Joint Intentions (Book 9) Read Online Free Page A
Author: Jeff Inlo
used to hard work, he had wealth to spare. After a long search and a little persuasion, it seemed he was finally nearing the end of his own quest.
The boy before him was old enough to take care of himself, but still inexperienced in many facets of life. He was easy to manipulate, and more importantly, blessed with a substantial core of the magic Neltus craved.
Neltus cared little about the boy's well-being. He only wanted what was inside the novice spell caster. In making his proposal, the coreless wizard had briefly explained what he desired and offered a large sum of wealth in return.
The boy, Dimi, had found the proposition enticing, but as they neared the final moment of completing the bargain, he worried about the cost.
"Will it hurt?" Dimi asked, wondering if he had accepted too little in return for giving up a portion of his magical core.
"You'll hardly notice," Neltus lied.
If he told the truth, Neltus believed Dimi would back out of the deal, and that was not an acceptable course of action. He would not allow for any change of heart.
The boy thought otherwise.
"Before you start, I want more gold."
Neltus rubbed his forehead in frustration. The boy's simplistic request was almost insulting. Dimi had the power to find all the gold he needed, if he just learned to focus his power. The foolish boy cast in dark crimson, and the land would give up all its secrets to him, just as it had once done for Neltus. Fortunately for Neltus, Dimi lacked the desire to hone his craft. The boy cast in a misshapen loop with angles and twists. His spells lacked direction, and his incompetence diluted any influence or power.
When the magic had flowed through Neltus, he had managed to cast in a near perfect circle. It was pure red and concentrated enough for spells of tremendous power. With such spells, Neltus developed a tight bond with the land, and the very ground had revealed to him deposits of great wealth; gold, silver, and various gems. Though the magic was no longer within him, his memories remained intact. He knew the locations of many vast treasures, and he would use such wealth to regain the power that was taken from him.
Neltus reached into his pocket and removed a small sack tied at the end. He pulled at the strings, loosened the opening, and poured out half its contents. Several gold nuggets rolled across the table before him. He also retrieved two diamonds of considerable size. He put one of the gems next to the loose pile of gold.
"That's more wealth than some people see in a lifetime. You can add that to what I have already given you. I will also give you the remainder of the bag and the second diamond once we have completed this task."
Dimi quickly gathered up the precious rocks and shoved them into his pocket. The additional payment calmed most of his concerns, but not all.
"You're only going to take a small portion of my core, right?" the young and misguided spell caster questioned.
"You'll barely notice what I remove."
The response was mostly accurate. Neltus planned on removing half the boy's magical core, but since the young spell caster was so inept, he believed Dimi would barely notice the sizable loss.
"And you're sure you know how to do this?"
Neltus fumed, but he needed the boy compliant in order to complete the task. He lacked magic of his own and Dimi would supply the power for the deed. If the boy remained skeptical of the undertaking, he might hold back, and such doubts could jeopardize the process.
"You have heard of Enin, yes?" Neltus asked.
"He was the most powerful of all of us," Dimi declared, "but I heard he lost his power as well."
"He lost it in the same fashion I did. It was removed during a battle between the two of us. Do you understand what that means? I was skilled enough that I fought the most powerful wizard in the land. Only the interference of a ghost led to my loss."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"The reason we fought is because I once took a slice of Enin's
The boy before him was old enough to take care of himself, but still inexperienced in many facets of life. He was easy to manipulate, and more importantly, blessed with a substantial core of the magic Neltus craved.
Neltus cared little about the boy's well-being. He only wanted what was inside the novice spell caster. In making his proposal, the coreless wizard had briefly explained what he desired and offered a large sum of wealth in return.
The boy, Dimi, had found the proposition enticing, but as they neared the final moment of completing the bargain, he worried about the cost.
"Will it hurt?" Dimi asked, wondering if he had accepted too little in return for giving up a portion of his magical core.
"You'll hardly notice," Neltus lied.
If he told the truth, Neltus believed Dimi would back out of the deal, and that was not an acceptable course of action. He would not allow for any change of heart.
The boy thought otherwise.
"Before you start, I want more gold."
Neltus rubbed his forehead in frustration. The boy's simplistic request was almost insulting. Dimi had the power to find all the gold he needed, if he just learned to focus his power. The foolish boy cast in dark crimson, and the land would give up all its secrets to him, just as it had once done for Neltus. Fortunately for Neltus, Dimi lacked the desire to hone his craft. The boy cast in a misshapen loop with angles and twists. His spells lacked direction, and his incompetence diluted any influence or power.
When the magic had flowed through Neltus, he had managed to cast in a near perfect circle. It was pure red and concentrated enough for spells of tremendous power. With such spells, Neltus developed a tight bond with the land, and the very ground had revealed to him deposits of great wealth; gold, silver, and various gems. Though the magic was no longer within him, his memories remained intact. He knew the locations of many vast treasures, and he would use such wealth to regain the power that was taken from him.
Neltus reached into his pocket and removed a small sack tied at the end. He pulled at the strings, loosened the opening, and poured out half its contents. Several gold nuggets rolled across the table before him. He also retrieved two diamonds of considerable size. He put one of the gems next to the loose pile of gold.
"That's more wealth than some people see in a lifetime. You can add that to what I have already given you. I will also give you the remainder of the bag and the second diamond once we have completed this task."
Dimi quickly gathered up the precious rocks and shoved them into his pocket. The additional payment calmed most of his concerns, but not all.
"You're only going to take a small portion of my core, right?" the young and misguided spell caster questioned.
"You'll barely notice what I remove."
The response was mostly accurate. Neltus planned on removing half the boy's magical core, but since the young spell caster was so inept, he believed Dimi would barely notice the sizable loss.
"And you're sure you know how to do this?"
Neltus fumed, but he needed the boy compliant in order to complete the task. He lacked magic of his own and Dimi would supply the power for the deed. If the boy remained skeptical of the undertaking, he might hold back, and such doubts could jeopardize the process.
"You have heard of Enin, yes?" Neltus asked.
"He was the most powerful of all of us," Dimi declared, "but I heard he lost his power as well."
"He lost it in the same fashion I did. It was removed during a battle between the two of us. Do you understand what that means? I was skilled enough that I fought the most powerful wizard in the land. Only the interference of a ghost led to my loss."
"What does that have to do with me?"
"The reason we fought is because I once took a slice of Enin's
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