The Final Redemption by Michael Manning (little red riding hood ebook free .txt) 📕

decidedto start banging his club looking for my friends he could easilykill them. They were far too close. I absently flipped a stone inhis direction. I had picked it up only a few minutesbefore.

”You still underestimate humanenchanting,” I lectured him. “I had a contingency designed torestore some of my strength in the event I lost.”

“That?” he asked, raising one eyebrowas he glanced at the stone.

“I didn’t have a lot of time,” I saidtruthfully.

“A clever idea nonetheless,” he said,complimenting me, “though it wasn’t very effective.”

“You saw the stone,” I responded. “Ididn’t have much to work with.”

If this ever happensagain, you should do something like that, commented Brexus.

He was right of course. As so oftenhappened, some of my brightest ideas only emerged when I was makingthings up. Lying seemed to inspire my creativity.

“You’ll have to suffer for it, ofcourse,” said Mal’goroth coldly. “I haven’t finished punishing youyet.”

“You might want to reconsider,” I toldhim calmly. “The last treatment nearly unhinged me. Do it again andI might not be able to help you.” I tapped my skull with onefinger.

“Help me?” he asked incredulously, andthen he began to laugh.

The difference in our strength wasbeyond comparison. My offer seemed as ridiculous to him as if anant had tried to offer assistance to the sun. His laughter rang outlong and loud.

I didn’t interrupt, preferring to waitfor him to wind down. When he had finished, he stared at meagain.

“What could I possibly have to gainfrom you that I have not already taken?” he asked.

“A way out,” I answered.

“Of what?”

“This,” I said, gesturing around mewith my hands, “All of it.”

His eyes flickered with anger, “Youthink to mock me? If there were any way to escape this eternalcoil, your ancestor destroyed it along with the rest of the She’Hartwo thousand years ago.”

“They have returned,” I remindedhim.

“Tennick was a human,” saidMal’goroth, almost spitting in his irritation, “and the loshti thathe stole was of the Illeniel grove. They knew nothing of mymaking.”

I started to speak, but his willpinned me in place like an invisible hand.

“Do not mention Lyralliantha. She wasan ignorant child. She could not possibly know the key to mybinding.” His rage was around me like a tangible force.

Unable to do much else, I lifted oneeyebrow. After a moment he released me, curious even in his fury.“What?!”

“You assume I’m talking about yourpeople. Yet you have not even considered human enchanting,” I said,without an ounce of guile in my voice.

His gaze went to the stone I hadtossed at him a minute before, indicating his train of thought tome without words. He was probably also remembering the battle wehad just had, and I doubted anyone had ever frustrated him socompletely for so long.

You’re starting to wonder,aren’t you? I guessed quietly.

Of course he is,said Brexus.

Don’t interrupt,I told him quickly.

Sorry.

“If you are lying…” began my enemythreateningly.

“You’ll carry on with torturing me forall eternity,” I said impatiently. “You’ve mentioned that a fewtimes now.”

“How would you do this?” he asked,taken in by my offer.

Help me walk,I asked Brexus, and he graciously guided my legsas I rose to walk closer to Mal’goroth. Nothing would spoil my ruseas quickly as being so poorly coordinated that I fell taking a fewsteps.

Striding confidently toward him Ireplied, “I won’t lie to you. I have an idea, but I cannot be sureit will work. Your spellweaving is far different from what Iunderstand.” It was probably the most honest thing I had told himthus far, but I counterbalanced the truth with a look of absoluteconfidence in my eyes.

He sneered, “You willfail.”

“Then you have your otherentertainments,” I assured him.

“Try what you will,” heordered.

“You’ll have to relax for a moment.Don’t push me away,” I cautioned. “I have to be able to see yourcore, the spellweave at the center.”

Absolutely fearless, he let me closeuntil we were face to face, and then his body opened, peeling awayto display the place that held him bound, locked forever to anunwanted existence. Thousands of years had taught him nothing couldaffect it, and the very concept of true death drew him in a waythat no living being could understand.

“If you succeed, the power within mewill destroy the world,” he said, leering. It was obviously apleasant thought for him.

I had already considered that, though,“I am well aware.” Reaching forward with my hand, I touched thespellweave that bound him and closed my eyes.

The biggest part of my lie had beenthat I would use enchanting. While it was likely possible to dowhat I had suggested, it would require the same knowledge that Ilacked, namely the key. There would probably have been a host ofother problems as well, but that wasn’t my concern. I was using anentirely different ability.

With Penny’s aythar and Brexus’assistance, I had temporarily regained the ability to perceive theworld directly, and my perception was what truly made me anarchmage. Opening my mind I listened to Mal’goroth, engrossingmyself with his core essence in much the same way that I had donewith Thillmarius.

That was the reason for my confidence.I had done this once before. It was the reason for my currentcondition.

The world faded around me as weresonated together. My soul changed for a moment matching his, andthe two slid together while at the same time the spellweavingswithin us reacted and finally fused. For a split second we were ahybrid being, but then we were one.

An archmage does not use power; hebecomes that which he seeks to use.

I had become my enemy, assuming hismantle and power. The aythar now at my command was inconceivable,but I had bigger problems. Just as before, the power strengthenedthe prison, and I lost contact with the outer world. Mal’goroth andI separated again, and I was trapped, lost in a void of darknesswithin a dark god.

But Brexus was not.

A being of pure thought, a construct,like Mal’goroth in many respects, he existed as a function of thespellweave itself. As the two merged, he began to fight forcontrol.

Their battle went on for what seemedto be ages for them, but in the exterior world it finished in theblink of an eye. I heard Brexus’ voice ring out as he spokecommandingly to my friends.

“Reveal yourselves,” he