Forced into Fantasy 2

Chapter 15 - Tracking

Zarkin;

‘I can’t believe this is happening!’

I’m out for less than an hour and during that time Ivy has somehow managed to not only reveal Ronaar’s role as an imposter, but to also get herself kidnapped once again by the Moonlit Guild’s Prince, Ronaar.

I run my hand through my hair as my anxiety begins to gather at once.

Luckily for me though, not all the news is bad.

Adomis has just finished filling me in on what had happened in my absence and I have been fortunate enough to meet with the Marine Guild’s leader King Varrus, which is very exciting to say the least.

I’ve heard a lot about him and his Guild’s unique power. They’re actually rumoured to be quite extensive, giving his people the ability to do different things with the use of nothing but the simple element of water.

Quite honestly, I can’t wait to finally witness some of it firsthand!

My Overlord is now conspiring with the Marine King in one of the larger meeting rooms of the castle. They have been trying to use one of Varrus’ spells to track the movement made by Ronaar when he teleported with Ivy to their unknown location.

So far, no such luck.

As I look around, I see that there are several of Varrus’ King’s Guards in here with him, each standing tall and silently around the edges of the room as their eyes remain faithfully locked onto their ruler. They await his command with obedience.

General Tabius stands beside Adomis, along with Captain Khalan as they patiently wait for any news of their next move.

A sudden thought comes and I quickly dart off, headed back up towards my chambers. I find what I am searching for and waste no time returning to the meeting room where the others are still gathered around the desk. In my hands are the objects that I believe may assist in this particular case, but first I choose to stand by and watch what the Marine King is doing.

Perhaps his spell might work after all.

King Varrus stands with his open palm spread out over a large rolled out map resting on the desk. His eyes are currently closed as he focuses on channelling his source of magic from within. The power of sight.

I hear as Khalan leans in to whisper something to the General.

“What’s he doing?”

“Just keep silent, Khalan. Watch and you’ll see.” Tabius suggests calmly.

We all appear stunned as a bright blue light begins to emanate out from his chest, immediately filling the room with its powerful luminescence. As I examine him a little closer, I can see the light is coming from beneath his clothing, as if he has something hidden away from sight that is responsible for the glow.

This certainly piques my curiosity.

Adomis watches on with caution as a bright blue light travels down the lengths of Varrus’ fingers and travels into the surface of the map like a fine mist.

Varrus’ head is suddenly thrown backward ever-so-slightly and he takes in a deep breath, allowing his summoned vision to enter into his body. From what I understand, he is using what is known as ‘The Sight’.

As his eyes open they reveal a bright blue colour and he stands still, silent and unblinking for a moment before finally exhaling all of the air from his lungs and lowering his head. His eyes have now changed back to their normal darker shade, and he appears somewhat out of breath from his magical ordeal.

One of his King’s Guards starts to march over. He’s clearly concerned for his leader, but quickly stops when he sees the King’s hand raise up into the air, a gestured command for his men to remain where they are.

“I’m alright.” Varrus announces, and the guard returns to his post at the wall’s edge.

“What was that?” Adomis enquires, his dark eyes narrowed with suspicion now as he looks to the Marine King. “What you did there? What was it?”

“A vision.” Varrus manages to announce, standing up straight once more and meeting the Overlord’s scrutinising gaze. “I got a glimpse of where Prince Ronaar took Ivy. Of their surroundings.”

“And?” 

My Overlord is clearly impatient with finding out anything he can about Ivy, sooner rather than later.

“I think I know their location.” Varrus admits, looking down at the map and pointing with his finger towards an all-too-familiar place.

Adomis growls audibly, possibly from the memories of what happened there last time.

“Wait, the Mountain Ranges. He took her back there… why?” I query aloud.

“Who knows.” Adomis answers my query with a stern tone to his already deep voice. “At least now I know where I’m going. There is no time to lose.”

As Adomis begins to march off he is suddenly stopped as King Varrus grabs him by the arm and simultaneously speaks.

“What do you mean, you’re going? I thought we were in this together? Our mission is to retrieve the creator, remember? This is as much my problem as it is yours.” Varrus reminds the Overlord.

I look between them, expecting Adomis to launch into a frenzied rage. But he surprises us all with his response.

Instead, he simply nods his head. “I appreciate that. Thank you for your support, King Varrus.”

“First we will need a way to travel to the Mountain Ranges.” the Marine King explains, “I may be able to create another portal but it might only allow one or two people through it at best. I’m afraid that most of my magic was used up when I transported here initially. It will take several more days for me to reach such levels once again.”

The two of them begin strolling along towards the doorway as the guards march out after them.

Finally I am the only one left in the room and silence surrounds me. I slowly make my way up towards the map the others had used and pause in front of it.

Wanting to be certain, I quickly lift up the map I had been holding in my hand and begin to unroll it beside the other one. Peering between the two parchments, I then pull out the small leather pouch containing the magical dust and carefully sprinkle a bit over the top of my map.

Within seconds, Lady Misandra appears before my eyes as a floating face made entirely of black ink. She looks pissed!

“It’s about time!” she calls out impatiently. “I’ve been rather bored of late.”

I can’t help but smile at her sass.

“It’s good to see you too, Milady.” I remark.

“So, what happened? Did that brooding Overlord end up finding the woman he was after or not?” she asks, desperately needing to be filled in on the missing information.

“Yeah, we found her… and, well…”

I let out a large sigh and swallow in preparation for the massive amount of information I would need to fill her in on. So much has happened since then.

“It’s a long story, Milady.” I try to cut to the chase.

Time is of the essence here and I need to find out if we are headed in the right direction. Lady Misandra is the only one I trust with locating anything.

“Listen, I need your help. And yes, it’s about locating the same woman… yet again.”

I watch as her inked face contorts with confusion.

“But… you just said that you found her.” she reminds me cautiously.

“I know, I know… look, I’m sorry Milady but I don’t have the time to go over details.” I try to focus on the task at hand.

“I need you to track down where Ivy is now, to find her exact location. We’re about to head there now. I just want to make sure we’re not headed in the wrong direction.”

Misandra appears to take my problem into consideration, though she seems hesitant now for some unknown reason.

“What is it?” I ask. “Can’t you do it?”

“There is something else, Zarkin. I sense something dark and highly sinister lurking between our realms.” she goes on to explain, fear evident in her tone.

“I’m not sure it wise for me to attempt tracking her right now. I’m sorry.”

Now my brows furrow in confusion.

“What are you talking about?”

“If I use my powers and he senses me…”

She stops and looks down, as if feeling guilt for her apparent lack of actions in my time of need.

“He?” I ask her, “Who do you speak of?”

She lowers her voice to a whisper now.

“The Dark One… I sense his presence, Zarkin-”

I quickly cut in over her.

“-That’s why we need to locate her and rescue her right away! Don’t you see?”

“Please Zarkin, you must understand that I want to help you…”

Her inked expression shows me her concern, mixed in with obvious fear and hesitance.

She knows how desperate I am for this, but I can’t blame her for being afraid of him. I hardly stood a chance when versing him back in Adomis’ chambers. It was mere luck on my part that helped save Ivy the last time.

“Do not for one second think that I have no care for the outcome in this situation.” she pleads with me.

I merely nod my head but remain silent.

“The Dark One is extremely cunning and he can trace anyone that uses magic. You of all people know this to be true. Even us mythical beings are at risk of his wrath if he ever finds us.” she explains solemnly.

“It’s alright, I understand.” I finally voice my reply. “Adomis is already preparing for their departure to the location scrawled down on this map.

I point with my finger and the location of the Mountain Ranges with a charcoaled circle around it. I watch her eyes dart down at the location and then back up at me as I turn to leave.

“I guess we just have to hope they’re right.”

“Why do you care for this woman so much, Mage?”

I hear her voice suddenly call out from behind me and I pause mid-stride before turning back around to face her. I’m totally honest with my reply.

“Because she is the creator, Misandra. If the Dark One finds her, all is lost. I can’t stay here and do nothing, I have to do something to help her.”

Her expression shows shock at my most recent announcement, as if she had no clue of Ivy’s true identity. She takes a moment before replying.

“Ivy is the creator?” she asks, baffled, “Mage, are you certain it’s her?”

“I’m sure.”

She appears to consider this new information for a mere three seconds before lifting her gaze to meet mine once more. What she says next makes me smile with gratitude.

“Very well then... I’ll do it.”