Soul of Light (The Hidden Wizard Book 4) Read online

  Soul of Light

  Book Four of the Hidden Wizard

  Vaughan W. Smith

  Fair Folio

  Contents

  Prologue

  1. The Power of Soul

  2. Different Paths

  3. An impossible choice

  4. Investigation diverted

  5. Tracking the Queen

  6. Looming Battle

  7. Fight for a Friend

  8. The Fall of Hurdenor

  9. Fall of the Skull Queen

  10. Backtracking

  11. A Curious Proposal

  12. Uncertain steps

  13. Brangtur revisited

  14. The Messenger

  15. Justice of Thieves

  16. Outmanoeuvred

  17. A Familiar Face

  18. Change in Approach

  19. Capturing the Wind

  20. A Wizard's Tale

  21. The Right Way

  22. The Scholar's Path

  23. The Ancient Trial

  24. Planning the Assault

  25. Split Focus

  26. Reckoning

  27. Succession

  28. The Hidden Gate

  29. The Logical Message

  30. On The Trail

  31. The Scenic Route

  32. Unexpected Return

  33. A Lifetime Ago

  34. Diving In

  35. Closing In

  36. Revelation

  37. The Fellowship Rebuilds

  38. Reforging the Legend

  39. The Making of a Wizard

  40. Startling Discovery

  41. The Way to Valrytir

  42. The Prodigal Daughter

  43. A Heavy Burden

  44. End of the Investigation

  45. The Main Assault

  46. A False Battle

  47. A Lonely Path

  48. Darkness in Numbers

  49. Struggle

  50. The Missing Piece

  51. Soul of Light

  52. The Breaking of a Wizard

  53. Legacy

  54. Aftermath

  55. A New Era

  56. The Return

  57. Dreaming

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  About the Author

  Prologue

  Alyx was lost in a haze of grey and black mist. Her diminishing eyesight had gone to an extreme she never thought possible. She felt her body moving and doing things, but she had no idea how it was happening.

  There were flashes of images. She saw the missing Tracker. Alive then dead. She felt somehow involved in that, but it was such a strange and distant memory. Like it was in a previous life. Or something not yet done.

  What’s happening to me? she thought. The more she tried to wrestle some control back, the more pain she felt and the more she drifted away. Something terrible had happened, but she wasn’t sure what it was.

  Suddenly, she felt drawn to something. The landscape started to clear, and she recognised the terrain. She had somehow travelled a long way from the scene of the battle. The last thing she remembered properly.

  There was a figure standing before her. She had trouble making out any features. But she could tell from the silhouette that he was armed. A sword and shield, and possibly armour as well.

  “Well, well, well. What have we here?” the figure said. It sounded like a man. But it was not a normal voice. There was something wrong with it. Alyx tried to speak, but nothing happened. Just silence.

  “Perhaps that was cruel of me, pausing. I know you can’t respond. In fact, the only reason you can even hear my words is that I am allowing it. So, I guess that does make me cruel. Not that it would be a surprise to anyone.” The man paused again. Alyx wanted to scream something, but she couldn’t move or do anything else. She was just aware of him and his voice.

  “You’re not who I came for. It was that meddlesome wizard. He had outlived his usefulness, but I’m not one to let that stop me. I would have enjoyed turning him to some lesser purpose. But you, you’re a better prize.” The man walked closer and reached out. Alyx had to assume he was touching her head, but she felt nothing.

  “We have never met, so I should introduce myself. My name is Darvin. I go by other names, but that will do for now. I’ve been so preoccupied that I never thought to look for you. And had you not been infected, I probably wouldn’t have found you. But that fool Wraith did one good thing for me in the end. Yes, this is too perfect.” The man stepped back and looked her over.

  “When you killed my brother, it was a dagger through my heart. That’s how I felt it. The sharp, sudden loss. The unexpected nature of it is what hurt me so badly. I thought he was invincible, undefeatable. But he made a crucial error. He underestimated you. I won’t make that same mistake.”

  Alyx, even in her haze, had started to piece things together. No doubt her mental faculties were available to her on his whim, which made it worse. But she knew who he was now. And it scared her.

  “I felt that. The tremor of fear. Good, you know me. You should be afraid.” Darvin started pacing around.

  “I’ve had this feeling within me for some time now, and I didn’t know what it was. It was a burning desire for revenge, to hurt you for what you did to us. But I hadn’t identified it and acknowledged it. But now it’s all rushing out. And I have the answer. I know what will fill the void I’ve been feeling.” Darvin stopped right in front of her. She had trouble making out his features. But she couldn’t miss the wicked smile.

  “You are a Shade now, which is nice, but not enough. I won’t underestimate you. You have a strong will, and maybe you would find a way out. No, I’ve got something special in store for you. I can bring you into the fold. I can transform you into one of us, and you can sit at our table.” Darvin paused, watching her. Alyx had no idea what he was getting at, but it sounded bad.

  “If only you could respond. Oh well, in time. But I won’t keep you in suspense any longer. To right the wrongs that you did to us, you can serve us. You can fill the gaping hole in our number. You will become the Skull Queen and serve in place of the one you so cruelly stole from us.” Darvin clapped his hands, the excitement so obvious.

  Alyx understood the words and felt complete and utter horror.

  “Noooooo!” she screamed. Some part of it must have gotten through because Darvin took a step back.

  “Interesting. I didn’t expect that. Never mind, come with me. We have a lot of preparations to make.” Darvin turned and left, and Alyx felt herself moving with him.

  I can’t let this happen, she thought, steeling her resolve. But the fog was coming back, and she was soon lost within it.

  1

  The Power of Soul

  Alrion sat back, and let the ideas collect and form together.

  “I know we’ve only read a little, but it’s been enough for me to puzzle something out,” he said. Vincent and Marla looked at him with interest.

  “Are you going to keep us in suspense?” Vincent said after a while.

  “I’ve figured out how my grandfather cured Avaria.” Alrion looked around, and both his father and Marla looked shocked. He enjoyed that for a moment.

  “Go on then,” Vincent said.

  “He needed two things: access to the Blight and access to Soul Power. Neither of which he had.”

  “I understand the need for the Soul Power. Why did he need access to the Blight? You were cured yourself when you cured Wraith,” Vincent said.

  “Yes, but I found a way to insert the Soul Power into Wraith’s body. He was right in front of me. I didn’t need any special connection to target him.”

  “I see. But my father managed to create
a net so large it covered the entire country of Avaria.” Vincent nodded along.

  “Therefore, he needed those two things. How did a wizard do that, when he had access to neither?” Marla said.

  “Because he mastered the skill of transferring them into vessels. One for Soul Power, one for Blight. The crystal I wear has both. It’s proof that he could do it.”

  “That’s good. But how does that help you?” Vincent looked sceptical.

  “There’s no way I can source and store enough Soul Power to cure everyone of the Blight. It won’t help me there. I’m mostly just glad that I’ve puzzled out how he did it. Considering his limitations, he did such incredible things.”

  “He really did.” Vincent let out a deep sigh. Alrion could sense the regret in his father. He decided to quickly move on.

  “Anyway, I’m starting to think of other applications.”

  “Such as?” Marla said.

  “If I can put Soul Power into a vessel. And if the right amount of Soul Power inserted into a body can drive out the Blight. Then what’s stopping me from creating something that someone else can use to cure the Blight?” Alrion looked over at his father and Marla. They had confused looks. But he saw them thinking it over, and the realisation showing.

  “You’re absolutely right. Why did my father never try that?” Vincent said.

  “He would have had a finite amount of Soul Power. He never returned here to get more, so he must have been using it sparingly, knowing that he needed it,” Marla said. Vincent nodded with understanding.

  “It’s all theoretical right now. But I know I can get this to work. Those generals of the Blight won’t see any of this coming. It’s time for the tide to change. We’re going on the offensive now.” Alrion saw doubt in their faces.

  But he believed it, and soon they would too. In the back of his mind, there was the nagging doubt about how he would end this war and cure the Blight. But he silenced it. There was time to figure that out. For now, he had to trust in himself and those who were on the journey with him. They had defied the odds repeatedly. What was one more impossible task?

  If this works, I don’t need to be there to cure Alyx.

  Lara crested the snowy hill and paused to catch her breath. She looked over at Celes and saw the older woman breathing heavily.

  No need to put on appearances then, Lara thought. She let down her guard and showed how exhausted she was. They had spent enough time together that she no longer felt like she had to prove herself. Celes caught her breath enough to laugh.

  “Good to see that you tire as well. I thought it was only me.”

  “I’m not really the hiking type. I think I’ve done a lifetime these last few weeks.” Lara surveyed the landscape. There was enough greenery poking out from the layers of snow that it felt alive, and not completely whitewashed. The sweeping hills and rocky mountains in the distance were awe inspiring.

  I should try to appreciate this while we’re still here. I wish I could get Alrion out to see it.

  “Ready to push on?” Celes looked like she needed another minute.

  “I need another two minutes.” Lara watched Celes’s reaction and saw the woman’s face relax noticeably.

  No need to be rude.

  “Do you think this mysterious trader will turn up today?” Lara looked at Celes, curious.

  “I hope so, we’ve got no other leads. We have so completely canvassed this whole area.” Celes sighed. “We need to be moving, not making camp.”

  “If we bring him something, he’ll move. But not before. He’s obsessed with this project of his.”

  “The Soul Orbs?” Celes brushed the snow off a nearby rock and sat. She cleared a spot next to her. Lara sat next to her, trying to ignore the cold. A chill ran down her spine.

  “Yes. He won’t talk about anything else. Well, except news of Alyx of course.”

  “He’s always been stubborn, even as a child. Once he gets his mind set on something, he won’t budge. But I don’t see why he’s so fixated on this. If he wants to save her, shouldn’t we be out doing more than just looking?” Celes stared out into the distance, deep in thought.

  “I’ve been thinking about that too. I think I know the answer.” Lara noticed that she suddenly had Celes’s full attention.

  “And?”

  “He doesn’t want to be in that situation again. Where he has to choose.”

  “Choose?”

  “He chose to cure Branthor, and he could do nothing for Alyx in the moment.” Lara could see the scene playing out again in front of her. The desperation on Alrion’s face. The defeat in the face of his amazing victory. She pushed the images away.

  “And if he develops this Soul Orb, he can cure someone while still retaining his Soul Power?” Celes clarified.

  “If it works, then yes. I think that’s what this is about.”

  “You’re right. He’s grown so much, but he hasn’t changed. Not one bit.”

  “Isn’t that great though?”

  “Oh, it is. Despite all this, he’s still my boy. I still see him that way. It’s not really fair to anyone, but that’s how it is. I have to keep reminding myself that he’s saving the world.” Celes rose awkwardly.

  “I’m not made for this intense cold. Let’s keep moving.”

  “The sooner we get to this outpost the better.” Lara blew warm air into her hands and took off after Celes.

  The hike didn’t take that much longer. Soon, they saw the top of a wooden shack rising out of the snow. It was nestled amongst tall fir trees and looked like the landscape had grown around it. A small plume of smoke wafted out of a small chimney.

  “That’s our place.” Lara pointed to the shack.

  “Good. I hope this trader is legitimate. How do you want to do the interrogation?”

  “Interrogation?” Lara stopped suddenly.

  “Perhaps that was too strong a word. But we need to figure out what he knows, and I don’t have the patience for some ego-driven idiot.”

  “I’m curious what you would consider normal?” Lara felt a sudden pang of fear. Maybe she didn’t know Celes at all.

  “Oh, don’t give me that look, I’m not like that. I meant more along the lines of ‘the cudgel and the honey’.”

  “Oh, I see. In that case, why don’t you choose? I’ll follow your lead.”

  “I’ll be honey, you be the cudgel.”

  “Sounds like fun.” Lara winked and Celes returned it. Lara upped the pace and took the lead before heading into the shack.

  A wave of warmth rippled out as soon as she pushed open the heavy wooden door.

  Finally! Lara lingered for a moment in the doorway, then remembered Celes. She quickly shuffled inside, held the door and closed it quickly. There was a raging fire which explained the warmth. Otherwise, the shack was very simply furnished. There were a few chairs and couches, and one writing desk in the corner. Two men occupied the room. One silver-haired gentleman in adventurer’s gear sat at the desk, and another man lounged in front of the fire. He was younger and dressed like a well-to-do merchant. He was reclining in the chair and playing with a silver ring.

  He’s not dressed for the elements at all. I don’t trust him already.

  The man at the desk nodded towards the hearth, and Celes approached first. She took a seat directly opposite the merchant. Lara pulled up a chair next to her. The merchant paid them no attention.

  “Excuse me, I was led to believe that you have some information of the recent Blight attacks.” Celes’s voice sounded sweeter than usual. Lara almost laughed. The merchant looked up.

  “Oh yes, good of you to finally join me. I was promised coins.” He held his hand out.

  “Certainly.” Celes handed over a small bulging sack. “My name is Celes. And you are?”

  “Gunthram.” He pocketed the coins without delay and started to resume his previous position.

  “And the information?” Celes maintained her polite voice. Gunthram looked annoyed.

  “
Yes, yes I can confirm the attacks. I was there at one. Ghastly business.” He turned his attention to the hearth.

  “We’re quite interested in hearing more. What was unusual about these attacks?” Celes tried again.

  “I’d rather not say.” Gunthram started spinning his ring idly. Celes nodded at Lara. The young thief stood quickly and snatched the ring from Gunthram.

  “Well, I never!” He started to rise. Lara shoved him back down, making a show of inspecting his ring.

  “Nice ring, if a little plain. Does this have some special significance?” She looked him directly in the eyes. Gunthram gulped but did a good job at hiding it.

  “No, not really. Just a trinket I picked up.”

  “You won’t mind if I keep it then.” Lara pocketed the ring. Gunthram’s face grew red. Celes reached out and held his hand tenderly. She looked back at Lara.

  “No need to be rude, Gunthram has been through a lot. Clearly, the attack was quite traumatic.”

  Gunthram seemed to relax and nodded. But he kept his eyes on Lara.

  “Why don’t you share some more details, I apologise for my associate. She’s really quite hasty. I tell her every day, but she just doesn’t listen!” Celes was almost using a motherly tone. Lara had to stifle a laugh.