The Land Set Aflame

Chapter 60: The Wailing Spirit

Chapter 60: The Wailing Spirit

Having apprenticed under an expert in pyrurgy, Leofric knew a thing or two about controlling flames. So much so, that he needed only minimal spell ingredients to produce the magic that could help quell those flames and preserve the beleaguered spirit's tree.

It was a greater blaze than he'd attempted to control before, and the task still seemed daunting. And, with Kithana out pursuing that wailing fire spirit in a dangerous chase around the forest, Leofric found it hard to focus on his work. But he knew he had to do it. He could trust Kithana and Svenden to take care of business with the wailing spirit.

He waved his hands and curled his fingers, gesturing and beckoning for the flames to listen to him while he also forced himself to shut out the distractions around him. His magic sight revealed tiny motes of mana dancing within the flames. He reached out and touched each mote and massaged it away with an expertise born of practice, settling them down into a more stable form. Each mote that faded away reduced the fuel for the fire, and diminished the blaze.

It was relatively easy, given the cool weather and the relative weakness of the fire mana. And the ambient fairy magic seemed ready to aid him, even as it battled its own apparent lethargy, making him feel more powerful and more focused than he knew he was.

But controlling and quenching a magical fire was by no means a rapid process. Leofric felt a growing sense of anxiety as the task stretched out across a long moment of time, distracted by his impatience to return his attention to his lady love.

Callyndia must have read his troubled thoughts, for she began to flood the area around them with fairy magic, sending a burst of soothing comfort into his mind and bolstering his focus.

After nearly a full minute of work, he had managed to quell most of the flame, and that tree spirit had calmed down in relief. She blew kisses towards him and Callyndia, then turned to look at the fire spirit as it continued to flee aimlessly from Kithana, running circles and great zigzags around the area.

Callyndia spoke up then. "She wants us to save him!" she said, "That elemental: he's not a rogue. She says he's a woodland spirit that's been... changed."

" 'Changed' from a woodland spirit to a fire spirit?" Leofric asked, "What... what are we supposed to do about that?"

Callyndia shook her head. "I don't know," she said, "I... Is there anything you can do?"

"I have my spirit dust," he said, "That's all I can think of."

Callyndia looked up at the tree spirit apologetically. A couple other spirits had gathered around them as well, watching in anticipation. It seemed like there was an understanding among them, and between them and Callyndia. It was as if they knew what Leofric was suggesting, even though they couldn't possibly have seen it before. But they all seemed to grimly nod their understanding, and Callyndia looked to Leofric.

Her expression was all he needed to understand her meaning.

He nodded confirmation and reached in for another handful of dust. "Kithana!" he shouted, "Bring him this way again!"

He rushed away from the burnt tree, towards an opening where he'd have a better chance of hitting his target.

Svenden overheard and saw what Leofric was planning. He swiftly repositioned himself and drew his arrows, waiting and watching vigilantly for the moment when he could aid.

In the distance, Kithana broke off her pursuit to move in a different direction, moving in a narrow arc to cut off the wild elemental's anticipated path. Svenden took aim and loosed an arrow, which jabbed into the side of a tree just beside the wild elemental's path, causing it to pivot and veer in a different direction. Kithana was instantly there to nudge the wild spirit back in the opposite direction.

The two of them continued expertly redirecting and corraling the wailing spirit with repeated nudges, until they had it running directly towards Leofric. Their ability to communicate and implement such a plan without words was unexpected, and it filled Leofric's heart with joy.

But now he had to focus on his part, and he only had seconds to prepare.

Leofric raised his fist to his mouth and whispered the words of power. The dust in his hand began to glow as the elemental streaked towards him. Under the effects of Leofric's magical sight, time seemed to slow, a moment stretching out into eternity. The fireball speeding towards him seemed to transform into the wailing spirit, a poor woodland creature with a vaguely human-like form, caught on fire against its will, burning and twisted in constant pain, needing release from its suffering.

Just before the living fireball reached him, Leofric dove to the side, swinging his arm and opening his hand as he did so. The dust spread into an arcing cloud behind him. His shoulder hit the ground hard, and he rolled over twice before stopping.

He quickly propped himself up into a sitting position and looked back. The fire spirit had sped right through the cloud of glowing motes, and halted in its path several paces beyond, as if the cloud had become a sturdy net. The swirling mist of purple was surrounding the spirit, lifting it off the ground and slowly picking at the bits of its fiery mana. The spirit wailed in panic and confusion, looking around itself in utter alarm, its arms outstretched and its legs churning without effect.

For a moment, Leofric felt a twinge of guilt as the spirit was ushered violently from the Material World. But he forced himself to watch, feeling that it would be disrespectful to look away from what he'd done at this moment. And he reminded himself that the wailing spirit would be at peace on the other side.

As he watched, the wailing spirit's visage, twisted in agony, seemed to soften and relax. And as the spirit's flames died, Leofric could see it clearly now: no longer wailing, no longer in agony, an immaterial spirit in the vague form of a hairless man of statuesque beauty, with keen eyes that turned to look directly at Leofric.

The man smiled a light, understanding smile, and Leofric could almost feel the spirit's gratitude.

Then, the blaze of purple dust grew in intensity, enveloping the spirit and the air around him. The blaze reached its climax, then died down suddenly, ending in a gentle shower of little purple motes that faded before they hit the ground. The spirit was gone.

Leofric breathed a sigh of relief.