“And once I heard Freya get injured, I knew I couldn’t just leave and well, you know the rest.”
All in all, it only took Gabe about thirty minutes to tell his story. Rather than go in-depth, he opted more for a general summary that hit all the key events as well as his own commentary about what his interactions with Simon, Drevock, and especially Professor Alrik had been like. He knew that Iansi’a’s friendly attitude toward him and offer to join their group was most likely a ploy to get him to lower his guard and reveal something incriminating, but truthfully he didn’t feel that there was anything to hide.
A part of him truly hoped that this was all some sort of misunderstanding that could be resolved peacefully, though he recognized that it was going to be a long shot. A team as well trained and equipped as they were wouldn’t simply give up their mission on the word of some stranger. That was also why Gabe was willing to speak with them. Every minute he kept their attention was another minute Simon and Professor Alrik had to reach the vault and make their escape.
When retelling the story, he also left out any mention of the journal and the artifacts that the vault contained. By making it seem as if they had just reached the vault when they heard the fight between the Knights and the seraphdrakes taking place and that they rushed out to see what was happening before exploring the vault’s contents, he wanted to give the others every advantage at making it out of the cavern. The obvious hole in his story was the Verdant Guardian spells he’d cast, but he hoped that they wouldn’t realize that they used more than just life mana.
Iansi’a regarded Gabe for a few seconds before speaking.
“Thank you for that Gabe. If what you’re saying is true then we have a much bigger problem on our hands. A conspiracy of this magnitude would mean that the leadership of the Pathways of Illumination has been compromised for quite some time. However, I hope you understand that such extraordinary claims do require extraordinary proof. Please don’t take this the wrong way, I really do appreciate how civil you’ve been through this whole process, but until we can speak with Alrik we won’t be able to verify any of the claims you’re making.”
“That makes sense,” replied Gabe. “I think Professor Alrik would be more than happy to talk things over with you, but, and I hope you don’t take this the wrong way either, from his perspective he’s been unjustly hunted down for a good while now. He’s understandably a bit wary that any dialogue between you is just a pretense to capture him.”
“That would be a fair assumption,” Iansi’a replied with a smile. “Just as it would be correct for us to believe that having you stay back and speak with us is just a pretense to give him more time to get away.”
“Ah, that might be partly true,” said Gabe, chagrined.
“How about this. You lead us to the vault where presumably Alik and Simon have holed up and act as a go-between to help establish some trust between our two groups. I give you my word as a Knight Captain that neither I, nor anyone on my team will engage in any efforts to subdue, capture, injure, or otherwise act aggressively toward them until we’ve gotten to the bottom of this. Truthfully, I am more than a little curious to see this Futureweaver’s Insight spell in action.
But,” the kindness in her expression disappearing, a look of cold fury taking its place with such abruptness that Gabe had to take a step back. “know this- if this is some sort of trap, we will respond accordingly. Do not take my openness for dialogue as a sign of weakness.”
“Trust me,” Gabe said with a gulp. “The last thing any of us want is a fight. Though I don’t know if they’ll be at the vault. I know Professor Alrik really wanted to see if anything there could help him with his research, but I’m not sure how long they would have stayed given um, your presence.”
“Then we should get going then. I would hate to have to keep chasing him through these tunnels.”
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Freya let out a breath, relieved that she wasn’t going to be forced to fight Gabe. The best she could tell, he really believed the story he was telling. There were a few moments during his retelling that she knew he was lying, their years of friendship letting her know his tells, but if his journey had been anything like hers, then he’d likely been through a few things that he didn’t want to share in front of a group. Hopefully, on the trip to the vault, she’d be able to have some time alone with him to ask him how he really was doing. Just as she was making her way towards him, Selira’s voice sounded through her mind.
“Orders from Iansi’a. Eldin’s spell revealed an unknown type of magic bound around Gabe’s soul. He believes that the group found something in the vault, something that explains this magic and Gabe’s new spells. Unfortunately, we have to assume that your friend is compromised and to prepare for a trap. We will do everything we can to keep him contained and out of danger, but if he tries to attack, we cannot guarantee his safety. I’m sorry.”
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The trip to the citadel passed quickly and in relative silence. Gabe was in front, Freya and Iansi’a beside him and the other Knights arrayed behind them. He tried a few times to check in with Freya and see how she was doing, but he didn’t get more than some generic answers. Something was definitely up with her, but he didn’t have enough time to figure out what. The group approached the citadel, with Thormar being the first through the opening. Once he gave the all clear the rest followed suit.
“Now where?” asked Iansi’a, a ball of white fire hovering above her filling the whole room with a soft light. Eldin’s earlier spell had also removed Professor Alrik’s Nightvision spell from Gabe, so the light from the fire was necessary for him to see. Unfortunately, being able to see didn’t help with the fact that he wasn’t sure exactly where to go. The glowing lines the professor had conjured as they left the vault were no longer there and while he knew which direction to head from that main entry chamber, he wasn’t sure of the exact path to the vault. When he explained as much to Iansi’a, he was met with a look of annoyance.
“I don’t think you need me to remind you how bad it would be if this is all a setup. Selira, you’re up.”
One of the other female Knights, the short one with the midnight black hair, stepped forward. Her lips moved as if she was saying an incantation, but no sound left her lips. Once done, she looked around the room before nodding at Iansi’a.
“I’ve locked onto their psychic trails. Nothing indicates that they left this way, so they’re either still here or they found another exit.”
“Let’s get this over with then,” said Iansi’a.
With Selira now in the lead and Thormar by her side, the group moved through the citadel quickly until at last, they stood in the hallway leading to the vault. The door was closed and Gabe was quick to tell the others what had happened when Simon opened the door just on the off chance that the blast was a defensive enchantment that had been re-armed. Warily, Thormar approached the door, half hidden behind his shield as he opened it. The good news was that there was no blast of magic like before, the bad news was that the vault was completely empty. Where before it had been filled with all kinds of items, now its stone walls were laid bare. There were even a few spiderwebs hanging in the corners. For all appearances, the room looked as if it hadn’t been disturbed in centuries.
“Gabe,” Iansi’a said in a warning tone. “Care to explain what’s going on?”
The problem was, that Gabe didn’t have any more clue as to why the room was blank than the others. As they approached the vault, he figured that either Simon and the professor would be in there still or they would have grabbed some of the artifacts and made their escape. The room being empty like this didn’t add up.
“I’m sorry Iansi’a, but I don’t know. As far as I can tell, this is where the vault was. Even if I didn’t remember the exact path, I recognized enough of it to be certain this is the right place.”
“Selira?”
“The trails led straight here and then just disappear at the doorway. With the right spell, it’s possible that Alrik created the trail knowing we’d follow it.”
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“Then it’s as we feared,” Iansi’a said with a sigh. “Clearly this was all a diversion. I’m sorry Freya, but it appears that your friend is indeed compromised. The only thing we can do for him now is take him back to the Pathways and see if someone there can remove Alrik’s influence from him. Until then, he’ll be a prisoner in our custody. Thormar?”
“Wait, what?
Before Gabe could process what was going on, Thormar was behind him, his strong hands gripping Gabe’s wrists as he pulled them together and locked them in place with a set of metal cuffs. The cuffs were etched with runes that flared with a dark light and Gabe immediately felt something in his soul. He could still sense both his mana and that of the Verdant Guardian ring he still wore, but no matter how hard he tried he couldn’t access it.
“What are you doing?” he cried. “I’m not under any spell, I don’t know what’s going on either. Eldin’s spell removed all active effects, so you know that I’m not being controlled. Freya, tell them that this is unnecessary.”
Gabe cast a pleading look at his friend but she looked away, unable to meet his eyes.
“I’m sorry Gabe, but this is for the best. We’ll get you the help you need, I promise.”
He heard the hitch in her words and knew that this wasn’t easy for her, but still, it hurt having his best friend stand aside while he was put in chains.
“Alright, let’s move out. Most likely this whole thing has been a ruse so that Alrik can sneak while we were in here. Selira, I expect you to find their trail again. Even with an earth mage, they couldn’t have gone far. Let’s go people.”
All traces of the kind, compassionate persona Iansi’a adopted when speaking with Gabe earlier were gone. She spoke with the conviction of a leader giving orders on the battlefield and her team responded in kind. Hearing that switch, Gabe realized just how foolish allowing himself to be caught up like this was. He didn’t regret going back to save Freya, he’d never regret saving his friend, but he no longer held any illusions that there would be a peaceful resolution with the Knights.
He reviewed his options. Even if he had access to the Verdant Guardian spells he didn’t think he could take all the Knights on in a fight, and with it being blocked off that brought his chances down to zero. He looked at the cuffs around his hands to find any flaw or crack that he might be able to use to get them off but there was nothing. The only thing he could think of was to try and get away when the team was engaged in battle, but then he’d be left alone in the tunnels without any weapons or access to mana. No matter how he looked at it, he just didn’t see any way out.
“Gabe, be ready to run to the vault. You’ll know when.”
Gabe stopped so abruptly that Thormar walked into him, causing Gabe to stumble. That was Simon’s voice in his head, clearly using some sort of telepathy spell. Relief flooded through him. Not only had they not left him behind, but they were going to help free him.
“Keep it moving,” grumbled Thormar at Gabe who hadn’t started walking again. Unfortunately, he wasn’t the only one who had stopped, however. Selira was looking all around, her mouth moving in silence as her eyes glowed with an ethereal light. Abruptly she turned to face the vault, letting out a curse as she did so.
“It’s an illusion! They’re in the vault.”
At once, all of the Knights turned around and readied their weapons. Before they had the chance to do more than that, the air in front of the vault shimmered and suddenly the empty room was filled with artifacts once again. Standing just past the doorway surrounded by stone pillars that each held an artifact was Simon.
The earth mage threw aside the dagger he’d been holding and picked up a bracelet off of one of the pillars. With a yell, he extended his hand as bolts of black lightning shot toward the Knights. Even taken by surprise, these were still elite warriors and Thormar wasted no time slamming his shield into the ground and extending its size with a wave of amber mana. The black lightning slammed into the shield with such force that cracks could be seen in the mana, though Thormar was able to maintain his position. Unfortunately for the Knights, Simon's appearance wasn’t the only surprise.
The Soul Weaver spider who had also been disguised by an illusion took that opportunity to leap from its perch on the ceiling right at the center of the group. The band it wore along its forelimb flashed and suddenly a dozen ashen copies were flying through the air alongside it. They crashed into the Knights, disrupting the defensive formation they were trying to establish. One of the ash copies managed to latch onto the back of Thormar’s thigh with its monstrous jaw, the whirling teeth tearing away a chunk of flesh and causing the Knight to drop his spell. As soon as the barrier was gone, more bolts of lightning shot down the hall, arching past Gabe and Freya and hitting the Knights.
In just a matter of moments pure chaos had erupted in the hallway and Gabe didn’t waste his chance. He took a few stumbling steps toward Simon before pausing and looking over at Freya. She had pulled out her bow but hadn’t fired any arrows yet. The Knights were still in a state of disarray between the surprise attack by the spider and Simon’s lightning, both of which were actively avoiding her.
“Freya, come with me. I promise this is the right thing to do,” he pleaded. She met his eyes, indecision clear on her face. “These Knights, they aren’t your friends but I am. You know me better than anyone else, you know that I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t think it was important.”
Gabe really didn’t want to leave Freya behind, but he could tell that the Knights were beginning to regain their footing. Already Iansi’a had been able to cleave one of the ash spiders in half with her flaming sword and she was working on dispatching two more that had surrounded Eldin. He spared Freya another glace but this time she wouldn’t meet his eyes. Instead, she strung her bow and shot at the actual Soul Weaver spider who was currently fighting with Selira. As much as it hurt him to accept it, it was clear that Freya had made her choice. Kicking himself for wasting so much time already, he turned around and ran for the vault.
Simon had stopped shooting lightning down the hall, the bracelet being replaced with a circlet he held in one hand while gouts of flame blasted out of his other. In truth, the spells he was casting weren’t very strong, just something to keep the Knights off guard. Sweat was pouring down the earth mage's face and Gabe didn’t think it was from the fire spells he was casting. Channeling so much mana from the artifacts in such a short amount of time had to be straining his soul immensely and Gabe knew he wouldn’t be keep it up for much longer.
As Gabe entered the vault, Simon dropped the circlet and picked up the hammer he’d claimed when they first found the artifacts. The weapon glowed brightly as Simon swung it against the cuffs on Gabe’s hands. The impact left the metal rusted and decayed, the runes affected leaking light and growing dim. With another swing, Simon was able to shatter the cuffs and Gabe felt that the magic separating him from his mana was gone. He was about the say thanks when Iansi’a’s voice echoed through the hall with such rage, it gave both men pause.
“Stop them!”
“Let’s get out of here,” Simon said to Gabe. “I made a tunnel earlier, Master Alrik is already down there. We need to move quickly.”
He turned to lead Gabe toward the tunnel that he could now see along the back corner of the vault. Gabe took a step forward when a burning sensation erupted through his chest. In front of him, Simon gave a strangled cry and fell to a knee, an arrow shaft sticking out of a small crater in his back. Looking down, Gabe could see a hole through his own chest, the sight making him woozy. He looked over his shoulder to find Freya holding her bow up, tears streaming down her face. He tried to say something but blood bubbled out of his mouth and he collapsed to the ground.
Belatedly he activated his necklace and a Restorative Sheild flared up around him, but he knew it wasn’t going to be enough. Next to him, Simon turned to face the doorway to the vault and a series of metal walls sprung up blocking the entrance. As the third one appeared, he let out a cry and dropped the hammer, collapsing to the ground next to Gabe. Gabe’s thoughts were going fuzzy, but luckily for him, he was still wearing the Verdant Guardian ring. It took a few precious seconds to connect with the spellform but he was able to cast Soothing Moss on himself, the conjured plants stemming the bloodloss slightly. He went to do the same for Simon but found that there wasn’t enough mana in the ring.
With slow labored movement, he pulled it off and set a hand against Simon’s shoulder. He tried to cast a tier two version of Repair using his will alone but found he couldn’t concentrate well enough to weave the threads of mana. Whatever enchantment had been on the arrow Freya shot had torn through part of his lung and heart and even with Soothing Moss and Restorative Shield, he was losing too much blood.
He steeled himself as much as he could. With his free hand, he traced the pattern for Repain along the ground, willing the mana threads to move at his command. He was able to complete the spell, sending a wave of healing magic through Simon. He repeated it again and again, alternating between himself and Simon. His soul began to strain under his efforts but still, he continued. Time lost all meaning, all that mattered was that he kept casting. It was on his fifth attempt that something within him broke. The pain was more excruciating than what he’d experienced in the forest. It was as if his very essence was being fractured. Instantly his connection to life mana was gone, the refreshing feel of it replaced with a burning ache.
The pain in his soul mixed with the physical pain from his injury and he knew that it hadn’t been enough. His spells might have stopped him and Simon from bleeding out, but neither was in any shape to flee. He didn’t know how long it had been since he’d entered the vault but he doubted it would take the Knights much time at all to break in once they’d taken care of the Soul Weaver spider. It had all been for nothing, Professor Alrik was going to be captured and there would be no one left to try and stop the war. He closed his eyes as the pain became too unbearable and he fell unconscious.