stake.” He jumped from his chair. “I’m doing the best I can.

The last time the Destroyer was summoned, it required an army of magicians. I’m

only one man. Be patient.”

He exhaled a breath. The spirits inside him didn’t want to give him a moment’s peace.

He needed them to work their power to his own ends, but he hated their demands.

If he did the wrong thing, he could turn his being into a torch that would burn a

millennium.

He refused to ruin his chance for a better body because his allies didn’t appreciate the

limits on his ability.

It was better to be slow and methodical than rushing and stabbing yourself with your

own stylus.

And his methods had worked for him so far.

The hunchback decided to spend the rest of the night reading. Once he was sure the

scrolls held what he wanted, he could move to the next step. Then he probably had

to arrange for traveling.

He doubted the spot he wanted to use would be in the city where he was. That would

make things too easy.

And the city had a protector whose responsibility was stopping people like him doing

the thing he planned to do. He didn’t need a duel with another magician before he put

his plan into mission.

He had a great deal of personal power but he doubted it would be useful against

another magician with equal skill.

He prepared a dinner of bread and cheese before he began his reading. He had a barrel

of rainwater to drink from. He dipped out a cup from the wooden cask. He spread out

the first scroll and went over it while he ate.

He didn’t learn anything from the writing. He moved to the next one, and then the

third. The fourth one gave him a clue on how to work the portal. The fifth one

mentioned the ritual he wanted to perform. He found measurements, effects, and what

could be expected when the spell worked. The spell didn’t state what would happen

if the Destroyer was successfully summoned.

He expected the name of the creature was usually enough to warn off practitioners

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that should know better.

He didn’t really care about that. Once his task was done, then he could walk without

pain for once.

“All right.” He rolled the scrolls up and placed them on the stand. “Everything looks

like it’s possible. I just need a power location to get started. I am going to try to

divine one, then get some sleep. After that, I will try to find the place, and arrange

transportation.”

He held up a hand at unheard exclamations. He waited for silence.

“There’s no way I will be able to do this as rapidly as you want.” He gestured at his

body with mismatched hands. “Look at me. It will be an act of the gods if I can reach

the place of power without dying on the way. I understand how you feel, but you will

have to wait.”

He listened to the air. He ground his teeth together. He had made a mistake absorbing

these spirits into his mind. He should have put them in an artifact that he could use

at will without having to listen to them.

“Enough.” The hunchback shouted to the empty room. “I have decided our course.

I need you to think about how you can help me in the projected future that I have laid

out.”

He sat in his chair. He shut his mismatched eyes. Maybe he should sleep first before

he tried to find where he needed to go to do the ritual.

The muttering of rebellion and betrayal decided him. He had to at least try with the

writing. Then they would allow him to sleep for a bit.

He hoped he was ready to carry the spell out. If he failed, they would chew at his

mind until he did something that he would regret later.

He should have really tried to confine them to artifacts instead of carrying them

around inside of him. They vexed him over which way the sun set some days.

He looked over his supplies until he found a piece of vellum he could write on with

a pen and ink. He spread the vellum on the table. He held the corners down with rocks

he had picked up to use for that purpose. He found his bottle of ink, and a quill pen

he sharpened to do what he wanted. He set them on the table.

He closed his eyes as he unstoppered the bottle. He dipped the pen in the ink. He

pulled the pen out. He murmured words as his hand moved the pen. He stopped when

he heard a skritch from the pen. The drawing was complete when that happened.

He opened his eyes and put the pen up. He studied the drawing. He exhaled. He knew

that the place was represented by a circle of pillars. A sun rising meant it was east of

where he was. He had to travel to a desert east of where he was. He was looking at

miles of movement to get where he needed to be.

“Are you happy?,” he asked the spirits. “Can I get some sleep?”

He frowned at what the voices told him.

“No.” He sat down in his chair. “There’s no telling where the site is. I am getting a

nap before I try to find it. If it’s too far away, it might take another few years to find

it for the summoning. I’m not trying to find a place strange to me without some kind

of rest because you expect me to be your slave. I am your master, and I require some

time before I start on the next step of the plan.”

He waved the complaints away.

“I need the sleep.” He closed his eyes. “I’m going to take that rest. Tomorrow will be

the day I leave the city for this search. I will need to use the divination to keep us on

track. I expect your help with that.”

He waved aside their objections as he concentrated on getting his sleep. Having them

in his body gave him vitality, and relieved some of his pain. The constant arguments

on priorities angered him more than he liked.

Still, he was making progress, and if there was a problem, he had the perfect

sacrifices. Let another magician stand up to a spell powered by a water spirit. He

would drown before he came up with the right counter.

Using a spirit like that would cause it to destroy itself. It would hurt his personal

power to an unknown degree. The only good side was he could use his enemy’s spirit

as a replacement if he caught the magician’s last exhalation.

Maybe a human spirit would be better as a source of power than inhuman spirits.

He ignored his dreams as he slept. Lately, the spirits tried to invade his mind through

them. It was better just to lock them away. Then when he woke up, he was back on

even footing with the spirits without whatever they tried to plant in his mind to

release them.

He woke up in the morning, the port already bustling around his little place. It was

time to pack up and try to find his destination.

“Yes, yes.” He didn’t have to check his food. He didn’t have any left after his dinner

the night before. He found several water bags and filled them from his barrel. He put

his magick supplies in a carrying bag that he could hang from his high shoulder. The

scrolls went in another bag. He held the drawing in both hands. How could it help

him now?

He doubted it could do much, but it should point him in the right direction.

He hoped he didn’t have to go far to get to where he wanted to go.

He held the drawing as he left his hovel for the last time. He held it in front of him as

he walked. He found a boat that drew his sight. He held the drawing in front of the

boat. It wiggled in his hands. This was the transportation that he needed.

“It’s not exact.” He shook his head. He was using a drawing of a place that might not

exist to decide on boarding a boat to get to that place in the hope of satisfying spirits

complaining about his moves. How had his life turned out like this?

He put the drawing away as he walked to the boat he wanted to travel on. If he could

get on board, he could ride with it until it reached the spot he needed to go.

It wasn’t perfect. That didn’t matter. He could use his spell work to secure passage,

and be let off on land where he needed to go.

Arranging something to carry him on land would be a different kettle of trouble in his

opinion.

That would take care of itself when he got to it.