Secret of the Sunstones, Part 1: The Wanton Kingdom

Chapter XXIV : Escape

Latemorn of Primoris, Second Day of Autumnmoon

Rosa woke somewhat groggily to find herself on the back of a viscar. An icy cold breeze sent needles through her exposed arms and shoulders. Her body was paralyzed, and there was little she could do to keep warm. All that remained was the scaly yet warm-blooded body of the viscar beneath her scantily clad body. Someone must have slit her dress to force her to ride in a forward manner. She was horrified to think what else they might have done while she was unconscious.

She tried to recall what happened. The last thing she remembered was fleeing Jean’s abode. She tensed, recalling the cherished professor who had tried to save her, and hoped he made it out unharmed. Jean was a capable sorcerer, but Virgil had some inexplicable advantage. It could have been the sunstone, but Jean called it interdicta … forbidden magic.

She recalled the final pages of Vance’s journal, and the unholy powers he had unwittingly unlocked. She had to somehow reach Bram and warn him of just how dangerous the sunstones were. They were already worse than anything she could have imagined.

She opened her eyes, and a barren, mountainous landscape came into focus. Two Royals rode ahead of her, each atop their own reptilian mounts, while Virgil Garvey rode at her side. His left hand still grasped an object inside his cloak, which she supposed was the source of his power.

Vengeance burned brightly as she thought of a way to escape. She put her hatred and frustration aside to focus. She needed a plan, and her only advantage was that her captors hadn’t yet realized she was awake.

Sadly, Virgil must have sensed her scheming. His head swiveled in her direction, and his madman eyes gazed right through her. “It appears Miss Reynolds is finally awake.”

He cracked a smile and giggled.

There was no point in hiding it. Rosa lashed out, surprised she could speak at all, given the rest of her paralysis. “It’s vulgar, the way you’re treating me, acting all haughty and arrogant. Is this all a joke to you?” She was furious. “Tell me what you’ve done to Master Jean!”

He tisked. “My, my, aren’t we demanding?”

She pleaded. “Please, just tell me you didn’t kill him.”

Virgil’s face was devoid of emotion, colder than mountain air. “How fascinating. One moment you insult me, and the next, you’re all submissive. My sources told me you were manipulative, but you’ve already surpassed my expectations.”

Rosa’s mood darkened, and her hatred grew.

“You see?” he smirked. “Now you’re back to loathing me.”

She looked away, unwilling to engage in his taunts.

“You think I killed him, don’t you?”

She tried to hold back tears. “It’s not like I’d believe you, either way.”

The chancellor looked all innocent. “What do I look like? A monster? Despite what you’ve heard about me, I don’t take pleasure in hurting people.” His lips curled into a devilish grin. “I just make sure they don’t get in my way.”

Rosa no longer wanted to hear what he had to say. He was sick and cruel. He cackled as tears streamed from her eyes. She needed to escape before becoming his next victim.

But as she rode, the temperature plummeted. Piercing winds numbed her arms and legs through her thin white dress. She worried about frostbite, but ignored the pain. Years ago, she spent a winter in the northern plains of Koba, where she learned to meditate to keep her mind off the cold. She placed herself in a dissociative state, keeping her body pressed to her mount, siphoning as much warmth as possible from the viscar’s gentle incalescence.

Meanwhile, she delved for weaknesses in the magical force that paralyzed her body. Even the most experienced wizards had faults that sorcerers could exploit, given enough patience and time. Rosa had both, but Virgil employed a very different kind of magic. No matter how hard she tried, his hold was invisible to her. An unknown force, as foreign as another world. She needed to know more.

“Stop struggling,” the vile man chided. “You have no hope of escape.”

She blocked out his voice. All that mattered now was freedom. Looking around, she saw a blackbird flying overhead. She knew of one spell that didn’t require movement from her body, so she uttered the words.

It was a simple spell, merely a method that sorcerers used to communicate without revealing their location. The spell encoded a message using nearby animals, mostly birds because of their voice. The blackbird flew to a nearby rock and called out.

Virgil witnessed the spectacle and glared at her crossly. He kept his left arm inside his cloak, while he outstretched his right forefinger and vaporized the bird with a single word of power.

“Wretched girl!” he chided. “I should remove your tongue.”

He cast another spell that muted her voice, but his magic or threats wouldn’t change what was already taking place. Rosa had already anticipated his reaction. In fact, she planned for it, when she implemented a few clever tweaks of her spell.

The first was a feedback loop, so she could study his methods. His right hand destroyed the blackbird using common wizardry, which meant his left hand couldn’t leave the object in his cloak pocket. If she could force him to release his left hand, his hold over her might weaken.

The second change was known as a contingency variance. This kept the spell active, without requiring more words of magic. All she needed was to exercise her manna to keep the spell going, or channel more of it to grow the spell’s scope. She needed a distraction. Something big. With enough manna, she could broaden the spell until every living creature in the area was given an irresistible urge to call out.

But, she didn’t intend to stop there. This was her one and only play, and it had to work. She did what no other sorcerer would do, which was to pour every scrap of her manna into one very simple spell, orders of magnitude more than she needed. The effects were unpredictable, but that was precisely what she wanted.

Sure enough, another blackbird answered her call, followed by many others. Chirps and whistles came from all directions. From the rocks, trees, and bushes: a cacophony of high pitched caws and wing flaps. Not just birds, but squirrels, chipmunks, and other four legged critters. Before Virgil could stop it, the area was swarming with a veritable zoo of wildlife.

He was furious. Shards of lightning shot from his fingertip, but they barely made an impact. The two soldiers, hands over their ears, took cover on the side of the trail, where they wouldn’t be struck by friendly fire. The chancellor cursed and dismounted, then climbed atop a nearby boulder. As he distanced himself from Rosa, she felt his grip on her body weaken. It was nothing more than a tingle, but she used it to flex her muscles. All she needed was a bit more ….

The animals numbered in the thousands, and their song was deafening. Virgil removed his left hand from his cloak to double his magical firepower. Seared lumps of flesh and feathers rained down upon the mountain path, creating a sickening smell of charcoal and burnt meat.

Now was her chance. With his left hand away from his power source, Rosa refocused her efforts to reclaim her body. Sure enough, her theory proved correct. The paralytic magic had considerably weakened. It was her last and only chance to escape, and she took it.

She closed her eyes, summoning whatever manna still remained in her body. Its sweet taste, gentle tingle, and pleasant warmth flowed throughout her body. Despite her muted voice, she mouthed the words of a spell, amplified by her will to live and fight. She mumbled the words, over and over, resolved to thwart Virgil’s evil plans. She repeated the mantra, slowly freeing her body, as well as her voice. At last, she was overjoyed to find her arms and legs once again under her control. And at that moment, she realized the sounds of the animals had stopped.

She tried to get her bearings, she realized it wasn’t Virgil’s fire or lightning that suppressed the chaos. Rather, the animals fled of their own accord. In their place, a creature of gigantic mass and terror flew above them, such that the Angkorian soldiers shrank back in fear. Inadvertently, Rosa’s incantation had summoned an endrake, quite possibly the largest anyone had ever seen. Saliva dripped from its maw, and it no doubt set its sights on a much anticipated meal. Even Virgil backed away from his position on the precipice. The viscars stirred, growing uneasy.

Rosa saw her chance. She summoned her courage, inhaled as much air as possible, and spurred her mount forward. Hanging on for dear life, she directed her viscar underneath the endrake before the monster had a chance to react.

“After her!” Virgil bellowed.

Rosa felt a moment of triumph, but there was no time to celebrate. She needed to distance herself from her captors, so she reared her mount forward. As she advanced, the path grew more dangerous, curving along the contours of the mountain. The left edge led straight into a ravine, leaving only a narrow pathway. But she maintained velocity, unwilling to let her captors catch up.

She looked over her shoulder. The immediate threat wasn’t Virgil’s magic, but rather the endrake that had given chase. It was gaining fast. She looked along the rockface, hoping to find refuge in the form of a cave or passageway—anything that would take her off the ever-thinning pathway. She leaned to the side, just in time to round another sharp corner. She placated her mount with whispers of soothing magic to keep it calm and focused.

Unfortunately, she was out of runway. The path had become too thin and treacherous, forcing her to stop. She reared her mount and turned it around to face the creature at her rear. To her surprise, the endrake was gone. Seeing neither spawn nor captor, she wondered if her luck had finally changed. If she could reach the northern face of the mountain, she would find places to hide and collect her thoughts.

On her left was a rocky cliff face, while on her right, a ravine so deep, she couldn’t see the bottom. Despite what lay ahead, she had no choice but to retrace her steps. She readied her magic and was about to spur her mount forward, when she heard heavy breathing behind her. She turned the viscar around once more.

From the ravine, the endrake rose from its hidden position. Jaws open, strands of saliva dripping from razor sharp teeth, ready to chomp down and finish her off. There was no escape, and nowhere else left to run. The endrake opened its wings to attack.

The last thing she remembered before falling off the cliff were the sharp, poisoned barbs as they entered her flesh. She mumbled the words of a spell as she fell ….