Metal mage 5, p.20
Metal Mage 5, page 20
The Baroness stood like a shadow beside them, and we all avoided looking at her as we readied ourselves to leave.
Every elf in the clearing jumped at least a foot when Bobbie suddenly roared to life, but from the corner of my eye, I noticed the Tenebrae Mage was as still as a statue.
“Safe travels, my friends,” she murmured, but somehow we could hear her voice clear as day over the growl of the bike’s engine.
I nodded to the handlebars as I kicked Bobbie into gear.
I didn’t realize how fast we drove as we tore back through the jungle toward Rhoemir, but somehow, we arrived in one piece despite my mind being everywhere but there.
I stayed right where I was when the engine cut and the women dismounted, and I didn’t snap back to reality until Aurora placed her hand on my shoulder.
“Mason?” she asked uneasily.
I looked over. “What the fuck was that?” I finally said.
“Right?” she asked immediately.
“I mean … ” I shook my head, but even with a thorough scruffing I couldn’t seem to make sense of the last hour. “What the hell is that woman on about?”
Cayla looked around like she might find the answer somewhere in the trees, but all she could do was shake her head.
“Is she always like that?” Shoshanne asked.
“Hell if I know,” I told her. “I met her once. Only once. And here she is in Nalnora on some mysterious errand, but we’re friends apparently. And you … ” I turned to the half-elf. “Did you two do something I don’t know about?”
Aurora’s jaw dropped with indignation. “Me? Are you serious?” she demanded. “She’s terrifying.”
I narrowed my eyes, and the blush burned on the half-elf’s face. “I saw the way you looked when you said her name,” I pointed out. “You can tell me. I won’t be mad.”
I couldn’t help but smirk at the look of fury on Aurora’s face.
“Mason Flynt … ” she said thickly. “I seem to remember a few looks being sent your direction as well, and I know you didn’t much mind it.”
I raised my brows at the dangerous glint in her eye.
“Alright, fine,” I chuckled as I held up my hands. “Maybe she’s got eyes for more than one of us.”
Cayla stifled her giggle. “Shouldn’t that worry you more than us?” she tossed out.
“I’m not a jealous man,” I assured her as I dismounted. “If memory serves, you’re pretty democratic yourself. Although I would advise against anyone falling asleep in her company. Just gonna throw that out there.”
Aurora rolled her eyes. “So, we’re in agreement she’s up to no good, and we’re not following her advice?” she asked.
I furrowed my brow and crossed my arms as I thought this over.
A dozen creepy impressions of the Baroness flashed through my mind, and I tried to weigh them against her advice and the flaming scorpion we’d come up against outside of Rajeen.
“I have no idea,” I finally sighed. “I can’t settle on a damn idea about that woman without falling on the opposite idea a second later.”
Cayla nodded thoughtfully. “Can someone explain her powers to me?” she asked. “Is she just in charge of shadows? Because she said the elves couldn’t hear us and--”
“Exactly!” Aurora cut in. “That has nothing to do with shadows. And to what extent does that apply? Tenebrae Mages are incredibly rare. I don’t think I ever met one in all my time at the Order.”
I shrugged. “I honestly can’t make sense of any of it, but I know she’s used it against us.”
Cayla looked to me with concern. “How do you know that?”
“Rhys,” I told her. “He followed us from Rhoemir after the meeting with the Elven Council. At the time, I couldn’t understand how he’d managed it without Aurora hearing him, but I’m pretty sure it’s because of the Baroness. She must have helped him.”
The half-elf’s eyes widened. “Gods. You’re right.”
I nodded.
“Then … ” Shoshanne began, “does that mean she can be anywhere at any time? If she controls shadows and sound, how could anyone know if she’s right behind them or just over there in the trees?”
All of us whipped around as she gestured into the jungle.
“Sorry,” the Aer Mage giggled, “it was only hypothetical.”
“Godsdamnit,” Aurora breathed, and she shook her shoulders like a spider had crawled along her back.
“Okay, let’s just all calm down,” I tried, but I mostly said it to myself. “She’s not following us, she’s at House Fehryn. I have no idea how she does it, or where she goes or why, and I don’t want to know.”
Cayla’s brows furrowed into a nervous crease.
“I hate the sound of it, too,” I admitted, “but right now we have other things to consider.”
“Like what?” Aurora asked uneasily.
I could tell by the look on her face she didn’t want me to say what I was about to say.
“Like … whether we’re traveling west to House Quyn,” I muttered.
“Noooo,” the half-elf groaned. “I don’t want to.”
“Me neither,” Shoshanne added.
I turned to Cayla, and the princess shook her head.
“Okay, just hear me out,” I tried, and I ignored the three heads that shook vigorously in response. “We’ve got House Fehryn, but we need five more Houses for a majority vote. I’m not assassinating anyone, so House Natyr is out, plus they want to kill us. The three elite Houses couldn’t even be bothered with us, so that’s the most unlikely. Which means we need every other remaining House on our side, and House Quyn is on that list.”
The three women stood stock still, and after a long moment Aurora let out another low groan. “Godsdamnit,” she whimpered again. “I don’t want to.”
“Well, we have to,” I told her as I walked over and pulled her into my arms. “And we would have had to whether or not the Baroness told us to. So … pretend she never mentioned it. We’re just going to a House in the west. Next House on the list.”
I kissed the top of Aurora’s head as she groaned and buried her face against my chest, and as I glanced sideways, I saw Cayla and Shoshanne exchange equally worried looks.
“Oh, come on,” I chuckled. “She’s got a vibe about her, that’s all. Every mage has got their own vibe. Aurora’s got the fiery and feisty vibe, Shoshanne’s subtle but deadly, and I’m obviously all-around epic.”
Cayla snorted.
I grinned and went on. “The Baroness is just a little …”
“Fucking creepy,” the half-elf mumbled against my chest.
“Yeah,” I said with a shrug. “Now, I’m gonna go get you ladies some leather for those bows, and when I get back, we’ll head west. Keep your bows ready, though, in case any of the elves from House Natyr are in the market today.”
I sent them all a broad grin before I turned to head down the road toward the marketplace, but as I got further from the trees, the smile fell completely, and my pulse quickened in agitation. The last thing I wanted to do was follow the advice of the Baroness again when the last time I’d almost been killed by a giant flaming scorpion.
I sighed and tried to push the memory of the frantic scene from my mind as I rounded the back of the little old elf’s hut. The elderly merchant’s eyes snapped to mine the moment I leaned around the wall, and she was up like a shot with her palm outstretched.
The pouch in my pocket only had ten golden coins left in it, and I plunked them all into the withered hand with a dry smile. She nodded along to my order, but before she turned to make her way across the clearing, she gestured for me to lean a little closer as she glanced around carefully.
“They’re looking for you,” she whispered.
“Who?” I asked with a frown.
“Natyr,” she responded before she gave a shifty look around the marketplace again. “Five men on patrol.”
With that, the elderly elf left her stand before I could say a word, and I ground my jaw impatiently as I watched her go. Then I took a quick scan of the town square, and my adrenaline heightened as I realized there wasn’t a single turquoise tunic anywhere. I furrowed my brow and double checked to be sure before I cursed under my breath.
The elderly elf didn’t stall even a second in making the purchases I needed, and I thanked her in earnest before I bolted up the road and hoped the patrol had passed on already.
My gut dropped as I approached the spot where I’d parked Bobbie, and I could hear the commotion of the attack all the way from the road. My crossbow was drawn when I broke through the tree line, and as I crouched and prepared to fire, I only found the three women looking flushed and out of breath.
Three dead elves lay at their feet, and Aurora scanned the trees intently.
“There’s five of them,” I told her as I quickly came to her side, but the words only prompted her to lower her weapon.
“Oh, we’re fine then,” she said.
“You got them all?” I asked, and the half-elf sighed.
“No, I got none of them,” she grumbled. “Onym and his brother took off, Shoshanne got one, and Princess Crack Shot over there beat me to both of those idiots.”
I glanced to the lifeless elves and raised my eyebrows as I counted the arrows buried deep in their skulls.
“Holy shit,” I chuckled. “What’d they think of the bows?”
“You could ask them if you want,” Shoshanne said as she sent me a wink.
Cayla grinned proudly. “That one’s got a runed dagger too, so I finally get one!”
Aurora let out a groan beside me, and I figured I could lower my bow.
“Well, I’ll just try not to step on your toes then I guess,” I said as I watched the two deadly women gather their wares. Then I turned to the half-elf. “Got the leather we needed at least.”
The straps worked perfectly to secure the bows to our backs, but it didn’t seem to cheer Aurora up at all, and I laughed as she continued to pout until we mounted up.
“Don’t worry,” I told her as I settled her between my thighs. “Onym’s not gonna give up that easy.”
“Fine,” she chuckled. “But the first thing that jumps up out of nowhere is getting ten arrows right through their fucking skull, I don’t care who or what they are.”
“Deal,” I agreed, and the four of us headed to the glade with the silver trees in much higher spirits.
We took a wide route around the village of House Fehryn just in case they were already practicing with their new weapons, and with our supplies repacked in the sidecar, we headed west through the jungle.
I calculated it as we went and figured it would take us a little over two hours to reach this crystal bridge if the Baroness’ instructions had been correct. Even with the added difficulty of winding our way around trees and embankments, we kept a pretty decent pace, and luckily, no Raxis slithered out from the ferns around us.
The plant life changed as we went, and the vines that hung from the trees grew different flowers, while the trunks they clung to seemed to get wider. The jungle felt older in the west, like it had been growing over itself for so long the ground was mostly made of years and years of decayed logs that had sprouted their own ecosystems. Mushrooms began to sprout up all over the place, with many of them growing to sizes I’d only ever imagined.
Bobbie slowed her pace as the ground became spongy, and I sent my Terra Magic out to try and stiffen the jungle floor a bit. As I did, I thought over Aurora’s advice about my magical abilities, and I began to explore the strange sensation of not controlling the earth, but rather connecting to it.
It took all of my attention to do it since I was also working to help Bobbie travel more easily, but as I relaxed into my Terra Magic, I became more and more aware of the density of the earth. I began to sense the dampness of the dirt, and the presence of the roots within it, and I even felt the wriggling creatures that made their dens far below the surface.
It was difficult to process the way Bobbie’s wheels roved across the surface, because as I focused closely, it was almost like she drove right across my skin. The vibration of her engine and the jolt of each bump she hit sent information back to me from two different dimensions. I could feel her beneath me, but I could also feel her from under the soil, and I finally had to draw back from this strange new presence because it was too disorienting.
I had just settled back into my normal state of mind when I saw Aurora’s head tilt, and she quickly looked up and behind us.
“What’s up?” I hollered above the drone of the engine.
Aurora’s eyes went wide, and she quickly brought her crossbow around to her front.
I glanced back as well, and as I did, I caught sight of a wing tip as it disappeared out of my line of sight.
“Shit,” I breathed, and I egged Bobbie forward to pick up our speed.
The sphinx that stalked us from the treetops glided almost silently, but its shadow flashed across the ground here and there as it crossed the dappled light that shone through the leaves.
I wove us through the ferns as I tried to lose the sphinx, but as I took a sharp turn and looked back, I saw another one had joined in on the hunt. Aurora twisted to take aim, but I could tell by the look on her face she’d missed her mark. Cayla brought her crossbow around as well, and as the two women worked together, I veered around trunks and over felled logs as quickly as I could manage in the difficult terrain.
Then the beast loomed so closely the wingspan shadowed us completely, and I felt the rush of wind as the sphinx made a dive.
Shoshanne screeched, and Aurora loosed three arrows in quick succession, and then a hideous snarl echoed as I heard several limbs crash and snap.
“Got him.” The half-elf grinned.
“What about the other one?” I called out, but Aurora shook her head.
Bobbie kept up her speed as I did my best to shift the terrain, but the dense plant life that grew over everything was becoming so thick it created a barrier between the wheels and the ground, and my magic made virtually no difference.
Finally, I abandoned the effort all together and brought Bobbie to a quick stop.
Cayla immediately dismounted and looked to the sky, and as the sphinx made a dive, she loosed her arrows.
I watched five arrows impale the exposed underbelly of the sphinx, and the blood rained down on us as the wings stopped beating at once.
“Look out!” I hollered, and the four of us lunged into the ferns.
My heart stopped as I thought of Bobbie crushed beneath a giant sphinx, but as we rolled into the thick of the jungle, I heard her engine rev just a split second before the body hit the ground.
Birds and bugs shot up in all directions when the sphinx landed, and the chaos of disrupted creatures echoed everywhere for several minutes.
I crawled from the ferns and brushed a few oversized beetles from my shoulders as I went, and when I made it back to the sphinx, the women had just emerged as well.
All of them were covered with bits of plants and mud, and I couldn’t help but chuckle as we stood around the massive beast.
“It’s twice as big as those three we saw back east,” Shoshanne pointed out breathlessly.
“At least twice as big,” Cayla added. “Maybe bigger.”
I could barely make out the top of her head from the other side of the sphinx’s corpse, and as I studied the beast from nose to tail, I realized it was bigger than any elephant I’d ever seen on Earth.
“They sure do grow ‘em big out here,” I chuckled. Then I brought myself to the head of the sphinx and crouched beside the mouth.
Its body was completely still, so I reached over and pulled it’s lip back just a bit.
“You have to see these teeth,” I told the women with a grin. The canine tooth was longer than my forearm and yellowed with age. “How old do you think this guy was?”
Aurora crouched down and let out a low whistle. “I have no idea, but I think the more important question is who would win: a drake or this sphinx?”
“That’s a tough one,” I replied. “I’d say sphinx. It’s bigger.”
“Is it?” the half-elf asked as she looked along the body.
“Easy,” I assured her. “It’s almost a shame he had to die, honestly. He’s an impressive guy.”
Cayla stared at me. “He could have swallowed you in one bite,” she pointed out.
I shrugged. “Not if this terrain wasn’t so damned difficult,” I mumbled.
I found Bobbie stuffed and tangled in the center of a massive fern and crawled in after her. With a little difficulty, I was able to mount up and try to wrench the front wheel free as she revved and spun her wheels.
Eventually, we got free of the fern and were back on course, and as we turned to head southward, the sound of rushing water could be heard throughout the jungle. We followed the sound into a dense valley, and as it got louder, we found ourselves at the base of a large waterfall with a stout bridge that arched over the water a ways downstream.
The bridge glinted with pale pink crystals like a geode, and it looked almost like it had built itself across the water, except for the distinct railing that flanked each side and made it appear man, or elf, made. The water splashed wildly as it roared beneath the crystalline structure, and the damp air seemed to sparkle as the spray drifted through the shafts of dappled light.
Several species of birds swooped amongst the lower branches of willowish trees, and they feasted on the fruit that grew in gnarlsome bushes along the river as their screeches echoed through the jungle. I could hear them as they swooped over our heads, but their calls were nearly drowned out by the roar of the waterfall as they went. Except for the most massive birds who looked a lot like phoenix but with blue and silver feathers and long black talons on their feet. These ones had calls so shrill they reached us even from where they perched high up in the canopy, and I craned my neck all around as I watched the unbelievable amount of winged species that made their home in this part of the jungle.
Bobbie brought us to the mouth of the crystal bridge, and we dismounted to get a closer look at the shimmering structure. It really did look like a massive geode had been broken open and laid across the river. There were huge pale pink crystals jutting up into geometric points, and they built themselves on top of each other to form most of the railing. A silvery moss dotted a few places where the overspray of the raging river constantly wetted them, but for the most part, the bridge was entirely made of unmarred and glistening stones.
