Alabaster and the Ring of Winter (excerpt)
Note: This is but a very small taste of what I've been planning and working on these many months. The ideas for this story were forming while I was working on the now defunct 'Heist' and I've only recently started putting them to words. This piece specifically takes place well into the first arc of the story, but I thought it would make for a good teaser. :)
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Alabaster and the Ring of Winter an excerpt by Sanada
Alabaster has never seen the inside of a wizard's sanctum before; let alone been standing inside of one. The room had musty old tomes and yellowed parchment strewn about in all directions, giving the place a smell similar to the royal library of Coraseth. Tables and workbenches of various shapes and sizes dotted the large chamber, covered with all manner of instruments and pages, while bookshelves of pristinely polished stone, or cracked oak lined the walls. Runes were engraved in the shelves, covering nearly every square inch of their sides in intricate patterns that seemed to give off a subtle glow of power. All of which overflowed with more books than the raccoon had seen in his life.
He cast his inquisitive gaze from one side of the chamber to the next, the fur on the back of his neck tingling with excitement. He could feel it inside and around him, the lingering aura of residual magical power, flowing through what he could only describe as the tower itself, woven like a tapestry between the stones. Alabaster shivered involuntarily, taking it all in.
At the far back of the spacious chamber was a roaring fireplace, crafted with the most exotic of stones and metals, likely by molekin artisans, Alabaster figured. He could feel the heat radiating from the flames even from this distance, though it wasn't stifling, even with his leather jerkin and breeches on. It was comforting. What he did take note of though was the lack of smoke, nor did he spot any stray embers popping forth from the wide, open mantle. He cocked his head to the side curiously, unsure of what to make of the strange display.
The woman to his left caught the gesture, leaning down to whisper into his ear.
"Magical flame," Jhira explained.
"That would explain the lack of smoke then," Alabaster was quick to surmise, catching on to the fire's unrealistic properties.
"Or the need for a chimney, or even wood," Amaranth added, striding cautiously in the wizard's domain. The deer kept a hand on the hilt of his blade, while indicating to the fire pit with the other. Alabaster blinked. Not a single log was in the hearth, nor any trace of ash. There was simply fire.
Alabaster snapped his fingers; a sound which made the group wince. The raccoon rubbed the nape of his neck sheepishly, muttering a quiet apology before whispering.
"It looks as if the top of the hearth is sealed." Amaranth nodded at the words.
"I did not see any chimneys outside of the tower either," the knight agreed, taking another step towards the fire place.
Jhira followed quickly behind; her supple ebon chain mail making barely a sound as she slipped by one table after another, her footfalls light upon the stone-worked floor. Tosha followed slowly after her, eyeing the cluttered room with passing interest. The snow leopard even seemed somewhat bored. Alabaster shrugged and followed suit. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought the prince was far too comfortable strolling through the heretic mage's private realm.
Alabaster let his eyes drift from one strange sight to the next, irises moving this way and that to scrutinize every minute detail to sate his curiosity. He stopped at one cluttered table, sifting through the parchment scattered upon with a paw. He couldn't read any of the written text, as they were all in a language he couldn't recognize, except for the annotations written on the side of one piece of yellowed parchment, written in the common tongue.
"Double check the rune of protection within the circle...only the purest of diamonds...words must be precise and spoken in correct intonation?" he whispered aloud. Wizards, he thought, dropping the page back onto the voluminous stack from where it came before staring on again.
The next table was taken up by a strange apparatus; several bottles and beakers covering the smooth granite top. Each of them bubbled and dripped, churning as several small, spiralling tubes dropped miniscule amounts of each liquid into the central flask, creating an oddly coloured and foul smelling fluid.
"I wonder what this is," Alabaster said, leaning down to inspect the viscous potion closely.
"You can never tell with wizards," Jhira answered. "They are a secretive lot."
"This one in particular," Amaranth mused. The knight had reached the hearth, looking around the place with an air of caution. "Still neither hide, nor hair of him either. That makes me worried."
"Perhaps we should keep it that way. I'd rather not have any dealings with heretic mages. More over, mages that my father exiled," Tosha muttered in response.
Alabaster turned to regard the young prince of Coraseth. Tosha still seemed mildly unphased by the sights around him. The raccoon figured he must have been used to seeing magical laboratories back home, but the perceptive youth did notice subtle twitches and the nervous shifting of the snow leopard's feet. Tosha wasn't happy to be here, for good reasons, Alabaster surmised.
King Coraseth had long ago exiled this sorcerer for things the raccoon did not know. He had heard Amaranth mutter things such as 'dealings with fiends' and 'dark, forbidden magic', but no specific details. The deer was apprehensive about coming here in the first place, but they all knew, without the mage's help, defeating Lucius would be nothing more than some fleeting fantasy upon the winds. The exiled sorcerer had both incredible power at his disposal, and perhaps most importantly of all, unequalled knowledge in the arcane arts. If there was a weakness they could exploit, the heretic would know.
Alabaster turned away from the alchemical device, regarding his companions. Jhira was studying the titles on one rune-chased bookshelf, her eyes scanning the leather-bound covers. Her gasp brought everyone's attention to her. The ranger looked back at them all, cocking her head towards the stocked shelves, her pony tail bouncing off her shoulders.
"These are books on the natural world and druidic rites," she explained. "Eskander Stormcloud; Mala Brush, Li'alak Sunti. They are all here."
"What is so astounding about some books?" Tosha asked, looking about the cluttered laboratory, as if worried they were making too much of a ruckus.
Alabaster moved up beside the ranger-woman, peering at the titles. He didn't recognize any of them, or any of the names.
"Mala?" Amaranth asked. "I've heard the name before. A grove keeper of Mythanal, was she not?" Jhira nodded.
"Yes. One of the last human grove keepers. She was very powerful and wise in the druidic ways. It has been over a centaury since she passed on, but I had heard many a story detailing her exploits. How or why the mage has any of these books is astounding. Grove keeper's usually only pass on their tomes and knowledge to those succeeding them. I suspect that, whoever this wizard is, he is far more powerful than any of us realize."
"That may be the case, but I simply read those books for the sheer enjoyment of it, and the knowledge they possess. I am not practitioner of the natural arts," came a voice from the stairwell, a voice that sounded learned and refined, but self-assured. The group turned about to regard the fox standing in the entry-way, arms folded over his chest and a smug smile spread across his muzzle.
Alabaster studied him intently. The vulpine looked akin to the rest of his species, with rustic orange fur covering most of the visible parts of his body. Ebon fur stockings graced his hands and feet, while the under side of the astute fox's muzzle was ivory in colour. His tail was large and bushy, coated in the same fiery hair as the rest of his body, save the snow-white tip.
Though unarmed, Alabaster could sense the raw power flowing through the veins of this one, and his hand drifted to the hilt of his dagger involuntarily, going on guard. The other's did likewise; Jhira dropping into a defensive crouch, though her sabre remained in its' sheath. Amaranth braced himself for what was to come, though, like the ranger, the deer merely kept his hand on the hilt of his sword. Alabaster looked about the room quickly, spotting Tosha hiding behind a table, his nonchalant demeanour quickly replaced by a visage of fear. The snow leopard had his back pressed to the end of the table, knees pulled tight against his chest and his whiskered face pressed against them, as if trying to make himself appear as small as possible.
The fox sneered, folding his arms over his chest and tapping a foot impatiently. Alabaster took note of the slender wand of hardened wood that now rested easily in his hand, pulled from the voluminous ebon robe that he wore.
"Now," the mage started. "Who are you, and why do you intrude on my domain?"
Amaranth took a deep, steadying breath, boldly taking a step forward. The deer eyed each of them, one at a time, before turning back to the increasingly impatient vulpine.
"Forgive our intrusion, but we've come on a mission of grave importance. We were sent to ask for your assistance."
"And you are?" the mage asked, tapping the wand against his elbow.
"I am Amaranth Talone, Lord General of the legions of Coraseth. My companions are Jhira Nightfeather, of the Enilmar Wood; Alabaster Whitefield of Sarcous and his highness, Prince Tosha Muir Coraseth," the knight said, introducing each of the party, whom in turn gave a polite nod, or bow, though Tosha merely peeked over the table top. The fox raised a brow.
"Coraseth you say. I have not heard that name in many years. You know who I am, yes?" the fox asked, to which Amaranth nodded. A smile flashed across the canine's lips. "Explain then, and don't spare any details."
Amaranth sighed, again looking to the others before speaking. He knew this was going to be difficult.
"You are Railen Starphyre, born of Lenia Starphyre and Xol'litox of...the Nether Reach. Accomplished wizard and practitioner of the arcane arts. Exiled at the age of six by his Royal Highness, King Gallaran Coraseth for impure blood," Amaranth stated, never taking his eyes off the fox. Alabaster looked over at the deer questioningly.
"Impure blood? What does that mean?" the youth asked. Railen laughed, a chilling, arrogant fit of yips that sent shivers rolling down his spine. He turned to the knight, Amaranth looking directly at him, but remaining tight lipped.
"Oh, do explain to the boy as to what that means, General. Though, I wonder, how in the Abyss it is possible that someone does not know the tale of the 'heretic mage'."
Amaranth sighed deeply. There were many reasons as to why he had kept the fox's identity a secret from Alabaster. The boy was young and naïve, alone in the world, since Lucius' attack on the raccoon's home town. He did not wish to frighten him further, though Alabaster would have figured it out one way or another, he knew. The lad had a way of finding things out for himself.
"It means his blood has been mixed; specifically with that of a demon," Amaranth explained at length. "He is a tiefling. Part fox, part demon."
Alabaster blinked, turning his gaze back to the grinning wizard. He looked closer, scrutinizing the fox with greater clarity. His gasp caused Railen to fall into another peel of laughter. He saw them, the horns hidden beneath the short fur upon his head; subtle bumps under the skin. Then there were his eyes; black as the deepest of night and shining with either incredible benevolence or cruelty. At the moment, Alabaster did not know which.
After a moment, Railen calmed himself and strode into the room upon the air of supreme confidence. His robes flowed behind him, making him appear as if he simply floated towards the party before stopping before the knight. Amaranth towered at least another head above the slender mage, but Alabaster had a sinking feeling that the deer would be horribly out-classed in a duel between the two.
"With that said, what makes you even remotely consider the idea that I, exiled as I am, would even lift a finger to aid the kingdom that sent me away. I spent my life secluded away from civilization, even when my father was slain by priests of your own city and my mother murdered by bandits," Railen turned to Tosha, scowling at the frightened prince. He spat at him. "I have no desire to help your kind."
Alabaster looked to the frightened prince. Tosha was afraid; the raccoon could practically taste the fear rising from the young noble. Still, he watched as Tosha picked himself up, straightened his surcoat and stood, albeit very nervously before Railen. The fox raised a sceptical brow and Alabaster couldn't help but do the same.
Just what is he thinking? The question floated into Alabaster's mind. Wait, what is he doing?
Tosha dropped to his knees, kneeling before the wizard. The motion caused Amaranth to take a step back.
"My prince...what are you--", the knight started, but Tosha raised a hand to silence him. Amaranth took another step away, nodding. The feline took a deep breath, let out a shallow, timorous sigh and looked up at the fox.
"Master Railen. I know what my father did to you and your family was wrong. An act of open hostility towards you that should not have come to pass. I am aware that...my knowledge of tieflings is only that which I had learned from books and what the clerics of Fortuna had taught me, which results in my...unwarranted prejudice," Tosha began. The noble kept his gaze locked on Railen's eyes. A curious smirk graced the wizard's muzzle, listening intently to the younger male's words.
"My...our kingdom has been devastated by the freezing magic at the disposal of powerful wizard named Lucius. The kingdom has been ran-sacked and caught in a blizzard the likes of which none of us have ever seen. Lucius' minions run amuck across the countryside, slaughtering Coraseth's citizens. My own family has similarly been disposed of. I...I am the only surviving member of Coraseth's royal family."
"How touching. Really. Yet the fall of Coraseth does not concern me, wayward prince," Railen said, folding his arms across his chest and tapping his wand against his arm.
"I...," Tosha muttered, dropping his gaze to the floor. "We need your help, Master Starphyre. I know that the royal family had greatly wronged you in the past, but I beg of you. Please lend us your aid. My father himself sent Amaranth and myself to seek you out, as his dying request. He said only you may possess the necessary knowledge that could help us end the winter and stop Lucius."
Alabaster watched the exchange intently. Never before had he seen Tosha like this. The snow leopard had always come across as something of an arrogant, spoiled noble. Yet, here he was, nearly prostrating himself before a half-demon mage. Alabaster looked over to Jhira, who seemed to be sharing similar thoughts, the corners of her lips upturned in the faintest hint of a smile as she watched the two speak. The ranger brushed a hand through her auburn locks, and strode forward.
"Master Starphyre, the prince speaks truthfully. I myself have witnessed the devastation wrought by Lucius' power over the elements. A brutal winter has befallen the land of Coraseth, one that affects also the Enilmar Wood. If Lucius is not stopped, this age of frost may very well encompass all of western Aurilous, if the tyrant so desired," Jhira explained. The ranger stopped beside Tosha, giving the prince a warm smile before kneeling beside him. "Please aid us in our task."
Railen dropped his muzzle into a hand, tapping the side of his jaw with a single finger, as if contemplating his next words carefully. He watched and listened as Amaranth knelt on the other side of the prince, unsheathing his sword and placing the tip against the ground while holding the hilt between his hands. Amaranth added his own thoughts and feelings about the coming ice age, Lucius' attacks against Coraseth and its' surrounding lands and the inevitable troubles the tyrant mage would cause if he were not stopped soon.
"I admit," Railen said, throwing his hands into the air and sauntering over to the hearth. "Your tale intrigues me. Not only that, but the situation must indeed be serious enough to warrant the general of Coraseth joining with a ranger from the Enilmar Wood; whose denizens have kept to themselves for decades. I admit, I know little of this Lucius character, having spent the majority of my life alone and secluded from the rest of Aurilous, with the exception of a few expeditions. It would seem though that I have yet to hear this boy's story," he said, turning his gaze to Alabaster. The raccoon swallowed nervously, trepidation creeping through his body.
Those eyes, like the blackest pits of the Abyss. They almost seemed to bore holes through him. Railen turned his gaze away just long enough to flick his hand casually and mutter a simple arcane phrase, creating a wooden pipe from thin air. A single gesture and a few syllables caused a tiny flame to appear upon the tip of the fox's index finger, which he then used to light the weed within.
"Alabaster, was it?" Railen asked, taking a few puffs from the pipe before exhaling a strange, purple coloured smoke. "What do you have to add to this already painfully woeful tale of lost homes and families?"
Alabaster felt his blood freeze when Railen fixed his gaze upon him. There was something unsettling about the tiefling; an aura of wrongness seemed to pervade the air around him. The raccoon swallowed past the nervous lump in his throat, letting his eyes drift to his companions. Each had explained their piece, the reasons why they had sought out the sorcerer. Jhira's smile caught his eye, the simple gesture giving him the courage he needed.
Alabaster stepped forward, coming up beside the ranger, who placed a reassuring hand upon his shoulder.
"You can tell him, Alabaster. Don't be afraid."
Nodding, taking strength from her words, Alabaster explained all that had happened since the snow began to fall upon Sarcous during the midsummer festival. The blizzard that followed and the invasion of the frost trolls, led by Lucius himself. When Alabaster explained that Lucius had used the ring of winter to freeze the populace into statues of frigid ice, Railen's brow rose considerably.
"The ring of winter," the sorcerer mused, pacing back and forth while taking steady puffs upon his pipe. "So, it does exist after all."
"Master Starphyre," Amaranth said. "What exactly is this ring?"
The studious fox stopped in his tracks, fixing the knight with his gaze before letting out a profound sigh.
"It is an artifact of intense magical power that was long ago sealed away by the human nations that once ruled these lands," Railen explained. "The ring of winter provides the wielder with control of the natural power of the cold season. Snow, sleet, hail, frost...everything is at the holder's disposal. It has the power to send Aurilous into another age of ice, capable of blanketing the world in a sheet of snow that could last eons. If the user were so inclined, that is."
"Do you know how it is possible that Lucius could have come across it?" Amaranth pressed, rising to his feet. The deer sheathed his sword as he rose before helping the kneeling prince up.
"Either this Lucius is a diviner of considerable power, or he simply lucked out looking through the right tomes and travelling to the correct place. By all accounts that I have read, the ring of winter was sealed far, far to the north, across the ice fields of Varsune, beyond the reach of civilization."
"Is there a way to stop him?" Alabaster asked, excitement evident in his voice. Perhaps this meeting would be good for something other than the fox's laughter and amusement, the raccoon thought.
Railen began pacing again, mumbling to himself as more purple smoke filled the air. He stopped abruptly again.
"The ring of winter is not the only elemental band of power secreted in the world. Upon its' creation, a sister ring was formed: the band of summer flame. One can negate the affects of the other, and vice versa."
"Do you know where we can find this ring?" Jhira questioned. The ranger had slid away her own sword into its scabbard, standing at ease beside Amaranth.
"Perhaps. Perhaps not," Railen replied noncommittally. The fox stopped at the edge of the mantle, placing his pipe upon the stonework and turned his gaze to look upon the group. His expression was blank, and Alabaster found his eyes drawn to the sorcerer's own, catching the faintest glimpse of emotion within the ebony irises: sorrow. The mage sighed.
"Please, tell me. Why should I help a world that abhorred my very existence? I could stay here, in my tower, protected by seals of power, and never have to worry about another ice age. Why should I help those who would cast me out to begin with, because of my parentage?"
It was Alabaster who stepped forward, standing close enough to the mage that he could almost smell the faintest hint of brimstone upon the fox's fiery fur. The raccoon looked up at him, steeling his courage.
"Please, Master Starphyre. Without your help, the world could be at its end. We've come too far to give up now. I'm sure that if you aided us, the kingdom would no longer view you as a monster or a heretic, but as someone who helped save it from the brink of disaster. Please, we need your help," Alabaster turned back to his friends, grinning sheepishly when he saw their approving nods and smiles. Even Tosha, whom until but a few moments before, wanted nothing to do with the heretic sorcerer, was nodding. The prince knew what was best for his kingdom, even if it meant changing himself.
Alabaster turned back to the vulpine, who stood deep in thought, leaning against the fireplace. The ringtail noted how the fire didn't burn, even when Railen's tail swept through the blaze. With a sigh, Railen pushed himself away from the mantle and strode towards the group, putting himself between Alabaster and the others.
"I must say, young one," he started, cocking his head back to offer a wry grin at the raccoon. "I am impressed by your words and at the sight of seeing so unified a front; nobility and commoner, human and non-human alike. If this is a taste of what the kingdom could become, then I find it to my liking. Very well."
"Then you'll?!" Alabaster stumbled over his words, hardly believing what he was hearing. Railen chuckled, and held a paw up to silence the excited youth.
"Yes, yes. I'll assist Coraseth in this matter. Can't have the world being covered in snow now, can we? Too cold."
"Thank you, Master Starphyre," Tosha said, dropping into a low bow. "The kingdom of Coraseth will be indebted to you."
Amaranth and Jhira were quick to offer their thanks, but Railen motioned for them to stop. The fox seemed flustered, and Alabaster could guess why. Clearly, Railen was unused to such attention or words of gratitude. Instead, the fox walked over to one of the many bookshelves and traced his index finger along the edges of the tomes, scanning for a particular title.
"Save your words of gratitude until we've stopped this ice mage, alright? Now...where was it...ah, yes. Here," he said, pulling out a heavy tome bound in gold. The book looked ancient, its pages yellowed and worn. Railen flipped through them, coming to one passage in particular and scooped up the book in his hands before resuming his pacing.
"As I said, the ring of winter is part of a pair. It was secreted away into the northern reaches of Aurilous, while its twin was sent south, far south. While this book provides mere speculation as to its whereabouts, if I had to hazard a guess, I would think someone would place the band of summer flame someplace hot. Perhaps the Windswept Tides...or maybe the Lia'Pladral Jungles."
Amaranth placed a gauntleted hand against his muzzle, deep in thought. Both suggestions were many tendays away, at the furthest southern reaches of western Aurilous. Still, it was a start.
"I suppose our best chance would be to just head south and try and collect any information we can," the knight suggested. Railen nodded, snapping the book shut and replacing it on the shelf. The fox's tail swished about eagerly behind him.
"I know of a grove about four or five days march from here," Jhira added. "Perhaps the druids there would be able to assist us. If these rings are able to control the weather as such, it may be a good place to start our search."
The ranger looked over to Railen, who nodded his accord.
The group exchanged ideas for several moments before Railen ushered them upstairs to the parlour. Railen's tower didn't have any guest rooms, but the chamber was cozy enough, with a few comfortable chairs and a pair of divans. Another fireplace rested against the back wall, with more magical flame crackling in its hearth. At the center of the crimson carpeted room was a circular table covered in an assortment of meats, cheeses and wines.
"I'm not used to entertaining guests...as I've never had visitors, but make yourselves comfortable while I go get things ready for our departure. Eat, sleep and rest. I'll come wake you in the morning," Railen said, turning back to the stairwell. Amaranth stopped him, placing his hand on the tiefling's shoulder. Railen craned his head to look at him.
"Railen," the deer said. "Thank you. We really appreciate your help. Perhaps more than you know."
The mage didn't say anything, simply inclined his head and continued up the stairs. Amaranth watched as the sorcerer disappeared before turning back to the others.
Alabaster watched as Amaranth stripped off his armor and placed it against the wall before spinning one of the red cushioned lounge chairs around so that it faced the doorway and slumped into the seat. He kept his sword close by, just in case. Despite Railen's claims to joining them, Amaranth was still uncomfortable leaving his back exposed to the fox, for the time being. Jhira took one of the other seats, using a dagger to skewer a piece of meat from the table and reclined comfortably while Tosha dropped himself onto the divan unceremoniously.
"At least we've made some headway," Amaranth said, doing his best to stifle a yawn.
"Can we really trust this sorcerer?" Tosha asked. "I mean, I meant everything I said but, I'm still unsure."
"I think we'll be okay. Railen seemed sincere enough, more so after we told him what was going on outside these walls," Alabaster remarked. "He doesn't seem like such a terrible person."
Jhira shook her head before reaching up and unfastening the band holding her hair in the ponytail, letting her locks cascade down around her shoulders. The woman took another bite of the meat and chewed thoughtfully before adding: "I believe Alabaster to be correct. I think we managed to appeal to Master Starphyre's sympathetic side. I'm sure with his capable magic; we'll be able to find what we need to stop Lucius."
"Agreed," Amaranth said, nodding his accord. "For now though, perhaps we should do as he requested. Eat if you're hungry and let us get some rest. We have a long ways ahead of us. The southlands are not the most forgiving of places past Port Faelin."
The group did just that. Eating their fill before, one by one, falling into a restful slumber. Alabaster was the last to shut his eyes, the soft snoring of Tosha beside him being drowned out by the more boisterous noises created by the knight. So much had happened in the last few days, the loss of his parents and the blizzard that had ravaged Sarcous. The fall of the kingdom of Coraseth and the murder of the royal family.
With any luck, they would find this ring and be able to stop the growing winter before it consumed them all in its chilling embrace.
Alabaster drifted off into a deep, thoughtful sleep, wondering what challenges would rear their ugly heads in the south. Despite the fear and trepidation about journeying so far from the land he called home, the raccoon couldn't hide the twinge of excitement that coursed through his body.