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Forbidden Sphere Chapter 110
"You think I'm ready?" Arran was almost surprised when he heard Snowcloud say the words. It had already been two weeks since she had given him the bracelet, but although she had said he only had a week, her previous comments on his efforts had contained precious little praise — certainly not enough to suggest she thought he was almost ready. "I think so," she said again. "But first, I'll have to test your skill. Your progress in training has been remarkable, but I have yet to see you fight." "Then let's spar," Arran replied, eager to find out how he matched up against a powerful novice. The only Shadowflame novice he had faced so far had been the young man he crippled in Eremont, but he knew that his opponent there had been a poor example of the Shadowflame Society's power. Snowcloud nodded, then drew her sword. It had a long, thin blade, and Snowcloud held it with such practiced ease that Arran immediately knew she must have received regular training from the moment she could hol
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 111
"I still don't see why—" Snowcloud said. "Quiet!" Arran hissed. They were hiding in the brush just over a mile from the fortress, along one of the few footpaths that ran from the fortress's gate. Arran had guessed that this would be one of the routes the patrols would take, and now, it appeared his guess had been correct. Approaching their location were half a dozen men, fighters all of them, with the rough look of bandits or mercenaries. They were wearing ragged armor and carrying weapons, and as far as Arran could tell, none were mages. "Remember," he whispered, "only intervene if any of them turn out to be novices." Snowcloud nodded, although her expression made it clear she wasn't happy with the situation. Arran took a final deep breath, then left the brush and stepped out onto the road, a short distance ahead of the men. "Hey there!" he called out as he walked toward them. They eyed him somewhat warily, but none replied. Instead, their hands moved toward their weapons. "
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 112
"I could have gotten us killed," Snowcloud said, a somber tone to her voice. "You could have," Arran agreed. "But you didn't. Let's leave it at that." He still felt some anger at Snowcloud for hesitating in the heat of battle, but there was no point in venting it now. All it could do was further erode her confidence, and that would only increase the risk of it happening again. What he needed now was Snowcloud the way she had been at the end of the battle — a frighteningly powerful mage. "Will you be able to fight?" Arran asked. Snowcloud nodded. Although her eyes were still red, the tears had stopped, and she seemed to have calmed down. "What do we do now?" she asked. "We should take the initiative," Arran said. "They don't yet know what happened. If we attack now, we have a chance to take them by surprise." "All right," Snowcloud said, her expression determined. "But you have to be careful," Arran continued. "The ones we face inside will be stronger." "How do you know?" "Th
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 113
Before they entered the keep, Arran gathered up the slain mages' void bags. Even at a time like this, he wouldn't risk losing out on any treasures — whatever dangers still lay ahead in the months to come, he would doubtless find some use for whatever possessions the bags held. Snowcloud looked on with a bemused expression, but she didn't say anything as Arran looted the mages' bodies. Still, he felt some embarrassment at being watched while he robbed the dead. "My grandfather wasn't a Patriarch," he said, by way of explanation. "I have to make do with what I can take." Snowcloud didn't reply, although her expression turned thoughtful. When Arran finished the grim work, he took a look around the courtyard. "You said they'd been taking slaves," he said. "Are you sure about that?" So far, the only people he had seen within the fortress walls were armed bandits and the mages who led them. There had been no sign whatsoever of any slaves, servants, or prisoners. "I'm sure," Snowcloud
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 114
The oppressive sense of dread made it hard for Arran to even move, but with some effort, he managed to turn his head toward the origin of the voice. When he did, the sight was shocking, but not unexpected. Before him stood a gaunt, pale figure, lacking a nose, and with two black holes where its eyes should be. It was the creature Arran had freed from the Academy's prison over a year ago. At the time, he had hoped he would never see it again, but it seemed his luck had failed him. The creature had somehow made its way across the border, and now, it was here. Still, now that he knew what was happening, he found the creature's aura of terror easier to resist, if only slightly. The fear wasn't his own, and just knowing that, he could fight it like he would any other attack. "Did Panurge send you?" he asked, forcing himself to speak even as the creature's presence weighed down on him. He feared that if he gave in to the pressure for even a moment, there would be no coming back. "The t
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 115
"They only had twelve Essence Crystals between the five of them?" Arran looked in disappointment at the void bags in front of him. He had hoped there would be dozens if not hundreds of Essence Crystals among the mages' belongings, but after half an hour of careful searching, he had found no more than twelve. Snowcloud had taken all the herbs and potions the bags contained, but other than that, she seemed to have no real interest in the mages' belongings — not even the Essence Crystals, whose quality she had deemed insufficient. That left Arran with a princely sum of gold, as well as a small pile of valuables. And, most importantly, twelve Essence Crystals that looked to be of decent quality, no matter what Snowcloud said. "You're lucky you found even that much," Snowcloud said. "Most novices use Essence Crystals as soon as they create them." "You don't," Arran pointed out, well aware that she carried around a stash of high-quality Essence Crystals. "I'm not most novices," she rep
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 116
"Just how much farther is this city of yours?" Arran asked, suppressing a yawn. It was halfway through the morning, and they had broken camp at dawn — just a few hours before Arran went to sleep after practicing his magic well into the night. Well over two weeks had passed since Snowcloud had announced they would visit the city — Goldhaven, she said it was called — but although she claimed the journey would only take them a week or two, they still had yet to see any sign of the city. "I don't know," Snowcloud replied. "I've only seen it on maps, and good maps are hard to find. But we should be going in the right direction, so we'll get there sooner or later." In truth, Arran wasn't too concerned with the length of the journey. Between training and absorbing his newly acquired Essence Crystals, he was busy whenever they camped, and the days of travel were a welcome break from practice. When they reached Goldhaven, there would be no more days of strolling through the countryside. An
Forbidden Sphere Chapter 117
The man led Arran and Snowcloud through the city at a quick pace, but although he seemed both friendly and polite, Arran could not help but notice that a few paces behind them followed half a dozen guards. If they weren't exactly prisoners, it was clear that they weren't free to go, either. But there was no point in worrying about that. For the time being, all they could do was follow behind the well-dressed man, and hope that he wasn't leading them to imprisonment — or worse. Within the city, Arran knew, any attempt to escape would likely end in disaster. As they moved through the streets, Arran looked around and found himself impressed by what he saw. Goldhaven was clearly a wealthy city, with wide streets, large stone buildings, and numerous shops and stores. The crowds were thick, and although most of the people Arran saw looked to be merchants and traders, he could also see many wearing the armor of mercenaries or bandits, and more than a few who were dressed like mages. Thei