The Hedge Wizard

The tunnel twisted downward, the air becoming thicker with dungeon essence. Even though this was only a node of the Infernal Halls, Hump sensed its strength; a deep well of chaotic power that made him nervous of what he’d find in the real dungeon. Drexel had spoken of an entire ecosystem birthed from the power of the Infernal Halls, spawning lesser beings for demons to feast upon and grow stronger. To achieve such a phenomenon would require an amount of power that was difficult to imagine.

As they worked their way deeper, they came across chambers where the demons had started to expand. There, the glass walls gave way to ordinary stone that had been dug out by hand. Where the glass and the stone met, a layer of crystal was already starting to form, so thin that it shattered at a press of Hump’s finger.

“Given time, all of this would be glass too,” Hump said. “It’s amazing.”

“Just wait until you see the chamber where we set up camp,” Theodore said. “Truly quite stunning. Soren’s been very impressed.”

They passed through more chambers that Hump would have liked to have spent more time in—a statement he never thought he’d admit to about a dungeon. One was a room full of mirrors that seemed to reflect scenes straight out of a person’s memory.

Walking through it, Hump saw moments of his childhood on the streets of Elenvine: himself clutching at a handful of coppers as he hid in a small cubby on a rooftop as the older lads hunted him for it; another where Mister Borton the baker handed out some day-old bread for him and a few others; then he saw the face of a girl that couldn’t have been more than four—he didn’t remember her name. He hadn’t even realised he remembered her face until he saw it there but seeing her gave him a sense of familiarity.

He looked away from the mirror, his head aching as he searched his memory for a name but finding nothing but blanks. All he remembered was that they had been friends and one day she vanished. As he looked up, he saw one of the mirrors opposite Celaine reflecting a young girl with a beautiful wolf dragon. That had to be Myra and Starfall.

It was only after a moment that Hump realised Celaine wasn’t looking at her mirror at all, but his own. As he glanced around, the rest of his party were looking too. Bud’s expression was hard, Dylan’s like he’d seen a wounded dog, and Emilia had tears in her eyes.

“What?” Hump asked.

Celaine had a hand over her mouth. “I… just didn’t realise how bad it was.”

Hump looked back at his mirror and saw that the scene had changed to one he remembered all too well. He was lying in an alleyway, his body beaten black and blue, blood staining his rag clothing. A man stood in front of him, his cane a blur as he smashed Hump into the ground over and over. Hump caught glimpses of his own small hands as he tried to defend himself. It was a beating he’d been given after he’d been caught with his hand in the wrong pocket.

The cane came down again. He didn’t move to protect himself anymore—he couldn’t. Even after all these years, he distinctly remembered the feeling of truly believing he was going to die. As his consciousness faded to black, the last thing he saw were figures walking by on the street, not even glancing his way.

“I’m sorry,” Dylan said. “We shouldn’t have looked.”

“How could a person be so awful?” Emilia said. “I’m so sorry, Hump.”

“No, that’s alright,” Hump said, swallowing a lump in his throat. “I’m not ashamed of it.” Still, he glanced around the room, pleased that the other parties weren’t looking. Theodore was already at the other end of the chamber, along with Anara’s party. They were waiting for his own and Marcela’s.

“Shame?” Bud snapped. “There’s no shame in that, my friend.”

“We should continue on quickly,” Theodore called from the entrance to the next tunnel. “Soren’s theory is that this is the node’s way of learning about us. It shows glimpses of old memories to try and keep us in place for longer.”

“Come on.” Hump led the way after them, leaving the visions of his past behind.

The silence clung to Hump awkwardly now. It had been a long time since he’d thought of his earliest days, and they were memories he would rather forget. Celaine came to stand beside him as he walked. She didn’t talk, but he could sense that she had a question.

“What is it?” Hump said. “Just ask if there’s something you want to know.”

“You never spoke much about your time before you became an apprentice,” Celaine said. “I just wanted to let you know that I’m here if you ever need to.”

Hump shook his head. “I came to terms with my childhood long ago. It happened, and it helped to make me who I am today.”

After a moment’s pause, Celaine asked, “Do you remember anything about your family?”

Hump didn’t. His earliest memories were of streetwalking and a basement that he and a few other younglings had been allowed to curl up inside during the winter.

“My master was the only family I ever knew,” Hump said, not liking the direction this line of thought was taking him. “Whoever my parents were, I don’t remember.”

“I see.”

It wasn’t long until Hump heard the murmur of voices ahead. They arrived at a dark chamber where four figures crowded together inside. As Hump’s eyes went to the walls, he immediately understood why Theodore thought he would be drawn to this chamber. Dozens of beams of light shone in the glass, yet somehow, they hardly gave off any light. Instead, they were channelled to a domed section on the far side of the room. There, the walls focused the light into a single narrow beam that pierced from the roof to the floor. A pile of essence stones was stacked on the ground nearby, brimming with essence, while a similar stack of empty essence stones was piled on the opposite wall.

Hump’s eyes were drawn back to the four figures as they stood and approached them. He spotted Marian’s small form amongst them, along with another woman and two men. They’d been packing up their supplies, packing bedrolls and other necessities into a leather backpack that was physically far too small to hold such items—a pocket dimension artifact no doubt.

One of the men stepped out ahead of the rest of them, giving Anara a quick bow before introducing himself as Owen. He carried a giant hammer at his side that had a metal head that made it look like an anvil on a stick. Despite its weighty appearance, Owen moved with the ease that only years of training and the boon of the gods could allow, though his own size must have helped. The man was massive in his full plate armour, standing even taller and broader than Bud.

Soren and Lani were the final two members of the party. Lani carried a bundle of javelins in some sort of quiver on her back. She had a slim, muscular build that reminded Hump of Celaine—agile, yet with the strength to wield a bow or in this case a javelin.

Soren was a Sorcerer of Osidium that specialised in metal. He was one of the older members of the group, his short, brown hair was speckled with grey. Everything about his clothes and equipment was pure gold. It was a richness Hump had never seen carried on a single person. His robes hung from his shoulders in flowing sheets and gave off a spectacular shimmer. His staff was a rod of gold that stood as tall as he did, golden spikes protruding from the top like nails in a club. He wore armour of liquid metal like that of Kassius or the Chosen that had investigated the warlock in Hump and Celaine’s apartment, though Soren’s seemed somehow tighter to his body, like a second skin.

After they finished the introductions, Lani approached Hump excitedly, her eyes wide as she looked at Nisha. “This creature is adorable! What’s her name?”

“Nishari,” Hump said, smiling. “She’s a wolf dragon.”

“She is just so cute!” Lani dropped to her knees, leaning forward, eager to pet her.

Nisha shrunk back nervously, hugging up to Hump’s leg. He sensed her nervousness through their bond and tried to reassure her, but it seemed that something was worrying her. Strange, as Nisha wasn’t usually the shy type.

Lani sat back and sighed. “She hates me!”

Hump snorted. “I wouldn’t worry about it. This is all a new experience to her—she’s nervous.”

Returning to her feet, Lani stepped away with disappointed, and rejoined the rest of her party.

“It’s rare that Nisha doesn’t like someone,” Celaine whispered.

Hump nodded. “Yeah. She must have sensed something strange about her.” He looked at Nisha and tilted his head. She looked back with her large purple eyes, her expression strangely guilty. “What is it?”

Her mouth dropped open, a goofy tongue rolling out. Yeah… he wasn’t getting any answers.

After the introductions, they moved on to the matter of the dungeon node. There was plenty of room for all of them to gather in the chamber.

“Did you encounter any trouble?” Anara asked.

“Nothing so far,” Owen said. “We arrived here two days ago and slowly worked our way through the tunnels, avoiding the notice of the residents of the node. This chamber is one of the last before the node chamber, and nothing has slipped through Lani’s seal.”

“Good,” Anara said. “That makes things simpler. We’re on schedule. Unless anyone has any concerns to raise now, it’s about time for us to enter the Infernal Halls.”

Everyone shared a glance in the silence that followed. When it was clear nobody had anything to add, Owen spoke.

“Before we proceed, you may want to see this.” He gestured to Marian.” Marian, show them.”

The Chosen of Vesta extended a hand, a circle of light appearing in the air before it. The light expanded, a scene manifesting within as if peering through a window. On the other side, Hump saw an army marching. A long line of soldiers, wagons, and horses stretched over the hills in both directions with no end in sight. There had to be thousands of soldiers. Towering in the distance was a monolithic structure of stone that jutted straight out of the plains, towering over nearby hills and trees. Even at such a distance, Hump could make out the faint detail of the giant doors.

“Is that General Korteg’s army?” Marcela asked.

“Yes,” Owen said. “They are nearing the Infernal Gate and are so far untroubled. They should reach it by the end of the day.”

“Will you be able to monitor the situation once we’re inside the dungeon?” Anara asked Marian.

“No can do,” Marian said, shaking her head. “We’ll be walking dark once we’re inside.”

“Then we will need to time our attack on the fort accordingly,” Anara said. “Ideally, we give them until sunrise, but that will mean traversing the entire domain of the imp lord in less than a day.”

“Getting inside won’t be a problem,” Owen said. “There are little more than fellspawn slaves and a few lesser demons working this node.”

“Wonderful.” Anara smiled. “It is time for our mission to truly begin. Lead on, Owen. We shall follow.”

As they reached the veil over the chamber, it became clear to Hump what it was about Lani that made her nervous. A curtain of pale green essence formed a misty barrier over the tunnel, secreting an aura of death. The only other time had sensed a similar power was the wall of souls he’d encountered beneath the shrine where Lich Queen Irila’s phylactery was stored. This was far from so sinister, but it meant that Lani could only be a Chosen of Rathlar, the god of death. Even being in the presence of the veil gave Hump a feeling of cold and dread, giving him the impulse to retreat and avoid the area. That impulse vanished the instant Lani dismissed it, allowing them easy passage.

A twisting tunnel led the way down, soon levelling out. At the end, they reached the grand dungeon node chamber. The ceiling towered overhead, held up by support pillars throughout the room, each of them made of coloured glass and brimming with light. Toward the back, Hump spotted the dungeon node housed within a cocoon of glass. Ribbons of angry red light danced around it. Statues of a towering imp in different poses littered the room, watching over the workers as they lugged bags of essence stones back and forth.

Throughout the chamber were many more of the crystal arrangements Hump had seen where Owen’s party had been staying, but here, he got to see them in actual use. Fellspawn carried empty essence stones to the beams and placed them in the light, infusing them with essence. Once the essence stones were filled up, they were added to a river of stones that wrapped around the room.

“There has to be thousands of essence stones here,” Hump said. “Perhaps tens of thousands. This is worth a fortune.”

“It’s no wonder the node wasn’t immediately removed when it was discovered,” Emilia said. “I was wondering why they didn’t close it.”

Throughout the room were a few imps. While smaller than the fellspawn, they cackled as they ushered the slaves to work faster, lashing out at them with embers of magical fire in an endless game that they clearly thought was hilarious. Even if the fellspawn were demons, the sight still left Hump disgusted. Wherever he looked, there were more demons. There was no way through without a fight.

“How do you want to approach this?” Marcela asked Anara.

“Just wait here,” Anara said softly. “Allow me.”

All of them remained in place as Anara stepped into the chamber. Luminous essence shimmered beneath her skin, casting an ethereal pink glow as she strode forward with unwavering grace. Flowers blossomed across her body, their long, slender petals unfurling in shades of vibrant pink. The demons turned their gaze upon her, but before they could react, the flowers erupted from Anara like a burst of twister seeds. They spiralled through the air, dancing in the dim light and spreading through the chamber in a cascade of power.

Hump didn’t dare move as the room became suffused with a soft, rosy light. Each of Anara’s flowers sought out a demon with perfect precision. As the flowers found their marks, they pierced their targets stem first, embedding themselves in the flesh of the demons and fixing them in place. A pink haze clouded their eyes and they stood transfixed, as if frozen in time. The creatures returned to their tasks, now completely oblivious to Anara. Her aura filled the once foreboding place, turning it into a serene, dreamlike garden under her spell.

Anara looked back at Hump and the others. “Come on.”

Hump didn’t move immediately, studying the demons to ensure the spell had taken full effect. Anara’s party, however, walked ahead without hesitation. Owen’s and Marcela’s soon followed, leaving Hump and his companions to bring up the rear. They advanced toward the node with cautious steps, the glass floor beneath them as solid as stone. Nisha unleashed a deep, rumbling growl as one of the fellspawn passed by, but it remained oblivious. Ahead of Hump, Tamsin let loose a snarl of her own, her twin axes poised for slaughter.

“This type of power makes me nervous,” Bud whispered. “I don’t like things that mess with the mind.”

“Fortunately, she’s on our side,” Hump said. “Blessings like this make it clear why she was selected for a mission into enemy territory.”

Bud’s grip was tight on the hilt of his sword as he eyed a demon nearby. “Very true.”

As they neared the dungeon node, its essence became more frantic, reaching out for the demons in the room but unable to overpower Anara’s spell. They passed by the statues of the great imp and soon reached a glass bridge at the far side of the chamber, spanning the river of essence stones below, which glimmered with a rainbow of light. Across the bridge, a portal hovered at the end, revealing a plateau of black stone on the other side and the red sky of the dungeon.

Anara stepped to the side of the portal. “Raya, if you wouldn’t mind.”

The spear dancer of her party stepped forward. “Of course. Everyone, stand close together please.”

They did as she asked, standing until they were shoulder to shoulder on the bridge. Raya raised her right hand overhead, fingers outstretched. Silver light surged to her hand, until her entire arm shone with the radiance of the moon. Hump sensed the familiar power of Imira, the same goddess who had Chosen Countess Daston. Raya’s eyes turned a brilliant silver as she cast her gaze upon them, levelling her hand and sending a tether out to each of them. Its touch was cold but gentle, like the kiss of a cool summer breeze. The light in her hand dimmed, but her eyes still brimmed with silvery luminescence as her protective aura shrouded them all.

“This blessing will conceal your presence and make the eyes of demons gloss over you,” Raya said. “If you make too much noise or draw attention to yourselves, the blessing will cease to function, so do not rely on its strength entirely.”

“From here on out, there is no retreat,” Anara said. “Do not fall for the imp lord’s tricks. Stay together and protect each other in both body and mind. Raya’s blessing will keep us hidden for a time, but it will not last long. When it ends, we must be free of the imp lord’s keep.”

They were all familiar with the mission. There was nothing left to do but step forward. Anara and Raya went first, the two women stepping through the shimmering portal, their figures momentarily coated by its essence. The others in Anara’s party followed first, securing the plateau, then one by one the rest of them followed.

Hump stepped up ahead when it was his party’s turn, turning and giving his friends a reassuring nod before stepping through, Nisha close behind him. The moment he crossed the threshold, a wave of oppressive heat and the chaotic essence of the Infernal Halls engulfed him. He wheezed, the air thick with the stench of sulphur, and the essence so rich it was like a heavy weight pressing against his chest, making it difficult to breathe.

He looked over the jagged platform of black stone, his heart hammering as he saw the many fellspawn and imps on this side of the node too, forming a line as they carried essence stones toward distant spires of obsidian—a castle. Three smaller towers were clearly visible, along with a fourth at their centre that was taller and wider than all the others combined. That had to be the imp lord’s stronghold.

Looking up, the sky was devoid of stars—an unending expanse of crimson that swirled with dark, ominous clouds. Just as his nerves started to creep up on him, he sensed Nisha’s thrill. Their first great hunt together had truly begun.