Death's Mistress

CHAPTER 50

Under Simon’s guidance, workers from the other canyon settlements brought their tools to Cliffwall and set to work trying to reach the lower levels of the damaged tower, hoping to find where the Eldertree acorn had been stored. In the cool, dusty underground, some of the access passages had slumped, the stone melting like wax to clog shut the openings, but the determined laborers used hammers and chisels to penetrate the hard slickrock.

A solid wall of vitreous rock had flowed over the opening, sealing off an entire basement level. Laborers were already hard at work, hammering and hauling away the rubble of broken rock. A grime-streaked stonecutter groaned and turned to Simon. “It’ll take many days to carve even a small hole through that, sir.”

After they followed the workers down into the deep underground passages, ducking and crawling into the damaged vaults, Nathan looked at Nicci. “Sorceress, surely a barricade of solid stone is not too great a challenge for you?”

“No, it is not. Allow me—we are in a hurry.” The workers backed away, curious, and Nicci reached out to touch the smooth wall of melted rock. When she released her magic, the stone that had flowed once, now flowed again. She did not need to resort to Subtractive Magic, but was able to work the material like clay, not destroying the rock but simply moving it. She lifted handfuls of fluid stone like a ditch digger slogging through mud. Although she expended a great effort, Nicci succeeded in carving out a tunnel, widening it, lifting the ceiling, and burrowing farther ahead.

After using her magic to move aside ten feet of stone blockage, Nicci began to doubt there truly was another chamber on the other side of the rock. What if the clumsy and untrained wizard had solidified the entire archive with his disastrous accident? Soon, though, she felt the stone grow thin in front of her, then break like an eggshell, and she pushed her way into a dark, claustrophobic vault, exactly where the plans suggested they look. Inside, the air was thick and stale, sealed away for years.

Cupping her hand, Nicci ignited a light spell so she could see the walls dotted with cubbyholes carved into the slickrock. She shone the diffuse glow around the chamber, seeing shadows dance around reverent display shelves that were filled with valuable, mysterious objects, artifacts, sculptures, amulets, all of them covered with dust.

Nathan pushed in behind her, and he straightened, fastidiously brushing stone dust from his borrowed scholar robes. “Dear spirits, this is exactly what we were looking for. Is the Eldertree acorn here?”

Simon and Victoria followed him, and they stared in amazement. “Exactly where my memmers said it would be.” She flashed a sharp glance at Nicci. “You should have believed me, Sorceress.”

“I prefer to have proof,” Nicci said, not responding to the other woman’s edgy tone. “Now that I have proof, I believe you.”

Impatient, they moved around the museum vault, inspecting the marvelous items that had been sealed away for millennia. They searched among the exotic artifacts, carved vases and small marble figurines, bright glass vials, amulets worked in gold and jewels, fired-clay medallions covered with a jade-green glaze—and a wooden chest no wider than Nicci’s hand. She felt drawn to it, sensing an energy in the air, a power barely contained within the small box. When she removed it from the alcove, she felt a warm pulse through her palm. “This holds something very important.”

“That is it,” Victoria said, pushing closer. “I remember the descriptions from the original writings.”

Nicci opened the lid and looked at cushioned folds of purple velvet, which embraced a single acorn that seemed to be made of gold.

Nathan grinned like a young boy. “Quite extraordinary. The Lifedrinker will be no match for that. Now we have the weapon we need.”

“Yes.” Nicci closed the small chest. “I do.”

* * *

Nicci was impatient to leave immediately. “The Lifedrinker’s power grows every day. This mission will be more dangerous than our last expedition, but I will go.” The scholars could study the other artifacts down in the vault in due time; if she defeated the evil wizard, they would have all the time in the world. Nicci removed the acorn from its ornate chest, wrapping it in the scraps of purple velvet so she could tuck it into the pocket of her black dress.

As they returned to the main buildings of the archive, Nicci considered what she would need to do before departure. Aside from packing food and water, she didn’t need to make other preparations. Bannon and Thistle joined her, as curious scholars gathered around, eager to see the Eldertree acorn.

Victoria looked at Nicci, both stern and uneasy. Her brow furrowed as she spoke to the rest of the scholars. “I know she is the most powerful sorceress among us, but I am reluctant to give such a sacred treasure—the essence of life itself—to a woman who calls herself Death’s Mistress.”

Nicci continued her preparations, ignoring the memmer woman’s objection. “It must be done, and I am the one to do it.”

With a sidelong glance at Victoria, Simon suggested, “Every person in Cliffwall knows that this is a great battle. We can send scholars and trainee wizards to accompany you. We can be your army against the Lifedrinker.”

Nicci looked at the too-young scholar-archivist. “You would all be slaughtered. None of you here is fully trained in magic. The risk is far too great.”

Thistle ran up, excited. She had stars in her honey-brown eyes. “Nicci will do it, I know she will. Do you think it will restore the valley to the way it was?”

“Killing the Lifedrinker will end the spreading blight,” she said. She did not want to give the girl unrealistic hopes. “But the wound in the world is severe. It will take some time to recover, even after he is defeated.”

“I need to go with you,” the girl insisted. “I have to help restore the valley.”

Nicci would hear none of it. “Too dangerous. I cannot defend myself and finish my mission if I’m worried about you.”

“But you don’t need to worry. I want to go. I want to help—just like last time.”

Nicci crossed her arms. “No, and you will not slip out to follow me. I may have Nathan tie your arms and legs and lock you in a room until I’m gone.”

“You wouldn’t,” the girl said.

“Correct, I wouldn’t—but only if you promise me you’ll stay behind. That is what I need you to do, because it is the only way I can complete my mission. This is deadly serious.”

The girl fumed. “But—”

Nicci raised a hand, leaving no room for doubt. “Or would you rather I blanketed you with a sleep spell, so you do not awake for days?”

“No,” the girl mumbled. “I promise I’ll stay here.” Her voice was low and glum.

“And do you break your promises?”

Thistle seemed insulted. “Never.”

Nicci looked long and hard at her, and she believed the girl. “Then I will trust you.”

“That child must stay safe, of course,” Nathan agreed, “but in a great battle like this, you need someone to fight beside you. The Lifedrinker is an evil wizard, perhaps one of the most powerful you have ever encountered.”

“I have killed wizards before,” she said.

“Indeed you have, but not a wizard like this. We cannot guess how the Lifedrinker will try to block you. I should come with you, for whatever assistance I can provide.”

Nicci raised her eyebrows. “How could you help? Your gift is gone.”

He touched the hilt of his ornate sword. “I am an adventurer as well. Magic still resides within me, whether or not I can use it. Maybe if I encounter the Lifedrinker, it will help me to release my powers again.”

A chill went through Nicci. “That is what I fear, Nathan Rahl. I know how formidable a wizard you can be, but we cannot risk it.”

The old man huffed. “I insist—”

She shook her head. “Think about it. When you tried to heal that victim in Renda Bay, what did your magic do? The wild backlash tore him apart. And when you fought the Adjudicator, the magic backfired again, but fortunately for us, it folded that man’s own evil magic back upon himself. But the Lifedrinker is already out of control. If he encounters your wild, chaotic power and it twists further, just imagine the possible consequences.” She watched his eyes widen as the realization struck him. She continued, “When I unleash the Eldertree acorn, with so much magic surging through the air, blasting into the Earth—what happens if there is a backlash from your powers? The repercussions could tear you apart … or tear the world apart. We dare not risk it.”

Nathan gave a reluctant nod and said in a small voice, “I fear you may be right, Sorceress. If I somehow twisted the Lifedrinker’s magic and turned it against us but a thousand times worse, there would be no way I could place it back under control. Dear spirits, the damage I could cause…”

Nicci squared her shoulders, straightened her back. “I must depend on my own magic, and I can travel quickly.” She touched the folds of cloth that wrapped the throbbing golden acorn in her pocket. “Your sword would be welcome, Nathan, but I already have my weapon.”

Setting his jaw, Bannon stepped forward. “Then I am the one to go along. If you need a sword, you can have mine.” He gave her a cocky grin, mostly for the benefit of Audrey, Laurel, and Sage, who also stood listening. “And you already admitted that you never worry about me at all, Sorceress.”

Nicci gave him a skeptical frown. “You should not make such a brash offer simply to impress your lovers.”

He turned as red as beet soup. “But, I can help! Sweet Sea Mother, you saw how I fought the dust people and the sand panthers. If we are attacked as we approach the Lifedrinker’s lair, what if I can buy you the seconds you need to complete your mission? That might mean the difference between success and failure.”

Nicci pressed her lips together, assessing the young man. In their battles against seemingly insurmountable enemies, he had indeed killed more than his share of opponents. “I admit, you can sometimes be useful. But know that if you go with me to fight the Lifedrinker, you could face certain death. I will not be able to save you.”

“I accept those terms, Sorceress.” He swallowed hard, struggling to hide his fear, since he clearly understood the risk in what he was suggesting. “I’m ready to face the danger.”

Victoria’s acolytes watched him with admiration, which only seemed to increase Bannon’s eager determination. Nicci doubted she could change his mind, and she admitted she might need him. “Very well. If nothing else, you may be able to distract a monster at a key moment so that I can keep going.”

Audrey, Sage, and Laurel hurried to give Bannon their farewells, and Thistle threw herself against Nicci in a furious hug. “Come back to me. I want to see the world the way it was supposed to be, but I want to see it with you.”

Nicci felt awkward, not knowing how to respond to the girl’s enthusiastic embrace. “I will restore the world if I can, and then I will come back to you.” The next words came out of her mouth before she could think better of it. “I promise.”

Thistle looked up at her with her large eyes. “And do you break your promises?”

Nicci gritted her teeth and answered, “Never.”