King Of The North (Book 3) (28 page)

Jodocus summoned the energy for a more powerful spell, concentrating on uprooting the surrounding trees. But his magic was growing weaker as the creature absorbed all of the life around it. The Druid’s only choice was to lead it deeper into the wellspring where the magic was greater. He turned to pick up his pace and run as fast as he could.

Then, a black tendril snapped out and pierced his body underneath the back of his ribcage. The Druid cried out in pain, pressing his hand against the wound as he fled. He had never felt such pain in his long life. The Devourer was truly the embodiment of unlife and it felt as if the tendril had wounded the Druid’s own soul.

He suddenly felt that there would be no escape. In protecting his apprentice, he realized, he had made the right decision.

Traegus watched the battle from his chambers in Southwatch. He had superseded Aeli’s spell and projected his own magic into her homunculus. Traegus knew the terrible nature of the creature that stalked his friend, and such horror, he felt, would be too much for the young Initiate to comprehend. She was too inexperienced to understand the nature of balance. It was something she would have to learn directly, without the bias of watching the ultimate struggle between one she loved, and one who was pure darkness.

Though he felt the pain of betrayal in his soul, he knew it was for the best.

Placing his hands upon his own Dragonstone, he called to the Firstborn. Though The Dragon himself was too weak to intervene, he would still have enough power to strengthen the Great Druid enough to be victorious.

The Dragon was the only hope Jodocus had, and Traegus would ensure that the Druid’s call would be heard.

Jodocus continued backing away from the Devourer. He saw the spirits of the forest gathering behind the creature as he drew it near the strongest part of the wellspring. When the time was right, he would throw the most powerful spell he could summon, and hope that the forest would come to his aid.

The Druid was now growing weak, having used up most of his strength to keep the creature at bay. The wound underneath his ribs was beginning to throb, and the pain was growing so strong that his own sight was fading in and out. If he did not reach the epicenter of power soon, he was doomed.

Through the haze, he heard the buzzing of the homunculus. He looked, smiling as he saw the tiny creature hover as far away from the Devourer as it could. He knew Belo could be of no help, but he was happy to have it present.

“Come closer, dark thing,” he called to the creature, knowing that it didn’t understand.

The Devourer pushed forward, continuing its assault on the spirits that attempted to gather around it. They, too, knew that it was not yet time to strike, but did all they could to distract the creature so that the Druid could regain his strength.

At last, Jodocus felt the warmth of the wellspring emanating from behind him. Somehow, he noticed, another surge of power came through him, strengthening him somewhat, giving him the energy to heal himself enough to press on. He backed into the clearing, feeling a sense of calm as the light of the trees illuminated the area in its calming green embrace.

Then, he stopped, raising his staff into the air, calling upon the power of
The Dragon. He felt the anger of the spirits around him, and heard the creaking of the large branches above him. The trees were waking, and were now aware of the Devourer’s presence. They shuddered as the beast came into the clearing, their anger growing as they felt the absolute darkness that it projected.

The Devourer shrieked in anger as it beheld the Druid standing defiantly in its path. It focused its attention on him, poising its tendrils to strike at him one final time. As it did so, the spirits attacked.

The trees bent their branches to grasp the Devourer. Roots shot up from the ground as Jodocus called upon them. The dryads and nymphs mutated into their dark forms, becoming demonic entities that surrounded the Devourer and pressed in closer. The creature shrieked as the forest lashed out, and its tendrils flailed in anger to strike its attackers down.

Jodocus blasted the creature relentlessly, throwing all of his power into it. The dryads began to glow brightly as they gathered their power and dove in for the kill. They spun around the creature rapidly, gaining speed and becoming brighter and brighter the faster they went. They attacked repeatedly, plunging into the creature’s dark mass and blasting out the other side. The creature struggled to knock them away, but its tendrils and claws were held fast by the trees that had joined the battle.

“Now feel the wrath of The Dragon,” Jodocus hissed, drawing back his staff to cast the final spell that The Dragon had given him.

A massive bolt of
The Dragon’s power sped out of the Druid’s staff, moving almost in slow motion as the creature attempted to escape. But the bolt found its mark, exploding into the Devourer with all of the fury The Dragon could summon.

The limbs and roots tightened their grip as the Devourer was weakened, its tendrils blown apart and disintegrating into the darkness of the canopy above. Vines reached down to grasp the creature from above, and the roots below tightened their grip. Jodocus threw saplings up to run the creature through and weaken its form. With the help of the dryads, the roots and vines retracted. The nymphs then began their assault, striking at the Devourer with their ethereal fangs.

Jodocus backed away, allowing the forest to take its revenge. He felt the comforting embrace of a large oak behind him, and leaned against it for support. The oak raised a large root for the Druid to sit upon, and lowered a branch to hold him close to its trunk. Jodocus relaxed in the oak’s protection, content and confident that the spirits would finish the battle.

Before his eyes, the Devourer was ripped apart, its otherworldly howls echoing through the trees as the forest took back what it had stolen. Larger roots came up through the forest floor and wrapped around the pieces that remained, dragging them into the Earth. The Dryads and nymphs tore apart the remaining dark energy, destroying it utterly by sacrificing their own power.

As Jodocus caught his breath, the shrieks faded away. The Devourer was no more, and the forest had won. The battle was over. Belo buzzed in close, hovering around the Druid’s head. Jodocus smiled at him, hoping that Traegus had indeed seen the outcome.

All around, the spirits of the land were beginning to gather. Those that had slept for centuries were awakened by the battle, and now they came to give the Druid comfort. He was their protector, and they had come to behold him one last time.

Jodocus felt the love and warmth of the land itself. The growing mass of entities pressed closer, standing before him and weeping in sorrow. The oak that held the Druid in its embrace lowered another branch to stroke his hair, and he reached up to hold it in thanks. Despite his rapid degeneration, he kept his warm smile, expressing his love for the spirits that he had loved for thousands of years.

Around the clearing, he could hear the gentle crunching of small branches as the smaller animals of the forest joined in the gathering. They too loved the Druid, and came to pay their respects. Jodocus felt their love too, and his smile became even wider.

In the loving embrace of the oak, in the center of Eirenoch’s largest forest, Jodocus rested his head on his shoulder, and closed his eyes forever.

Aeli, having failed to make a connection with Belo, struggled against the saplings that Jodocus had thrown up to trap her. Despite her best efforts, and her strongest spells, she remained enclosed within the alcove. It was only when she had finally given up and leaned against the trees behind her that the natural barrier opened on its own.

The saplings rearranged themselves, parting to either side to allow her to pass through. She jumped up, squeezing between them to jump onto the path outside. Her heart was racing, and her breathing was shallow as she raced to follow the path that her mentor and the dark creature had taken. She ran as quickly as she could, following the signs of devastation that marked their passing.

“Jodocus!” she called. “Where are you?”

The forest, she noticed, had regained some of its vitality; having become green and lush once more. As she neared what Jodocus had called the wellspring, the air was thicker, more humid, and had the pungent odor of living, fertile soil.

She came to a large clearing, where the canopy above was taller, dome-shaped, and bore glowing orbs of magical, lantern-like plants. The forest floor was soft, supple, and overgrown with large leaves that gave off a ambient red and purple glow. Vines hung from nearly every tree, and they all bore flowers of every color of the rainbow.

But what caught her attention was the gathering of spirits that dominated one corner of the clearing. It seemed to be a place of great interest to them. It was their green glow that illuminated the entire scene, and brought peace and tranquility to the creatures of the forest that gathered with them. Aeli slowed her pace when she saw them, and she stood silent as she stared in wonder.

Belo buzzed over to her, hovering steadily with his arms and head hung in sorrow. Aeli felt his sadness when she saw him, slowly realizing that something was wrong. The Devourer was nowhere to be seen, and there were places on the forest floor that appeared to have been recently upturned.

“Belo,” she whispered. “What happened, little friend?”

Belo buzzed back to the gathering of spirits, prompting her to follow. She approached slowly, not wanting to startle or alarm the spirits. They felt her presence, however, and parted to let her through. She walked among them, watching their ethereal faces as they looked upon her with sadness.

They reached out to touch her as she passed, offering their strength and comfort. She had never felt such a presence of love and unity, and as she finally saw the object of their interest, she understood why.

Jodocus’ body sat comfortably upon a large root. He was leaned up against the trunk of a mighty oak, and the tree had wrapped small branches around him as if to embrace him. Aeli’s heart sank when she saw him, and her hands immediately went to her face to stifle her gasp. She hesitantly approached, her knees weak, and her eyes filled with tears.

“No…” she whispered.

She began sobbing as she stopped before him, and kneeled down. She put her hands upon him as she looked up into his round, smiling face. She burst into tears and let her head fall onto his lap. Behind her, the spirits came closer, coalescing together and forming a warm, comforting blanket around her.

They loved Jodocus too, she knew. They were here to pay their respects, and to offer their acceptance of her as the Druid’s successor. They would grow to love her as they did Jodocus, and she, in turn, would show them her love. Now, as she grieved, the spirits were her protectors. They would heal her, and give her their strength.

“I loved him as well,” a voice said from nearby. Aeli’s sobbing stopped as she was startled. Her head shot up, and her tearful eyes turned to the source of the voice.

A robed man was seated on a stump nearby. His face was kind, and his eyes green like the forest itself. His long, brown hair tumbled over his shoulders and added to his slightly wild appearance. Only the neatness of his short beard showed Aeli any sign that the man was civilized.

She knew who he was.

“Farouk?” she asked.

“Hello, Aeli,” he said, standing to come to her. She slowly stood as well, looking back at Jodocus as she did.

Farouk leaned his own staff against the oak, and offered his arms for comfort. Aeli accepted, falling into him and burying her face in his robes. She broke down in a torrent of tears, and Farouk embraced her tightly.

“I could have helped him,” she sobbed.

“No, Aeli,” Farouk assured her. “If he had not prevented you from following him, then the forest would be mourning you as well.”

She did not answer, as she knew he was right. The creature was even more than Jodocus could handle, and only by sacrificing himself was he able to destroy it.

“It was his duty as Great Druid of Eirenoch to protect the land at all costs,” Farouk said. “And he succeeded. Look around you.”

Aeli finally let go of Farouk, turning to look around the clearing. Small animals were gathering, along with a few deer. Their attention, as well as that of the spirits, was upon her.

“You are now a Druid,” Farouk said. “And they are prepared to give you all the power that Jodocus did not have time to give you.”

Aeli stepped away from Farouk, moving to the center of the gathering. Beside her, the roots began to wrap themselves around Jodocus, carefully pulling him to the forest floor. The moss opened up to accept his body, and as he was laid upon it, wisps of Earth energy began to reach out toward Aeli.

The energy swirled around her, slowly building and going into her body. Many of the spirits of the forest faded into clouds of green, streaming into her. She could feel their magic permeating her body, and was breathless with the feeling of so much power.

Her mind flashed with memories. Not her memories, but those of many, many other servants of The Dragon. All of the knowledge of the Druids that preceded her began to assemble itself in her mind. Farouk gave to her as well, sending her all of the knowledge that he had learned during his journey.