Chapter 2: The Master of Death
Te oro, dominus mortis, et mortua Sanctorum.
And then blissfully the memories stopped. His mind felt at once empty and full, both weary and rejuvenated. He could distantly feel a pair of arms supporting him. He felt as if he had run for days and realized it was only the magic of whatever spell he had just cast that had prevented him from falling down before. He registered someone calling his name and it was the genuine concern expressed in it that brought him back to his senses.
"Brom, Brom, What happened? Are you fine?" It was Oromis-elda and who was calling and he could see Glaedr-elda some distance away from them just out of the canopy of the Menoa tree along with a dozen elves and more arriving by the second from every which direction though they appeared a bit blurry to his eyes and he couldn't identify anyone. How could I have missed a dragon landing, he mused internally, I must have been more lost than I believed. He thanked himself for the good sense to have called Oromis before he started the spell. At least that would mitigate the fallout somewhat from whatever he had done as it appeared the whole of Ellesmera had felt it what with the elves appearing faster and faster now, most of them carrying weapons and looking none too friendly.
Was that Islanzadi- Dröttning? He squinted focusing his still blurry vision. Yes it was, and the Queen appeared to be in a trance as she had her hands on the Menoa tree, palms pressed against her trunk, presumably having a conversation with her. Someone had held up his palms and he felt a tingle of magic passing through them. He looked and found that it was Evandar Könungr, who was known for his skills in healing, though now he appeared puzzled as the wounds did not heal. As Brom paid attention he found that he had identical wounds on both hands in a peculiar shape- a half triangle with a half circle in it. The blood from the wounds had collected on the ground and formed a pattern as if in combination from both hands, a triangle with a circle in it and a line bisecting them.
"Brom, what happened? Your hearing appears to be fine, can you hear me? Why aren't you answering? What did you get yourself into this time?"
He finally noted that the question was being asked of him. His thoughts were still somewhat sluggish if took that much time to figure that out and he hadn't even greeted the king. He struggled to get up but his limbs refused to obey his command.
"Atra du…"
"Now is not the time for greetings, Brom vodhr. I would very much like to know this spell you attempted. It appears to be interfering with any healing I attempt."
"I am fine. The spell, I think it was to summon something, someone who could help. I need to see Saphira to see if it worked." He didn't register the alarmed look on their faces when he talked of the summoning as he tried to get up but he couldn't due to the exhaustion he was feeling and the fact that Oromis elda was still holding him down.
"You're still weak. The amount of magic you expended woke up the whole of Ellesmera. If it wasn't for your letter we would have thought we were under attack. As it is we still don't know what happened. And you're still bleeding, so you'll not go anywhere until we deal with that." Brom didn't know how but Evandar managed to sound stern even when he was expressing concern. His words brought Oromis's attention to the scars on Broms hand that the king was referring to.
"He has lost a lot of blood and this wound isn't closing. It resists all attempts at healing. We need to know what the spell you used was. Brom what were the words?" Evandar continued as Oromis examined his hands.
"These scars are peculiar in shape. Why did you make them so?" Oromis asked interrupting before he could answer Evandar's question.
"I didn't. They are a result of the spell. I didn't know anything about it except the words and what it required."
"Then it was very irresponsible of you to perform it. You could have been drained of all energy", it was Islanzadi Dröttning who spoke as she walked towards them. "What were the requirements of the spell?"
"Perhaps we should take him to the healing rooms before we start interrogating him. We must check on Saphira too, if the spell was meant to heal her." It was Oromis who spoke and Brom was grateful since he needed to see Saphira. He could feel her faintly through the bond but her status appeared unchanged as if she were in a deep sleep; or in a coma as the last few days. But he wouldn't give up hope until he saw her.
"As much as I respect your views Oromis elda, the safety of Ellesmera is my priority here. Whatever the young rider did was enough to unsettle even Gilderien. He says he can feel a powerful presence here in Ellesmera but can't pinpoint its location. We need to know what the spell was and what was it that it summoned," Izlanzadi spoke in voice that while not being disrespectful, was certainly very far from the tone in which she usually addressed the elder rider. Oromis didn't seem offended though, he appeared to have been expecting this.
"Very well, ask your questions Islanzadi Dröttning." The use of her title seemed to unsettle Islanzdi but she nevertheless turned to Brom for her answers.
"The spell was Te oro, dominus mortis, et mortua Sanctorum. I don't know its meaning. It has been passed down in the community of Illuminators and is to be used only in great need. What it does I don't know for no records of the spell exist any place I have looked nor its meaning. While casting I needed to concentrate on the problems that caused me to use the spell. That is all I know about it."
"Te oro, dominus mortis, et mortua Sanctorum….I have never heard these words. They are not of the Ancient language nor do they share similarities with any language I know" Evandar said while Islanzadi appeared pensive.
"Nor I, but that is a matter for later. Your questions have been answered but now Brom needs to go to the healing rooms. I will not have him bleeding out." Oromis said in a voice that conveyed thoroughly his displeasure at the situation.
Evandar made to say something but he was interrupted.
Thud.
The clearing shook and Brom and the others looked towards the source- Glaedr. It appeared as if he had fallen. But it wasn't only him. They watched with growing alarm as all the elves in the clearing fell where ever they were standing like puppets with their strings being cut. Brom being too exhausted to do anything could only watch as he felt a large discharge of magic which prompted the others out of their shock and they got up drawing swords. Brom saw Oromis visibly restraining himself from going to Glaedr, though he had no doubt from the look in his eyes that he was trying to mentally contact him.
What had he done?
"Show yourself" Oromis thundered. Brom had rarely seen his master look so angry. Islanzadi and Evandar were looking in every direction, faces tightening with anger whenever their eyes fell upon a fallen elf. The only reason they weren't rushing off to check each and every one was because it would leave them alone and vulnerable, not to mention Brom who was in no condition to defend himself. He hated feeling useless. Looking around he spotted a shimmer in the air in a direction that none of the three defenders were facing.
"There, there is someone invisible", he pointed out to the others. They turned in the direction where he was pointing and saw it. The disturbance looked like the hot air just above a fire and it was in the shape of a person.
"Stop, Show yourself", this time it was Islanzadi who spoke and her voice carried a hint of magic causing the shimmer to become more apparent. Then before their eyes the illusion peeled away revealing the man that Brom had glimpsed in his thoughts. Looking at him critically Brom couldn't see anything special about him. The man was lean, not very tall- a bit on the shorter side in fact- not at all carrying any hint of power that was apparent in the memories. He was wearing a tunic of some kind that went to below his knees.
His face was quite like a rider's- human in appearance with a hint of elven features showing, and black hair that pointed in every which direction. He stood relaxed but his eyes gave him away, they were sharp and spoke of age. His gaze was trained on Oromis and the others, though there was no fear or wariness in them. It was as if he didn't consider them a threat at all and perhaps they weren't if the ease with which he had disabled all of the guards was any indication.
What had he summoned? The only comfort Brom had was that he didn't appear to be a shade. Seeing the alarm on their faces the stranger spoke.
"Peace, I don't mean any harm". The words were spoken in the common tongue and seemed as if he was speaking them for the first time.
"And yet, you attacked us without provocation", Evandar said sharply, gesturing towards the fallen elves and Glaedr.
The stranger looked at them and something akin to regret appeared on his face but it was gone before Brom could pinpoint it.
"They are simply asleep. Nevertheless, I apologize. I am not comfortable with crowds and I did not feel like facing a dragon in battle. Perhaps I could wake him up, if that would put you at ease." This time the words were of the ancient language, and that put Brom somewhat at ease since it meant he was telling the truth. He felt rather than saw the others relax too.
"That would be appreciated though it still doesn't tell us how you got here", Oromis said.
"I will answer your questions but I think I'll wake him up first. If you could calm him down before he attacks it would be good for all of us", the words were said in a normal tone and were all the more alarming for it.
Then he turned towards Glaedr and without any visible gesture from him the great dragon stirred. No one commented on his use of magic without words. The great dragon stirred and then shook his head as if pushing away sleep. Oromis must have talked to him because all he did on returning to wakefulness was growl faintly in the direction of the stranger. The man appeared unperturbed by the annoyed dragon.
"My name is Harry Potter." He stopped and then cocked his head as if listening to something.
"Your kin are trying to break my wards and one among them is quite powerful. They won't succeed but it is annoying. If you could call them off…"he said to Evandar.
It was only now that Brom noticed the lack of any help from the outside. And he was keeping out all the elves? Brom couldn't see any gems on his person that could hold the energy required. But if he was channeling that large an amount, which would be staggering, no hint of it showed in his demeanor.
"I would if I could be sure of your motives" Evandar retorted.
"I woke up your dragon, isn't that proof enough that I mean no harm?" He sighed and shook his head, as if annoyed, and then continued in the Ancient Language.
"I mean you and your people no harm and I will not attack unless provoked. Now unless you want that man to bleed out, you will allow me to heal him".
At this everyone turned to look at Brom. The tenseness of the situation had led to them forgetting about his injuries. Now that they remembered he could see the concern on their faces.
"That will do for now though I would like to know how you got past our wards and were able to enter our forest without alerting us and how you are keeping out Gilderien from this place. His power in this forest is absolute", Islanzadi said.
Harry chuckled as he walked towards Brom. "There are few things that are absolute my lady, and Gilderien though quite powerful is far from it".
She didn't seem pleased at the question to the Gilderien's abilities but did not comment on his reply. Instead she got a faraway look on her face as she contacted the elves that were leading the attck.
The others watched as he took Brom's hands in his own and then a soft Blue glow enveloped both of their hands. Brom let out a small sigh of relief as the constant pain that he had been feeling abated. When Harry let go of his hands, he examined them and found them unblemished and whole once more.
"How were you able to do that? What was the spell?" Evandar asked curiously as he bent down to examine Brom's hands.
"It wasn't the spell that was important. Only I could have healed that wound since it was in summoning me that it was incurred. I apologize for leaving you in pain for so long but I had to stop by your dragon first, she was not long for this world." Brom stiffened in alarm but the stranger continued quickly putting him at ease.
"She is fine now, though it took longer than I expected to heal her. It was surprising to see such injuries here. Never the less, she is simply asleep now, recuperating and should be awake in a few hours." Brom nodded gratefully, too shocked to say anything. Though he would believe it only after seeing her, a great hope had arisen in his heart and it was all he could do to stop himself from crying out in jubilation.
"Who are you?" Oromis asked looking at Harry with great interest and gratefulness.
"Someone who can help", Harry answered. "Now for the next part, I think he referred to the injuries carried by you and your dragon". He said gesturing towards Brom.
Brom had rarely seen Oromis lose his composure but right now there were so many emotions on his face that it was difficult to pinpoint what he was feeling, surprise, elation, shock all flitted by in quick succession before he managed to regain some of his normal countenance.
"You can…," he awkwardly cleared his throat before continuing. "You can heal them? They are beyond even our best and most knowledgeable healers" he said gesturing faintly towards Evandar.
"I can". It was a simple statement of fact carrying not even a hint of a boast.
"But how?" this time it was Evandar who spoke. "I do not claim to know everything, that would be foolish, but even with the council of the best of our healers, I have not been able to make heads or tails out of Oromis's malady. And while we can heal most injuries of the flesh, Glaedr-elda's bone has been destroyed and any attempt to regenerate them causes him pain beyond imagining."
Brom remembered the painful cries of Glaedr that had echoed through the forest the first time the elves had attempted to heal him. They were all the more disturbing because they came from a dragon and an elder at that. He heard a faint growl coming from Glaedr presumably from rehashing those memories. This day was turning out to be full of surprises and if truly his masters could be healed…the thought was heartening to him…beyond the more practical reason of having someone of their experience fighting against Galbatorix.
"My abilities in this area are …unique in nature and cannot be copied", seeing the disbelieving and distrustful look on their faces, Harry continued. "You are welcome to observe the process if you like."
He didn't want to disclose the secret of the Hallows not that they could be used to harm him but even after all these years the caution with which he had treated them in his first life had yet to leave him.
"We will", Islanzadi said, rejoining the conversation once more. "And as a measure of trust could you bring down the wards that you have erected around this place? My people are not happy with it though I have convinced them to let it be". The 'for now' part was left unsaid and it was apparent to Brom how it galled the Queen to ask another to bring down the wards that they had put up in her Kingdom. Oromis-elda always told him that pride was her greatest fault, of course, he didn't say that in so many words but Brom was good at picking up subtexts.
"I will, once I examine the injuries that I am to heal. Once I bring down the wards there will be too many people here and it would be best if I examined them when there is as little magical interference as possible".
Islanzadi nodded and Brom thought that the reasoning made sense as elves were inherently magical beings and the presence of a lot of them could dampen the magical signals requiring more concentration to pinpoint specific faults not that he had ever heard of someone having that problem but considering that Harry was apparently going to heal something that they couldn't even fully understand he was willing to put aside his doubts.
Harry was thankful that she agreed to it easily. It would mean that he could heal them and then once that was done bring down the wards and disappear. While he was quite sure from Brom's memories that the people he was helping were good, it would not harm him to be cautious. He would observe them from afar and see whether they were worth helping or not.
Though, Gilderien did pose an unexpected though not unsurmountable problem. It was impressive and annoying that this particular elf could sense his presence in the forest; it had been a long time since anyone could do that when he was suppressing his aura. He could mask it completely but in most cases it was overkill and it required some concentration on his part. Not to mention, he always felt cutoff from the world whenever he did that- not a feeling he liked. He liked to feel life in every form whenever he was called to any place and this world was full of magic, the very air and land tingled with it. But perhaps he should get to work; he would have plenty of time later to enjoy the ambience. It had been a while since he had lived.
He approached Oromis. The man looked expectant and excited, which was to be expected and his eyes were full of curiosity. Unfortunately for him, what Harry was going to do now did not require spells. He closed his eyes and concentrated on the magic around the man and on his life force accessing his abilities as the Master of death, though the title was a misnomer, which allowed him to go deeper than any person could.
On the surface there appeared to be nothing wrong but looking deeper he could sense a fault. It was as if everything was tangled, not literally but it appeared that way to his senses- not that what he was feeling and looking at could be described as simply as that but there was no better word for it. Healing this would be complicated and would take time even for him unless he was willing to risk blocking the elf's ability to do magic permanently, and while he wanted to be done as soon as possible he couldn't take that chance simply for his comfort. So he would have to do it later on, after bringing down the wards. He sighed, so much for disappearing; well he could do that after the healing. It wasn't as if the elves had the ability to truly hold him.
He opened his eyes. Apparently his sigh had been taken for an inability to heal the curse if the glum looks all around were anything to go by. He would have let them wallow a bit if the matter was less serious but in this case it would simply be cruel.
"I can heal this, but it will take time since it is a delicate procedure. I don't think it would be wise to keep you here for so long". That would likely cause a panic among the elves and lead to them attacking the wards and distracting him which could prove to be disastrous for the healing, but he left that unsaid. It was better for them to not know the limits of his abilities.
"Very well, will you bring down the wards now?" It was the elf queen who spoke and Harry did not like the demand in her tone, they had summoned him for help. Never mind the voice in the back of his mind which said that it was he who was in her kingdom and putting up wards in someone else's house was the height of rudeness where he came from. So ignoring that little voice he decided to indulge in a little pettiness.
"No".
He let that hang for a small amount of time, enough for them to register it and feel outrage and alarm before he continued. Not the wisest course of action under the circumstance but hey it had been a long time since he had living company. He was allowed to be a little grouchy.
"I will look at the injuries of the dragon first", Harry said continuing towards Glaedr. He felt an ancient and strong mind touch his own and felt the surprise in it when it first touched his, likely from the unique feel of his own mind and the sensation of agelessness that it gave. He had been told as much by many others.
Are you sure you can heal this? The elves have tried everything and it has caused be naught but pain. If you can heal the partner of my mind and heart, I will be grateful enough. I have learnt to live with my malady.
I can heal it. He said that while projecting his confidence, which wasn't false. While Oromis presented a unique problem, he was sure that he could easily overcome whatever was resisting the healing on Glaedr's leg. After all, it was simply a wound of the flesh though complicated a bit by the residual magic. He had healed such wounds even in his first life when he wasn't as knowledgeable or experienced in his powers.
He reached out again with his magic to feel the wound. It was much simpler than Oromis's and he could heal it. He drew on the powers of the resurrection stone, which despite its name was good for much more than simply summoning the dead or raising armies of Inferi. He almost started the healing but something felt off so he decided to take a deeper look. Glaedr's magic too was flowing a bit unnaturally, though unlike Oromis's it was centered in the area around the wound and wasn't as tangled. It seemed that the magic wasn't aligned with his body in that region. This was probably why the elves couldn't heal the wound despite its cause being almost entirely physical. He should ask them what it was that had caused this it would make it easier to heal- though something about the magic seemed familiar. He should have asked for the cause earlier but he had been too prideful, too arrogant in his belief that nothing was beyond him. He let go of the magic and turned towards Oromis who was standing nearby.
"What exactly were the spells that were cast on the two of you?"
To his credit Oromis didn't show any sign of derision that Harry was only now asking about it.
"There were no spells cast directly on Glaedr. We fell into a trap which slowed our movements considerably with respect to the surroundings. To escape it I cast a spell that subtly changed our positions from one place to another and altered the makeup of our bodies resulting in the trap being ineffectual. After that Glaedr's leg was bitten off while escaping while a spell was cast on me which restricted the flow of energy around me. While it wasn't fully successfully all but the most basic spells escape me."
Harry nodded to show he listened and understood. Getting back to the task, he thought on what he had heard. Now that he knew what was done he could see where the elves went wrong more completely and why the magic seemed familiar. What Oromis had done was somewhat similar to apparition and the magic misalignment was something that happened with botched apparitions. In Oromis's case it was further complicated by the later spell and in Glaedr's by the wound he received. Absent those they would have healed completely within a few hours.
Harry was amazed that Oromis could devise and use such a complex spell at such short notice, it was a great feat of magic despite the advantage the Ancient Language gave in crafting spells. Now that he knew exactly what was wrong he could heal it easily enough at least in Glaedr's case, perhaps without the pain as would have occurred had he simply tried to overpower the magic surrounding the wound.
He turned towards the dragon and let his magic reach out gently. He could tell that the Dragon was bracing for pain from the feel of his magic but Harry did not attempt to heal the wound. First he sent his magic deeper and used a spell that was used to realign magic in cases of botched apparitions albeit in a modified and far stronger form. He tried to be as gentle as possible and though there would be some discomfort it wouldn't be much. Once done he called on the powers of the resurrection stone and focused on the missing limb picturing what it would look like whole and healthy taking cues from the other limb.
The wound reopened and Glaedr let out a low growl. Harry would have used a numbing charm but he didn't want to risk it in this case since he had just realigned the magic and didn't want to risk permanent loss of sensation in the limb. He focused on the now bleeding wound and fed it power from himself routing it through the resurrection stone while also taking some from Glaedr. He could feel Glaedr giving more of his energy consciously and smiled internally at the show of trust. When he was sure he had enough he began the regeneration.
First it was the bone which started to grow out from the stump, followed by the muscles, and nerves and finally the flesh. The blood which had been flowing into the ground now went into the renewed flesh reinvigorating it and giving it a healthy tinge. He ignored the gasps of surprise from behind him and Glaedr's own amazement and focused on the healing. Soon the limb was completely done though the flesh was still visible, Harry let out another burst of magic which led to the regeneration of the skin- a pale yellow differing a bit from the deep golden that was the natural color but that would come in time.
He finally let go of the magic and staggered a bit. Healing magic always took a lot out of him mainly because of the control required. Due to all the fighting that he had done in his younger years, his magic had become more suited to combat. Pushing aside the thoughts of ages ago that threatened to intrude, he looked up at the others.
They looked speechless and that look on beings that were usually supposed to be stoic as he had seen from Brom's memories threatened to send him into gales of laughter but he controlled himself as it would not have been very polite. Glaedr was examining his forepaw in great detail as if he couldn't believe it. Evandar was looking at it with undisguised amazement and Harry knew he would be examining it later and Harry was sure from the glint in his eyes, so much like a certain brown haired witch that he had knew, that he would have to deal with a lot of questions later.
"I…We cannot thank you enough, Harry-elda."Oromis said folding his hand in and odd way that Harry deduced was meant to show respect. Coming from someone of Oromis's age and experience it was a great honor.
"What you have done for Glaedr is beyond any gift or favor that I can give. Even if my curse is beyond your healing I shall be forever grateful to you. Should you ever need any help from me, you have only to ask and if it is within my power and honor I shall see it done".
As will I. Glaedr let out a roar after saying this and seeing the unbridled joy in it, Harry could not help but be happy. The dragons were an ancient race, tied to the very land with their magic, and when Glaedr roared Harry could feel the surrounding magic respond to it. It was as if everything around suddenly had more life, more vigor and it was incredible. From that response he understood that the side he had helped was the right one to help.
Islanzadi stepped forward and Harry felt a slight vindication when he saw that there was gratefulness in her eyes as opposed to the doubt that she had seen earlier.
"I have misjudged you, Harry-elda. You have done us a great service." She appeared contrite.
"My kin outside are restless. Glaedr's roar has made them curious, I fear they may misjudge its cause and act rashly. Perhaps you could bring down the wards. They will be overjoyed to see Glaedr healed and you would have place of honor amongst them."
Harry could not help it, he let out a laugh. Using her genuine feeling of gratefulness and tying it with any person's need to be recognized to try and manipulate the situation to her favor- she was a politician, this one- one who cared greatly for her allies if her happiness at Glaedr's healing was any indication- she tried to hide it but she couldn't mask her magic and to him it shone with the light of her joy. So, he decided to do as she said.
"Very well, I will bring down the wards. I shall meet you after two hours in the halls of healing where Saphira was housed. That shall give you enough time to bring together any healers who wish to observe Oromis's healing." He had been subtly unraveling the wards as he passed on the message and once done, he brought them down completely and with a final nod to Brom and Oromis he disapparated.