Hump’s essence tore at him, dragging at what remained in his soul and tugging on his mind. It flared wildly around him, aimless tendrils of his strength and lifeforce spilling out into the void. It had no point of focus, no target, yet it still contained his intent. All the anger he had infused it with when he had summoned it remained. He’d let emotion take control, and now he would pay the price.

His strength was fading. He felt it drain away like icy cool water through his veins, washing out of him. With every passing second he felt fainter.

Idiot, he cursed himself. Every apprentice wizard was taught the dangers of overusing essence. He knew never to let emotion take control, and to trust in logic above all else. He knew that, and he had failed. He gritted his teeth, fighting the pull of it.

It was so tempting just to let go. One last moment of explosive power and then he could be one with it. He could leave his cold and exhausted body behind. He could feel the power’s pull on his mind more strongly now, spurring him on. Filling his mind with its intent like whispers in his ears. As the cold pierced deeper, it became harder to resist. The gorger was already defeated. He’d done what he had set out to do. It was enough, and now there was no shame in giving in.

That was his weakness speaking. The part of him that had let this happen. There would be nothing after this, he had to fight on. He had to hold back the tide, even if it boiled.

His essence howled around him like a raging storm. The dragon roared somewhere in his mind, fighting to join it and unleash its might. He tried to suppress it, but he was too sluggish, too weak. A burst of essence escaped from his side, exploding in a cloud of blue, red, and bronze like a single wing of mist, that then disappeared into the void. He wondered if he’d struck someone with it. Had he lashed out at Bud, Dylan, or Celaine? Had his lack of control taken the life of one of the townspeople? Or further damage the collapsing temple?

Fight it, Hump. Fight it. At least as long as you can.

Gods, he felt pathetic. Was he really going to fail this close to escape after he’d fought so hard to get there? His own essence was nothing compared to the gorger’s power, and he’d managed to resist that long enough. But the weeks of fighting had worn him down, and now he wasn’t sure how much was left.

He fought to take back control, willing his escaping power to return to him. And to an extent, it worked. At times it felt like he might overcome it. He was so close, but then he’d make a mistake. He’d slip up, and each time it left him colder and weaker. His mind would grow a little more clouded, and the world beyond his realm more distant.

It felt like a long time had passed when there was suddenly a change. He felt a comfortable warmth, and light pierced the void. The veil cracked, ice crystalising along the lines. Behind it, green essence swept in, sifting through the darkness. It was so full of warmth that Hump’s own essence reached out for it instinctively, swallowing it. Heat flooded him, and distantly, he heard voices calling.

“Come on, Hump!” Bud shouted, his voice distant and echoing. He sounded frantic. “Wake up. Come on!”

“We need to go,” Vivienne snapped. “I can’t hold this.”

“He’ll make it,” Celaine said. “We only need a little time. Just hold on.”

There was a moments paused, then Vivienne said in a strained voice, “No. You need to carry him. We’re going to die at this rate.”

They were waiting for him. They needed him to wake up and get his shit together. One final push was all it would take. One final push to make it worthwhile.

He took a deep breath and felt the essence of nature filling him. It didn’t count for much, but it was the spark he needed. The first step was to calm the storm. His essence had burst free of the river that contained it, and now he needed to rein it back in.

Gathering what will he could muster, he envisioned how the river should look. The way it flowed around his body, his soul at the core of it, feeding it with a steady stream of power that then returned to him. With that fixed in his mind, he reached out for the storm with his senses.

He felt its touch like fire, so full of energy he almost recoiled. He pushed through the barrier, grabbing the whirling storm of power with his will and hauling it back to him. There was a sudden connection, and all the warmth he’d regained was dragged from him. It was like a gut-punch, the wind was driven out of him. He clutched for it, fighting to hold onto it. All he did was make it worse. The waves crashed against each other, breaking and reforming, a self-made cyclone of power that was about to escape him.

And in there lay the key. This was his soul, his world, and his power. It was all responding to him. He’d let his emotions fuel the essence and released the dragon’s strength. Now he would take it back. There was no room for doubts. Essence could not be moved by the weak of will or mind. He needed to be certain. Out in the rest of the world there were other factors standing against him, but here he was alone. And after a month in the gorger’s dungeon, there was one thing he could be sure about. He’d vowed he would survive, and his will was resolute.

This was his essence, his fear and anger, and it would obey him.

He reached out for the storm and he commanded it to stop. This time he didn’t fight it, he didn’t try to resist its tug. Instead, he changed its intent. He felt the difference immediately. The fire of its touch turned cool, the void became still, and the world turned silent. He waited a few moments, watching his essence gently sway around him. When he was sure it had calmed, he drew it back. His soul swelled, breathing it in like hot summer air. Searing pain filled him, like ice cold hands held out before a fire. It was a good pain. A pain that made him feel alive again.

And in the silence he realised something. He’d taken back his essence. He’d commanded the dragon to return to the depths of his soul where it belonged. His warlock side hadn’t taken over, even when he’d thrown himself to it entirely.

He could control it.

He had won.

When Hump opened his eyes, water surrounded him. It roared through the chamber, so loud it was like he’d escaped one raging world for another. He jerked, struggling on instinct. His arms and legs were trapped, gripped by something.

“You’re alright, Hump,” Bud shouted. He felt the ground suddenly beneath him. “It’s just us. Can you stand?”

He was holding him under the arms, his face tinged with pain. Celaine had him by the ankles, and Dylan’s pressed a hand to his chest, expending all the power he could to keep Hump going. Blood coated the druid’s stomach, three wounds that looked deep enough to leave Hump incapacitated, yet they hardly seemed to slow him down. Bud’s chestplate was caved in, and judging from his face, he was injured.

Hump nodded, his own body feeling stiff and foreign. “I think so.”

Celaine released his ankles and Bud helped him to his feet. He looked around in awe at the raging water. They were a single point of light in this world of complete darkness. Vivienne held a spellstone that shone brightest of everything, sending shadows streaking through the temple’s depths. Water rushed in all around them, deafening in the chamber. Waves broke against an invisible barrier—the only thing that kept them from being engulfed.

“Oddly enough, this is far from the worst way I’ve woken up this week,” Hump said.

Celaine gave him a strange look. “Well that’s not grim at all.”

Hump gave her a smile. “I’ll admit, I’m glad to be back.” He looked around. “Even if we are trapped in what looks to be an underwater temple.”

He counted fifteen townsfolk around them, huddled in close.

“About your friend,” Bud said. “I’m sorry, but there was no helping her. We had to leave her behind.”

This was better than he’d expected when he’d first escaped the gorger’s dungeon. Getting any of the townsfolk out at all was a bonus. He knew that, yet it still felt like he’d failed. From the grim faces around him, Hump thought everyone else felt the same way. At least for now, dwelling on it was the worst thing he could do. Get out first.

Hump bit his lip and nodded, she was far from the only person not to make it. A thought occurred to him. His heart started to race, and a pit opened in his stomach.

“Did I…” Hump trailed off. He couldn’t even ask.

“It wasn’t your fault,” Dylan said. “The water picked up, and a few slipped beyond the barrier. Bud managed to restrain you once that… creature was dealt with.”

Hump let out a relieved breath. If he’d killed someone, even inadvertently, he wasn’t sure what that would mean. He supposed it was only Bud’s restraint that had prevented that.

“Thanks,” Hump said.

Bud smiled. “No problem, I’m just glad it worked. That was the first time I’ve managed to freeze essence without affecting a physical object.”

“Brilliant,” Hump said dryly. He decided to ignore the fact Bud saw him as a physical object and focus on the important matter. “So you almost turned me into a block of ice?”

“Almost being the key word,” Celaine said. “Here. They got a bit wet.”

She handed him his spellbook and staff. He flipped open the book to check for any damage, but the pages on the inside were dry.

“All looks fine.” He attached it to his belt. “So what’s our way out?”

“It was a boat,” Dylan said. His wounds were closing, green essence flooding them. “Though it won’t be much use to us now.”

Hump frowned, quietly asking Bud, “A boat? We’re underwater.”

“Magic boat,” he said. “I’m guessing we’re going to have to manage without it now.”

“I can get us back to the surface,” Vivienne shouted over the rushing water. “This barrier is full of air. The only reason we’re not floating is because I’m stopping it. The spellstone won’t last forever through.”

“How long?” Hump asked.

“Long enough,” she said. “Hump, get ready. You’re going to need to get the temple doors open.”

Soon after she said it, the wall came into sight, illuminated by the blue light of her spell. They were made of stone, the familiar three-eyed insignia he’d seen on the other side staring back at him.

“What do I need to do?” he asked.

“I broke the channels when we first entered, you just need to activate the formation.”

Hump placed his hand against it and closed his eyes, letting what remained of his essence seep out. He felt cold pain lance up his hands, spreading to his fingers like a cramp. He clenched his jaw, and reached out. His essence connected to the channels with a jolt of intent, and he felt it being sucked into the formation. It activated with a large crack. The doors slid apart from each other, disappearing into the walls as water poured in. It rushed over the top of the barrier, obscuring everything from sight.

Vivienne stepped forward, the rest of them following close, huddled tightly around her. And then they were out. Vivienne took a few moments to collect herself, taking long, deep breaths. The barrier shimmered with light, then they started to float up.

The lake bed stretched on beneath them, faintly illuminated by the light of the spell. Long vines of algae formed a forest full of fish. Behind them, bubbles of air rushed up to the surface from the temple like an explosion. The walls were crumbling in faster, crushed beneath the weight of the lake. Hump watched it fall to ruin, stunned.

Hump felt his spellbook shake on his hip. He took it from his belt and opened it.

Spellbook

Three-Eyed Seal

Description: A powerful locking enchantment designed with a channel pattern that can be altered to restrict access to only those that know it.

Below the description, a complex formation took form. He didn’t recognise a single rune. They looked familiar, but the shapes were slightly different, and the lines more sharp compared to Alveronian, appearing more like God Glyphs. Considering the simplicity with which he’d activated it, he was stunned by the complexity. It dwarfed Vivienne’s summoning ritual, and it had all been crammed inside a single door. A door divided down the middle no less.

He glanced at Vivienne, whose face was unreadable as she watched four years of searching crumble before her eyes.

“Vivi,” Hump said, holding it out for her to see. “I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Her eyes widened at the sight of it. “Hump, these are the Old Marks. I’ve seen pieces of them in the past, broken lines with missing runes and damaged lines, but never a complete formation. I’m not sure anyone has.”

“Not a total loss then,” Hump said.

She shook her head. “No. This is fantastic.”

“Good,” Hump said. “We can make a copy when we get back.”

She brought them to the surface at an angle, rising slowly from the depths. They were near a small island, clear of anything but a few trees. Once the water was shallow enough for them to walk, Vivienne let the spell end. Fresh air breezed past, and Hump breathed it in with a sigh. He stepped onto the shore, and dropped to his knees, feeling the grass in his hands. It came with a relief he hadn’t expected. He slumped to the ground, rolling onto his back and staring up at the lightening sky. The sun would be up soon; the moon was nearly gone beyond the horizon. He’d survived.

Hump laughed. He couldn’t help it.

“What is it?” Celaine asked, looking at him like an insane person.

Hump stared up at her and grinned. “I honestly thought I would die. At times, I wanted to. And now it’s over.” He laughed again, rolling his arms around in the grass. He didn’t care if he looked insane.