Chapter 7: Breaking the controls
Hammerfall- Renegade
Drizzt's relationship with Guen was not a master and Familiar. Ilkar wanted him to elaborate on this, the fancy meaning for 'tell me more' haha. He frowned. "So, only when the statue is in your hand can you call her. Am I right? But Serif is like a pet, a companion. But, Guen is also your companion."
I chuckled. "Yep, they are like people, equal in status to us."
The drow's white hair shifted as he strolled to us from where he had been standing to look outside. "I worry that she is being used against her wishes. Anyone can summon her. When I was running away, as a young drow, I took her from an abusive wizard. He made her do cruel things. You are right."
Ilkar tried to grasp this. "Different- species pets?" Serif snorted at him. "In all due respect, I'm not a mage specializing on animals. Forgive me. Also, my head is clouded by the fever."
"I forgive. Feeling well today?" the drow asked, indicating the water jug. Ilkar sipped from his cup. "Please finish the herbs I made, best to take three times."
The elf scowled. But he conceded to do that. I laughed. "I will. It tastes very funny. I think I can cast more than I have without the pain. Woman not funny." He sighed and looked vexed.
"Sorry. But you're cute, when upset."
He tried to cast and smiled. "I can persuade with my natural talents. That should be fine, I can fight competently with a sword. Drizzt I know you can. The blades are enchanted? Can I see?" Drizzt showed the curved blades. They were called scimitars. The hilts glowed. Ilkar only looked, and when I touched I felt burning.
"That is Icingdeath, it will put out fire." That's why I shouldn't touch glowing artefacts. Ilkar checked if I had wounds. He gave me a knowing look 'see be careful'.
Then the mage called me Keelia. That got my attention. Huh? They went to the other end of the room and dragged out a chest of things. Weapons! "Which can you use? If casting is not helping, we have to use melee," Ilkar said.
I hefted the new gleaming knives. Then tried one against the wall behind.
"Excellent!" The pale elf winced. "Could you give some fair warning first?"
Oh dear! The blade almost nicked his ear.
I didn't fight well with a sword, couldn't move it. Drizzt chose a smaller one for me, called a saber. He would teach me the ways of the dark elf sword dances, very tiring and agile footwork, jumping rolling and stuff. Ilkar would not openly admit he was impressed.
Several times I blundered, leaving myself open. Drizzt was strict and unrelenting, but he always offered me a hand when I lay on the floor. Ilkar watched a little, reading mostly, and prodding Serif not to block him.
When practice was over, the fair elf would show me mana control. All in the head. The physical exercises helped me think deeply and focus easier on what I was taught. For my pet I had only trial and error, of course worrying the elves a lot. "If I am not distracted, I can remind you how to 'see' the lore and spells. Now let's try the Sleep inducing again. But not at me."
He beamed and we went in search of people to strike. By now our footsteps were notably silent. Buffoons were walking about at the corridor. I opened my eyes, having the spell glowing in my grasp. Like with the librarian it should be direct to take effect. Now it fell out and scattered across the air. The buffoons slipped to the floor snoring. Ilkar laughed.
"That's good. A huge range of casting. Try to aim for one next time."
"Thanks. I do hope I won't aim wrongly," I said. He threatened to punch me if I happened to. "So I must keep trying eh? Won't I be tired?"
"I know. Conserving is important… the younger one is, the easier energy comes. I'm a consummate mage, needed hours of rituals and trials to get this level now. If your mind is fogged by any wind or storm tell me. Every mage has a Night to get through. It causes pain."
Oh, another new concept. I took it as some sort of dangerous stage when someone as young as me got Awakened too fast, making the energy flows disastrous to surroundings. Ilkar hoped this would not happen yet, a group of people like him would have to contain me. "I don't like the sound of that. To lock me up? What happens if can't stop?"
He looked away. "A - child died. The mana took over all and the weather in Balaia my country changed. We wanted to get there quickly to help, but it failed…. Not lock. Under supervision." Shit! I really didn't want to die.
Drizzt was sleeping now. Serif looked up, accusingly at my friend's suggestion. "No no boy. He's right." Ilkar said we could end now and went outside. "Where are you going?"
"To see Flo."
I caught his arm. "You know the way? Here, take Serif. He went with me and knows her scent." I offered. The cat ran to the front eagerly wagging its tail. Ilkar decided not to say no and motioned for Serif to lead.
One day we didn't notice, so engrossed in learning how to kill an enemy. "Aim straight for the heart, liver or lungs. You cannot afford to miss. Or get the eye," the drow instructed, pointing to a wooden dummy. I tapped the sheathed saber on the places.
"Yuck." Ilkar said. We turned, he was evidently trying to eat. These days he couldn't manage full meals, just little portions. The mage would eat more frequently when he felt better. Now he glared at us. "I didn't need to know that." He indicated the blood color of gravy on the plate.
I wiped my sweat and stepped back. Drizzt apologized.
Ilkar sighed. He looked so absolutely charming with his hazel eyes and dark hair in this light! On impulse, I ran to hug him. "So wet and stinky you." His voice held affection though. "Rest."
"That's all right. I love you!" I replied and went to take a bath. He had resumed eating like everything was normal. Didn't he know? Gruffly Ilkar urged me to take some chicken. They always left some for me. He didn't reply me back. Aww.
Afterwards Drizzt took me aside. "He got a shock that you said that. We Elves are sensitive. So he does understand… love is more intimate than that." I nodded. I glanced at my good friend keeping things in the trunk.
"I mean in kinship. I had no idea you guys treat love as such. " I pulled a face. The dark elf smiled but made no answer. Ilkar did not seem to bother, absorbed in his readings.
The key thing was: I understood they live very long compared to other humans and dwarves. Ilkar had touched on that briefly when we were reading about human mages vs elf ones. They try not to have a family or couplings.
Dinnertime. I finished the last of the wordings that I was supposed to learn and picked up my saber to keep.
"Hey does he want to eat? Need to?" The Julatsan asked, surveying the meal. "There's some pie too. Great." Serif the cat sniffed at his apple. "Felicia." Ilkar moved back in annoyance.
I clapped my hands, walking over. The cat came to join me and in a jiffy perched on my shoulder. "I think he doesn't need to eat. Yummy, pie. Wow thank you. Can I cut too?"
The elf handed me the knife and I carved one for Drizzt. These days Ilkar seemed to implement that we ought to eat together. I often forgot, so he'd keep calling me and each time he would lose patience. Tell me was that not love for us? Yet he got shy when I said so.
"Ilkar can I ask you something? But not be annoyed with me," I remarked when we were halfway through the meal. Drizzt raised a brow.
The mage said, "I cannot promise until I hear what it is." He carefully placed the fork back on the plate. Serif scampered over my knees to show affection to the ranger. I sorted out my thoughts.
"Did I say something wrong, yesterday? When I hugged you?"
Ilkar's hazel eyes changed to a dark blue. "No. I wasn't expecting any love." The tips of his ears reddened. I smiled.
"Okay. I didn't mean the romantic sort of love we saw in the historybooks. And I have a few males outside waiting for me," I myself felt weird voicing it out, what a lie. The elf sucked his upper lip.
Drizzt made the atmosphere less awkward, bringing back to base. "I feel the influence of the Collar more. If I suddenly get up and leave do not be shocked."
"Oh no, will you be all right?" I asked, glancing at him. The dark elf had known us for a mere few weeks. I did care a bit.
Ilkar frowned. "I understand. When the remote can be found, we should be able to change that. It is very painful now?" Drizzt touched the metal, closing his eyes. "I can try to cut it open." Making an incantation, the mage had a little flame jumping on his finger.
Drizzt leaned back. Whether it was fire or ice kind of mana, the metal did not move.
"It is all right. Don't exert too much, Ilkar. I'm simply worried." He said, the purple eyes filling with emotion.
Over the next few days while I was training physically, Drizzt would stop, have pain over his expression and cough. Then he would leave suddenly. We were worried, until he came back later really drained from whatever he had to do. Sometimes he would go back to his room, which I had checked. Poor thing. Since Ilkar felt better, we did more searching but remotes didn't lie in the open. Drizzt could not really talk, I supposed they had blocked it by causing him pain. "Can a healing spell ease the pain?"I asked.
The fair mage shook his head. Then we continued doing casting, Ilkar wanted to show me how to deflect against a shield. Physically it would look invisible but the 'wall' repelled arrows or any fire attacks. I had made mine but stopped. "What is it?"
"I don't want you hurt," I said, keeping it there.
"Don't worry I won't get hurt, my student. Yours is a low level shield, does not last long. Try to hit the enemy and then leave the rest to us. Come try it now." I channeled the energy to make it more substantial and pushed against Ilkar. He nodded. I felt myself go backwards.
He dismissed his shield and felt mine. "This is called Hardshield. Felicia, this is softshield."
I chuckled. "Ah that's the only thing I know how to. Sorry." I paid attention while he demonstrated again and explained the theory. The second time I got it almost right. Nobody would be safe under a soft cover like that. I had to do bow and arrows, which I had been training on some targets outside this place.
"Okay. Other than keeping it still, when we move, this cover has to remain over our heads. I find that pushing back crowds uses the same effect. But can't test it here. Darn."
He walked around me rubbing his chin. "Um okay. I can shoot arrows to cover your backs. I'm getting better at it." I had practiced in secret, using small catapults to aim at some unsuspecting soldiers to nick their foods. Serif was so active that we headed out to romp. Ilkar would usually sleep or be really busy during those times. Now Drizzt was outdoors a lot.
"Fine then." Today, the dark elf had not woken up from his slumber across the room. The mage and I were standing opposite each other parallel to that. While focusing on something to shape, Serif and I felt a strange tug. I opened my eyes quickly. 'There's a problem! He is not normal.'
"Watch out!" I cried to Ilkar. As if compelled, the ranger unsheathed one sword and advanced towards the mage. Ilkar cursed, a spell on his lips. Serif growled, hackles rising. Almost in an instant, he had morphed into a wolf. I didn't know what to do, how could I hurt this guy?
Drizzt stopped, one hand trying to push the sword away. He muttered, "Help- me. Strike, not want…"
Ilkar snapped, "Put up your weapon, now! Or I will strike you." Holding both hands out a cold aura began to circulate. It was a frost kind of spell. Drizzt's normally gentle expression became glazed over and he whirled the sword, stumbling forward. Serif planted himself as an obstacle, barking warningly. I began to call him too, to stop that we were not the enemy.
"Don't do this, you idiot!" the Julatsan cursed. The action kicked in all at once, I called Serif not to hurt him; the wolf bit down on Drizzt's sword hand, the blood and the blade clattered to the ground; Ilkar cast the spell and the hypnotized warrior went down.
"No!" I gasped. Serif glanced at me without any more anger. "Ilkar… did you," I asked.
Woodenly, I looked at the mage clutching his arm, gritted teeth.
"Of course I didn't. Need the water." He sat down, panting slightly. I took the basin of cold water and applied the cloth to the tattoo. It didn't cure but soothed his pain. "Listen to me. We don't know how long he will stay down. This is dangerous."
"I don't think he wanted to. He tried to stop himself, we have to destroy the remote tonight." Ilkar pursed his lips. Though he was worried, he still bandaged the ranger's dark hand but put the sword away. "Is there a containment kind of spell? Then he won't go out to hurt people?"
We cooperated for this, with me donating some of my aura to feed Ilkar's formation of a shield.
By midnight all was quiet. I prayed this was the correct office. Serif had come along still in wolf form. I dug the lock, ear close to listen to the difference. Nobody was inside. Originally the ranger would be here to distract the men, it was down to Ilkar now. He was using a sword, risking another spell would make him lapse into fever again. "Hurry," he hissed several times. I didn't get angry.
Patience, I thought to him. The Ring should convey this. The lock was a damn challenging one. Finally we were inside. "Is it that button remote?" he asked, pointing. Ornate desk, piles of books across the wide room. I checked for any traps, creeping to the desk. On top of a book, lay a boxlike thing with different types of buttons.
"I hope so." Turning it on its back I began to unpick and destroy it. Ilkar was right behind me, quiet and watching. Serif was also on guard outside. The remote seemed to have no more light blinking. Good, seemed like the control had died. "Looks gone eh?"
He cracked his first smile that night. "Yes bring it along. I didn't mean to rush you."
"Hehe always this style, elf. I know. Picking locks needs time. I'll hafta fix it back so it looks good again." When outside, I put my hand to the door and pictured everything as an illusion to drape over. Ilkar looked wide eyed.
"Incredible!" he praised me. Wolf leading, we took another way back to our chambers. The few people outside took no notice of us.
His mood darkened though as we entered. Drizzt had come around. Curtly the mage dismissed the spell and went into the bathroom. Serif and I watched him. Drizzt rubbed his head. Eh the collar was still on. "Look I've gone to the office just now and broken the control. Feel any pain?" I said cautiously.
The ranger answered, "What happened, you went without me?" Ah lost his memory of the attack. I summarized what happened. As Drizzt looked remorseful, Ilkar came out and emphasized in a raised voice, "You tried to kill me. I had warned you, if the animal didn't help, what do you think would have happened?"
God! Ilkar never shouted, always softspoken. My heart tripped. I shook my head. "Ilks, calm down. I think we're all tired. Let's sleep okay? Come." I tugged his arm.
My friend allowed me to lead him but did not lie down just sat on his bed, shaking with rage. Horrible cold silence. Serif barked and meowed, largely ignored by them. Drizzt stayed on the other side of the room, looking at his feet.
"Hey. Don't be sad. It's true. But you didn't mean it right?" I said softly, standing a bit nearer.
Ilkar had his back to us. Drizzt shook his head. "I am deeply sorry to both of you. I should have locked myself in." The only good thing was, as he walked to the window, the collar broke into half. I smiled.
He rubbed his neck. Once more, he said he regretted trying to hurt us to the mage's silence and left.