376 days until the Arkon Shield falls

Log report: Administrator override activated. Initiating Awakening Sequence One… initiation successful.

Initiating Ashara Awakening… error. Subroutine unknown, deep scan commencing.

—Trials Log Entry #232,129, 490,251.

An interminable time later, I was done. The last of the shorn threads shifted back into place, restoring the elemental spirit and causing a surprising Trials message to open before me.

You have purged an elemental stone of its broken enchantments.

You have discovered disenchantment, a Technique from the Discipline of sorcery. This ability removes all etched spiritforms from an elemental crystal. Its casting time is very slow, and its rank is uncommon.

Ah, I thought, so that is what I was doing.

The glint in the stone’s heart pulsed, and before the last of my magic could withdraw from contact with the spirit, I sensed a new emotion emanate from it.

Gratitude.

I smiled. “You’re welcome.”

An elemental stone of fire has returned to hibernation. Current state: dormant.

“Who are you talking to?”

I looked up to find Marcus, Petrov, and Soren standing over me. Their gazes were fixed on the crystal in my hands.

I chuckled. “Only myself.”

“What do you have there?” Marcus asked.

“This is the elemental stone from the orc commander’s gauntlet,” I replied. “The enchanted piece was keyed only to Zumen’s use. I had Petrov pull out the crystal.”

“You figured out what to do with it yet?” Marcus asked.

I shook my head ruefully. “Not yet, but I have the sense this crystal is capable of more than the others I found.” A lot more.

The scout captain nodded, dismissing the matter. “Well, we are about ready. Do you want to join us?”

I looked at him blankly. “Ready?”

Soren chuckled. To activate the settlement core and establish the fort. You know: what we came here for?”

I blinked and, turning my head from side to side, took in my surroundings. Sure enough, the building that Soren and his people had started what seemed only moments ago was complete. I glanced up; the sky was darkening.

I shook my head in bemusement. I had lost track of time—again. “Of course,” I said and held out my arm.

Petrov obligingly engulfed my palm in his and yanked me to my feet. Following in the wake of the trio, I entered the newly erected tower.

It was not much of a tower yet, though. Only the ground floor had been constructed, and at present, the structure bore a closer resemblance to a log hall than the tower it was destined to be.

As expected, the inside was a cavernous open space bare of furnishings. Well, that was not entirely true. A stone pedestal had been placed in the hall’s center, and lying atop it was the settlement core.

Marcus and Petrov walked directly to the pedestal, and I followed after with Soren by my side. Marcus glanced at me. “I’d let you do this, but…”

I couldn’t, of course. The fort had to be founded by a faction member, and I wasn’t part of the Forerunners. I waved away his concern. “Go ahead, I understand.”

Inclining his head, Marcus laid his hand on the settlement core and closed his eyes. The rest of us waited in silence. A handful of seconds later, a flurry of Trials messages opened up in my mind.

Flash alert: To all players in the vicinity of the dungeon, Dead Hollow.

A settlement core has been activated by a member of the Forerunner faction. A claim to the region has been initiated by the village, Sierra. Estimated time to claim completion and fort establishment: 1 day. To interrupt this claim, destroy or gain control of the settlement core.

Fort name: Woodspire. Type: Fort, rank 1. Commander: Marcus Smithson. Faction: Forerunners. Owning settlement: Sierra. Current status: initializing.

Territorial growth: 0%, not started. Expansion of Sierra and Woodspire’s boundaries to claim the intervening area can only commence once the fort is fully founded.

“It’s started,” Marcus breathed.

I nodded, relieved too. We’d done it. Despite the unexpected encounters, we’d erected the fort or at least begun the process. Unlike villages, forts could not be established instantly. Woodspire’s foundation and the faction’s subsequent territorial expansion would take time.

Twenty-four hours, I mused. It was not as long as I feared. By this time, tomorrow, the fort would be fully claimed. While this would not prevent the forest’s denizens from attacking Woodspire, it would stop the orcs from doing the same, courtesy of the Arkon Shield.

“Now what?” Soren asked.

“Now we wait,” I said.

Marcus turned to Petrov. “Withdraw the guard screens from the surrounding forest and have them patrol the inside of the palisade. Now that that flash alert has gone out, who knows what attention it will attract. I want everyone within the fort’s boundaries before nightfall.”

Petrov grunted in acknowledgment and strode off.

Marcus turned to Soren. “Ask Albert to pull his people back as well. Your own people may continue with their construction until it becomes too dark to see. By tomorrow this time, I want the tower’s second floor completed.”

“Will do,” Soren said and walked away.

Marcus turned at last to face me. I couldn’t help but notice the new lines drawn down his face. Just three short days of command had stamped their mark on the young captain. Marcus’s carefree air was gone, and he looked older and harried. Responsibility was never easy to bear.

“Jamie,” Marcus began, “the commander told me you intend on staying with us a bit longer. Is that true?”

I nodded. “I will stay the night and perhaps tomorrow as well to explore the area before heading back to Sierra. I need to revisit the dragon temple.” I’d planned on remaining a bit longer than that, but after discovering the intriguing spirit in the elemental stone, I was eager to raise my sorcery and try interacting with it again.

My answer seemed to relieve Marcus. “That’s good, but before you decide, you might want to hear what the scouts have found.”

I was perplexed by his response for a moment, then made the connection. I straightened, giving him my full attention. “They’ve found our mysterious humans?”

Marcus rubbed at his chin. “Not quite. They’ve found something, but whether it’s connected to the note we found… I’m not certain. Come, you’ll want to hear it from them yourself.”

I threw him a puzzled glance but followed obligingly as he led me out of the building and towards the western end of the clearing. A dozen tired-looking scouts were resting there. Cass was amongst them, and I nodded her way. She responded with a weak smile of her own, her eyes still shadowed by grief.

Marcus beckoned one of the scouts forward, a sergeant I saw. He was a tiny man, dark-haired, and with brown eyes. “This is Thornton,” Marcus said, introducing him. He turned to the scout. “Tell Jamie what you’ve discovered.”

The sergeant stood to attention. “Orcs,” he replied.

I stiffened. More orcs? Just how many more of them were in the region? My eyes bored into the sergeant. “Are they heading this way? How long until they—”

Thornton was shaking his head, and I broke off. “Sorry for interrupting, sergeant,” I said, schooling myself to patience. “Go on, please.”

“The orcs aren’t heading in this direction,” he said. “If anything, I would guess they originated from here. They are traveling north, towards the foothills.”

“Ah,” I said, the tension in me easing. “What are their numbers?”

Thornton hesitated. “We didn’t lay eyes upon the orcs themselves, only their tracks. We think that there were ten, to begin with. At some point, their party split, four in one group and six in the other. But I’m sorry, I can’t confirm their numbers with any certainty.”

I nodded in understanding. “You’re sure of both groups’ heading, though?”

The sergeant nodded. “The original party’s trail meandered aimlessly for a while, but a few miles from here, their course steadied to point unerringly north. Shortly after that they split into two, one group hurrying ahead, the other following more slowly.”

I pursed my lips while I tried to make sense of his report. It sounded like the orcs had been searching for something, but why had they split their party?

I turned back to Thornton. “Is that all?”

He shook his head. “The orcs are not alone.”

I frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The scouts found other tracks as well,” Marcus chipped in. “Ones too small to be orcs.”

I stared at him. “Human prints?”

The blonde captain nodded grimly. “It looks like they are accompanying the orcs.”

I digested this slowly. There was no proof that the humans with the orcs were the same ones that had penned the note we’d found, but it was possible, even probable. After all, how many random groups of humans can there be in the forest?

I frowned, not liking the mystery one bit. Orcs and humans creeping around so close to the village didn’t bode well for Sierra, especially if the two were working together. I turned to Marcus. “We should investigate further.”

He nodded. “My thoughts exactly. I didn’t want to ask, but will you do it?” He shifted uncomfortably. “If I can help it, I don’t want to risk any more of our people by—” He stopped short and winced, realizing how his words had sounded. “Sorry, Jamie. I didn’t mean—”

I waved away his apology. “I’ll head out at first light tomorrow.”

Thornton’s eyebrows flew up. “But you don’t even know how old those tracks are! You could spend days tracking them.”

“That’s a good point,” I agreed. I glanced at Marcus. “Those scrolls we found, can I have them? It will make traveling overnight safer.”

I paused, struck by another thought. Of course. Only after having voiced the idea aloud did I realize that whoever had owned the scrolls had probably used them for the same purpose.

Assuming the humans whose possessions we’d found were the same ones Thornton had tracked, it implied two things. One, they had likely come from a long way off—using the refuge scrolls to camp in the wilds at night. And two, they probably hadn’t been working with the orcs all along—or they wouldn’t have needed the scrolls in the first place.

Marcus made a face but didn’t object to my request. “It would have been nice to save them,” he grumbled. “But go ahead, take them. I understand your need.”

I nodded absently, my mind still working to fit my latest supposition together with all the other bits of information I had on the mysterious humans. But whichever way I looked at it, I still didn’t know enough to draw any definitive conclusions.

“What else do you need?” Marcus asked.

I refocused on the scout captain. “A pair of scouts to activate the scrolls and follow the orcs’ trail.”

Marcus’ gaze flitted to Thornton. “Who can you spare to accompany Jamie?” He glanced at me warningly. “To investigate only, nothing else.”

Thornton sighed. “I suppose I will have to be one.” He glanced back at the rest of his squad, all of whom had been following our conversation with undisguised interest.

Cass stood up before he could make a choice. “I’ll go.”

“Uhm,” I said. I didn’t think it was a good idea. “Are you sure? Shouldn’t you—”

She slashed a hand downwards, cutting me off. I’ll go mad sitting here with nothing to do. Let me come. Please.”

I nodded reluctantly. “All right.” I turned back to Thornton. “We set out at first light then. The sooner we catch up to the orcs, the sooner we can return.”

Here ends Part 1 of Book 2 of the Dragon Mage Saga.

Jamie’s adventures continue in Part 2...