Delver Magic III: Balance of Fate by Jeff Inlo (thriller books to read txt) 📕

“I don’t think I want to think of it like that,” Linda stated somewhat hesitantly, not sure on how to respond to such a statement. “I’m with Ryson because I want to be, not because I wanted him to save the town.”

“And he is with you because he wants to be, and that’s why he is in Burbon.”

“Well, thank you.” Linda paused as if trying to find the right words to move on to her request. She noted the elf’s presence in the sitting room. “I’m glad she’s here, too. Ry told me all the things Holli did at Sanctum Mountain and we all know how she helped out against the dwarves from Dunop. I think when good people are around, it makes you feel safer.”

Holli nodded in appreciation of the comment but said nothing.

“What is it that’s bothering you, Linda?” Enin asked. “You can come right out and say it, and if you can’t explain it as well as you like, we can work with that, too. Remember who you’re dealing with here. Most people don’t know what I’m talking about half the time I say something. I just tend to keep blurting things out until it finally makes sense. It works for me, it can work for you.”

Linda smiled slightly, but then remembered why she came and then any hint of a smile disappeared completely. “It’s just that Ry told me about this Tabris sorceress today. He told me that she’s helping that serp, Sazar. He’s gone now, left to find Lief. It’s not that he went out looking for Lief that’s bothering me. I actually would have expected him to. He always worries about his friends and it’s not a surprise at all. This Tabris, though, has me worried.”

Enin pressed forward with a consideration of his own as Linda took a breath and a moment to try and be more exact in her words. “You worry that Ryson will try to solve the problem with Tabris on his own? I don’t believe that is the case.”

“No, I don’t think Ry will initiate it, but I have a feeling Tabris will. I’m not even sure Ry remembers, maybe he does and didn’t say anything because he didn’t want me to worry, but I remember it. This sorceress didn’t always call herself Tabris. At one point, her name was Lauren and she went into Sanctum to help destroy the Sphere of Ingar. Ryson told me that when everything was done on Sanctum, Tabris said she was either going to kill him or thank him for what she had become. He told me this right after he came back from Sanctum, almost as if it was an afterthought. I guess at the time, this Tabris wasn’t that much of a worry to him, just starting out as a sorceress. I think everyone pretty much dismissed it, but for some reason I never did. Now, you think she’s doing bad things, joining with Sazar, and who knows what else. It was enough to get all of you wondering what she might do to Burbon and enough to send Ryson out looking to warn Lief. If that’s the case, I don’t think Tabris is going to want to thank anyone.”

“So you think she will wish to make an attempt on Ryson’s life?” Enin asked with a raised eyebrow.

“Maybe, I don’t know, I really can’t say. I just know that the moment Ry told me what was going on, I dreaded hearing it and I’ve been dreading it ever since.”

Enin spoke with great sincerity as he attempted to do more than simply comfort Linda. With all honesty, he wanted to convey his own certainty that Tabris would not be able to harm the delver. “If you are looking for assurances that Ryson is safe from Tabris, I can tell you that I am not concerned at all with the possibility of Tabris being successful in killing Ryson. You really have nothing to worry about. You’re only causing yourself a great deal of unnecessary strain.”

“I appreciate that, but you’re not me,” Linda replied quickly, almost as if she wanted to explain her terrors more than she wanted to hear Enin’s conciliations. “It’s hard to explain. There are things I can accept, things I need to deal with whether I like it or not. I know I am always going to worry about Ryson. There are times I want to be able to help him, but I know I can’t. He has to go out on his own. He has to go exploring. That’s the way it is and that’s the way it will be. I know what’s in store for me being married to a delver. I can live with that, but this thing with Tabris, I never bargained for this. This is very different, not at all like what I’m used to, and I honestly don’t know if I can handle it.”

Enin persisted in attempting to relieve Linda’s fears. “Linda, I understand what you’re thinking, but again I can assure you that at this time Ryson has nothing to worry about from Tabris.”

“That’s just it.” Linda stopped as a wave emotion carried its affects across her face. She swallowed hard and forced herself to continue. “I have no idea when it could happen, when Tabris could strike. You tell me he’s safe now, and maybe that’s true. Maybe I can even accept it, but what good does it do me for tomorrow or the next day or the next. This is like a weight on my back that will never be removed.”

Enin started to speak, but stopped before a word came out. He furrowed his brow and tried again, but once more he couldn’t think of the right way to explain to Linda what he truly knew.

Linda interpreted this as an affirmation of her own fears. “You see, it really isn’t easy to deal with.” She paused only for a moment when she wiped away a quick tear. “I want you to understand that I’m not just being over emotional about this. The land is different now, and I’ve seen things—we’ve all seen things we’ve never expected. It’s not like we can just make a wish and all the bad things will disappear and things will go back to the way they were. We all have to deal with it and I understand that, but this thing with Tabris—it’s like it’s haunting me. I keep thinking of all the things she might be able to do.”

Linda turned to Holli. “Don’t misunderstand me. I know there’s good out there, too. I never knew elves existed. Now that I do, I’m happy to know there are elves out there like you and Lief. It’s not like I want you to go away.”

“I never thought that,” Holli answered simply.

Linda turned back to Enin. “And I know you are truly a good person. I don’t think we could have asked for a better person to be the wizard that we all depend on, but this magic changes everything and I don’t even understand it.”

After taking one deep long breath, she continued in her attempt to explain what was going through her mind. “It’s going to tear me up inside knowing that some sorceress might want to kill him. When he goes on a scout, I know he’s careful, I know he can look out for himself. That makes it easier. But this Tabris isn’t something he can look out for. And it doesn’t even have to happen when he’s out on his own. It could happen right here in town when I’m with him and there won’t be anything I can do.”

Linda became more than tearful. She began to cry openly. “I remember when Yave showed up as a storm. After everything we went through, the town was almost destroyed by dwarves, Ryson was captured in Dunop, and I never lost hope, until that storm showed up. I thought to myself how do we fight that, how can Ryson escape that. He can’t.”

“But I took care of Yave, she will never be back,” Enin stated still hoping to calm Linda’s fears.

“Yes, but Tabris made Yave into the storm and Tabris is still here. Tabris could come at any time and create another storm or another magical power that I can’t even describe. What can I do to stop that? What can Ryson do?”

Here, Linda steadied herself and looked right into Enin’s eyes. “You saved Ryson from Yave. I want you to make sure you’ll do it again, but I don’t want to wait. I can’t live like that, waiting and wondering when she might strike. I have too much to worry about as it is with him out there alone all the time. I can’t have this on top of it, I can’t!”

“What is it you would ask of me exactly?” Enin asked without hesitation.

“I want you to tell her. Tell this Tabris she is not to harm Ryson. Tell her you protect him. Everyone talks about how powerful you are. Even today, Ryson told me not to worry because this sorceress is nothing like you. I believe that. I also believe that if you tell her to keep away from him, she’ll have to listen. I don’t know why, but it makes sense to me. Someone as powerful as you has to be listened to, do you understand?”

Enin nodded. “Yes, I understand and I will do as you ask. In fact, I will do so right after you leave. I want you to go home and rest. Worry about Ryson in whatever way you wish, but don’t worry about Tabris any further.”

The room suddenly seemed brighter to Linda, the air lighter, and the world not so dangerous. She leapt over to the wizard and hugged him gratefully. “Thank you, thank you, thank you.”

#

Ryson was both pleased and annoyed when he first returned to Pinesway. Pleased because most of the corpses had been removed and were not left rotting in the streets. The cold, dry dormant season air would have kept them from decomposing too quickly, but the scent of death certainly would have attracted wild animals and who knows what else from surrounding Dark Spruce. In truth, it almost appeared as if the goblin raid had never happened. Along with the dead being removed, the crossbow bolts the goblins fired had been taken from the ground and the walls.

The pleasure from the unexpected clean up was short-lived, and Ryson became annoyed when he realized that the brigands had returned to claim the city, and thus probably looted the bodies before they dumped them in the woods. Any weapons left behind by goblins were now prizes for these bandits.

“So I get rid of goblins and what takes their place? Thieves,” Ryson grumbled as he moved at a light jogging pace toward the last place he saw Lief Woodson. As he moved through one narrow street, he could not help but sense a trio of would-be bandits laying in wait for a wayward traveler. With his disgust surrounding the circumstances of this abandoned town still fresh in his mind, he decided to see if he could set them straight in the error of their ways.

He bolted toward their position before they even knew he was there. Two held rough clubs and the last held on to a crossbow. The bow was now of little danger to the delver as it wasn’t yet loaded and Ryson stood too close for the thief to get off a practical shot. With swiftness that left the two club-holding bandits pale, Ryson struck at their wrists with the edge of his own palm. The stinging pain forced them to drop their weapons. He then reached over with near blatant disregard for all three of the thieves and plucked