Chapter Six

The Desert of the Djinn

Wraith rode through the wilderness for several days the tree slowly thinned out and gave way to savanna, and then the grass withered away with every mile until his horse's hooves were kicking up sand with every step. Wraith consulted his map and pulled the reins of his horse moving back on track. When evening came, Wraith finally caught sight of the Ruins of the Djinn. He dismounted and tied his horse to a dead tree and walked the remaining mile. Wraith stepped through a fallen archway and into the ruins of some fallen fortress.

Wraith stopped feeling a prickling at the back of his neck. He turned and caught an arrow that would have struck the spine just below his skull. “Is that any way to treat an emissary Ruin of the Djinn, I have been sent by Wraith Eminence to treat with you,” Wraith called out.

There was a pause, and then a voice spoke out, “That is impossible.”

“Never the less, I am here,” Wraith answered. “I was cleverer than Dryad’s Domain anticipated and was able to hide some of my sparks away,” he lied.

There was another pause. “Very resourceful of you,” the voice spoke again, and a four-armed blue-skinned man stepped out from behind an outcrop of ruin holding four light crossbows. “Know that I inhabit this body and that any harm to it is a breach of our laws. Tell me do you come as only a spark or does Wraith come with you?”

“I come as Wraith,” Wraith answered.

“Marvelous, come we must eat and drink I would be glad to hear of how you out-foxed Dryad,” Djinn said cheerily and dropped the crossbows and clapped Wraith on the back.

Djinn led Wraith down into the dungeon, and they sat at a table. “You have a very aesthetic Dungeon,” Wraith complimented.

“Thank you! I have put a great deal of thought and planning into it over the years. Tell me what I can do for you,” Djinn asked.

“I seek a map of all the other Dungeons that Dryad has destroyed, I hope to use the few souls sparks I have to power my remaining soul sparks to let them use the highest spells to take out Dryads defenses and get back what was stolen,” Wraith said expertly weaving the lies in with the truth.

“I see,” Djinn said taking a drink from a goblet. “Of course, I am happy to assist you. I shall have one of my minions go and fetch it for you.”

“Thank you,” Wraith said drinking from his goblet. “How have things been going on in the conclave?” he asked.

“With your defeat, the Noble Order have lost many votes recently as Dryad, and the Old Guard have been wielding their influence like a club. They have started to pick off younger dungeons before they can cause trouble by stealing the Lord Spark of any dungeon that doesn’t agree with their party,” Djinn said with a twist of his lips.

“Despicable,” Wraith agreed. “And how have you fared in all this?”

“I have always been more neutral than others and never very politically involved, so I haven’t caught the attention of anyone,” Djinn said with a dismissive wave of his hand.

A minion came with a map and handed it to Wraith. “Here you are my Lord,” the minion said with a bow and then left.

“I hope you will keep my visit between the two of us,” Wraith said to Djinn.

“Of course, let me escort you out,” Djinn said, and they stood and walked down the exit.

As they walked Wraith noticed that the tunnel had shifted. The turn they had taken to enter the hallway had been on the right side of the hall, but now it was on the left. Wraith continued not letting his suspicion show but causally letting his hand drop to his rapier. He looked about and then stopped and waited for Djinn to notice.

Djinn walked on for several more steps before he realized Wraith was no longer following and stopped and turned. “Is something the matter?” he asked.

“What game are you playing at?” Wraith said letting a bit of irritation color his voice. “I do not appreciate you altering the structure of your dungeon while I am inside of it. I have come to you as an emissary who you admitted to your dungeon under a flag of truce.”

Djinn smiled, but it was an arrogant smile, not one of friendliness as it usually was. “You don’t have the power to earn that kind of respect anymore,” he said condescendingly. “Don’t worry I’m not going to hurt you or your vessel, but Dryad would pay me a handsome price if I were to turn over you trapped in a body. You would live out the rest of your days in that body, unharmed, but unable to plot against anyone.”

“And if I resist?” Wraith asked, “How do you plan on capturing me without harming me and breaking our laws?”

“Any harm that occurs you will be your own doing I have an endless amount of nonlethal ways of capturing you. Resist if you want it will do you no good,” Djinn informed Wraith and waved his hand, and a portcullis slammed down in front of and behind Wraith. “See that wasn’t so hard,” Djinn said with a lazy smile.

“Wasn’t it,” Wraith said desolidifying his body and stepping through the bars. “You have no idea of the power I wield in this body Djinn. Open up a direct tunnel out of your dungeon now, or I will leave you as I am.”

Djinn’s eyes widened with surprise, and then he laughed. “Your spark doesn’t have that kind of power. A nice trick with your body can't-fool me.”

“Very well,” Wraith said turning to the wall and gesturing. A wave of kinetic force struck the wall, and the wall exploded as the force blasted through a ten-foot thick section of stone. Wraith stepped through the opening into a side hall were Djinns minions were arrayed in small blue, four armed humanoid bodies clutching blow-dart guns. Wraith drew his rapier and strode down the hallways twirling his blade deflecting darts and lashing out cutting down his assailants. He breathed in and with an effort of will dragged the struggling soul sparks to the fragment of his core where he bound them with chains of mana. The soul sparks began to accumulate inside his skull, and the light from their bodies began to shine from around the corners of his solid black eyes.

Wraith blasted through the floor and dropped down to the level below it. He released another titanic spell and dropped another level. He blasted the floor again, but his explosion only sent cracks through the ground, this was the final floor there was nothing beneath it.

Wraith began to run forward to get ahead of any minions Djinn was attempting to reposition. Wraith entered a giant chamber with a shimmering archway in the center of the room. Water lapped on the floor about a foot deep. Two pillars of fire and two pillars of air sat in the corners of the room and rotated around in a whirlwind of elemental power.

“I must compliment your style,” Wraith said to the room. “Come now Djinn you can still preserve yourself, my fight is not with you open an exit, and I will leave.”

“Don’t think you can bluff your way out of this,” a voice called out from the archway. “You must have used all the mana you had to blast through those floors. The amount of mana you’ve cost me in repairs is staggering, and I will have my compensation, and my sparks returned to me.”

Wraith sighed, “So be it.”

A gigantic figure made entirely of air stepped out of the archway made entirely of wind it surged forward and enveloped Wraith. Wraith felt the air torn from his lungs, and he struck out with his rapier. The blade ripped through the elemental, but Djinn’s Lord Spark was powerful, and he held on. Wraith pushed against the wind that tried to pin him down under the water and made a quick gesture. Since he was unable to speak the spell was feeble, but the black energy forced the wind elemental back, and Wraith was able to get to his feet.

Wraith jumped through the air with his sword and slashed at the elemental and jumped back as it tried to envelop him again. Wraith dematerialized, and the wind pushed at his frame but was unable to grip the equally insubstantial form, but it strained to pull his blade out of his grip. Wraith uttered another spell, and a wave of force slammed the elemental back against the wall. The elemental moved forward again, but Wraith struck it again and again until the form dissipated into nothingness. Wraith captured Djinns Lord Spark with an effort of will and turned to the ground below. With an effor of will and a gesture he ripped an opening and stepped into the chamber.

Wraith knelt in front of the silver core that was the size of his chest and brushed a finger along it. “I am sorry Djinn; no Dungeon should have to suffer this indignity, but I am afraid you leave me no choice. I must make an example of you, please know that this isn’t personal, I have greatly valued our friendship up until this point,” Wraith said.

Wraith attacked Djinn’s consciousness and laid into him with his physic prowess. His time with the mind flayers had taught him cunning and cruel tricks that he employed to subdue and subvert Djinn’s defenses. Once Djinn was at his mercy Wraith pulled every last drop of mana out of his core and turned and left. He dispatched every minion he came across, but he didn’t go hunting them down. He had a map and a job to do, he would let Djinn wallow here in the remnants of his power with his last minions to tend him; without his Lord Spark, Wraith doubted Djinn would ever show himself again.

Stepping out into the sun Wraith pulled out the map and looked at the spots it indicated. He was confident the map was correct even if the rest had been a ruse, but if not, he could always come back and force Djinn to tell him.

“Where to go first?” Wraith asked himself and then picked the closest dot on the map. “Tower of Fear; well let’s see if you want revenge.”