Chương 38: Taking Flight

"That's it, I'll get rid of the bird myself," Giddeon said as he stormed towards Aaron.

"Wait, I have an idea. Cuthbert can take the stones and drop them off to the north and trail Giddeon's men away from us." Giddion didn't stop.

"Listen to him! This will help us and give us the best shot of reaching the farm without interference!" Tim said.

"He's right!" Paige said.

"Stay out of this!" He snapped. Aaron scowled at the old man. Giddeon squared up to Aaron, face to face. His musky, dehydrated breath made his eyes sting.

"Don't you want to get the relic without drawing attention to ourselves? You know this is our best shot," Aaron said, trying not to screw his nose up in disgust. Giddeon paused.

"Fine" He grumbled, "but if that bird ends up hurting anyone, that's on you." He stormed off to the cart and continued to load everything into the hold. Before long, they were all on the road again. Originally, Alex had sat up front with Giddeon, but he stopped the car and sent him to the back, probably because he was so annoying. He squeezed in between Tim and Aaron.

The fourth seat in the back was still occupied by the keg of mead, which the bard happily helped himself to by pouring a modest helping into a small metal goblet he kept in his pocket for some reason. Alex took a deep swig of his mead and wiped his lips with the back of his hand.

"So, where are we going?" Aaron was looking intently at his Boonstone and didn't even notice him speak. Tim was holding a contraption designed to hold the tracking stones. He had fastened a handkerchief into a miniature satchel by running thread through each corner and tying them up in the middle. The loose edges were tied inwards, leaving a small gap, just big enough for a beak to fit in to retrieve stones. A loop of string was attached to the top to make it easy for talons to carry.

"How does this thing work?" Aaron asked.

"No idea," said Tim, "I never really saw them in the city because they were notoriously weaker than normal spellcasting. No one really sold them. I wish I had read more about them whilst I had a chance."

"Ooooh, a Boonstone!" Alex said, "What does it do?" Aaron and Tim sighed simultaneously. They had already explained everything, but he clearly hadn't been paying attention.

"It lets me see through the crow's eyes. I'm going to send him with the stones to divert Harrold's men away, but I've never used one before."

"Ohhhh, why didn't you say so?" he said.

"You just have to channel the mana from the stone into the bird, it's pretty easy. That's what I did to my lute, well kind of." His voice trailed off. Aaron thought if this idiot could do it, it would be easy. He closed his mind and focused on the stone. It felt warm, not in his hand but in his mind, like a distant campfire. That must have been the mana he could sense. He focused hard on the heat and pulled it out of the stone. He felt the warmth trickle through his fingers.

There was still plenty of mana left in the stone, but a small amount was now in his hand. He felt as if it would eventually wear out if used repeatedly. He diverted the stream of mana into the bird and felt instant recoil. It felt like he took the lid off a pot of boiling water and all of the steam hit him at once. He opened his eyes and he saw himself above him with his eyes closed. His vision was strange.

He could see extra colours that he never knew existed, but these ones glowed and refracted light unlike anything he'd ever experienced. Everything looked like it was under a magnifying glass and he could see in incredible detail. He could see the slight intents on the handle of Tim's cane from the years of use. It was ever so slightly smoother on the handle than everywhere else. It was incredible! Aaron wasn't controlling the bird, just observing. His head was moving around, focusing on various things.

"What do you see?" Tim said. Cuthbert's head darted up to Aaron's brother, zooming in on his mouth as he spoke. And just like that, the spell slipped, and Aaron fell back into his own mind.

"That was amazing!" Aaron said.

"What did you see?" Tim asked.

"Everything. But bigger and brighter!" Aaron felt his cheeks hurting with the grin across his face.

"Why couldn't I hold the spell?"

"Because it's not in your soul, dummy," Alex said, smiling.

"It's weak because you can't draw on your own mana to cast it." Paige had alluded to this already. If he absorbed the spell from the stone, it might become altered and twisted with his necromancy. He couldn't predict what it would do. Would it change slightly, but still have the same effect, or would it be a new spell entirely? Could it potentially hurt the bird?

"Will you put it in your soul?" Tim asked.

"I don't know if it's a good idea," Aaron said.

"A novice can only absorb one Boonstone and what if I find a better one? This is only common. And Paige told me that my ne… My magic might alter it." Aaron was careful not to talk about his necromancy openly with Alex around. He might be playing the part, but he didn't trust him.

"Worry about that later. If they follow the stones here and find out I helped you, I'll be killed! You owe me for telling you what they do," Alex said.

"We do NOT owe you," Aaron snapped. Either the bard was an idiot, or he was intentionally trying to wind him up. But he had a point. If he didn't do something about the stones, he would certainly get followed and put his friends in danger. He didn't have a choice. If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.

"How do I absorb it?" He asked.

"Just pull the mana into your soul, instead of the bird. And don't stop at a small amount; you need to get as much of it as possible." Aaron gave the bard a small nod, but intentionally didn't thank him out loud after his ridiculous comment about being owed by them. He grabbed the stone and felt for its mana. The mana was warm and distant still, but Aaron had no issue pulling it to the surface. Initially it was slow, but after a few moments, the mana was flooding in from afar.

He felt it warm his chest as he drew it into his soul. It wasn't like his Necromancy. Instead of being icy cold, it felt pleasant and refreshing. A minute of draining the stone passed before he felt the mana run out. Where it felt like a distant flame before, it was now a faint ember. He pulled hard at it from his mind one final time, and the stone shattered in his hand. Alex flinched backwards and covered his face with his hands. All remaining mana in the stone burst out at once and exploded in his hand.

It felt like hundreds of tiny sewing needles stabbed his palm at the same time. It was a quick and sharp pain, but it subsided quickly. The warm mana formed together in his chest, combining into a focus of heat near his heart. It worked. Aaron's joy was cut short. The heat faded. Ice penetrated inwards, surrounding it and consuming it. Any warmth burning in his chest was snuffed out and frozen over. He felt it fade as it absorbed into his soul.

[New evolved skill discovered] Spell Name: Blood Bond Spell school: Curses Spell class: Altheon/ Necromancy Level: 1 Use: Innate Casting Aaron blinked slowly in disbelief. The spell name had completely changed, and it was a mixture between two classes. He had no idea it was even possible. But it was a curse, which was exactly what he needed. He had been waiting for an excuse to level his curses up.

"Well?" Tim said expectantly.

"I got a new spell, but it's not Eyes of the Beast. It changed to something called Blood Bond."

"Changed? What does it do?" Tim asked.

"I don't know," Aaron said, "And my tome didn't give me a description. Maybe it will update when I try it out?" Alex's ears pricked up at the word tome. Aaron thought he wasn't paying attention. He hadn't meant to share that information yet, but was so used to it not having to be a secret in the city.

"Just be careful," Tim said, "It probably does something similar, if Paige was correct." He put a bit of emphasis on if. Aaron looked at Cuthbert, who was sitting on his lap, pruning his feathers casually.

"I hope you trust me, bud," he said to him. Crows didn't speak his language, Aaron knew that. But something in the way he looked up when he spoke made him think that he understood. Maybe not the words, but the intention in his voice. Aaron put his hand out and Cuthbert instinctively hopped on. He reached into his soul for his Blood Bond spell and focused on using it. He didn't know what it would do. But since it was innately cast, his spirit reacted to his will and the spell simply happened.

Mana swirled around his hand. Glowing blue particles spiralled up and around Cuthbert's body. The cool flow of power felt refreshing on his clammy hand. He felt his connection with the bird strengthen, as if he was linking with him. For some reason, he got the impression that the spell wouldn't have worked unless Cuthbert wanted it to, which was silly since he was a crow and shouldn't understand complex human issues. The mana spiralled back down into his hand and formed a knot between his mana and the bird.

As quickly as it came, the glowing knot dissipated into the air around them. But the connection remained. Aaron felt his consciousness drag into the bird like he was being pulled from his seat. The whole carriage swirled around him and grew larger. The experience was nauseating. He could see from the bird's point of view again, bold and detailed.

"Are you ok, Aaron?" Tim's voice said. Aaron turned his head to look at his brother. He turned his head! He looked down at his beak and then up at Tim again." Yeah, I'm fine, he said, at least he tried to. Instead, a series of poorly formed squawks came out.

"Aaron?" Tim said, looking confused. Aaron hopped up and down a few times and nodded his head.

"Incredible," he muttered. The corrupted spell must have caused him to share a bond with a creature, allowing him to move in its body as if it was his own. But he didn't stop to ponder the specifics of the new ability. He needed to ditch the tracking stones as soon as possible. He had no idea how long the spell would last. He picked up the makeshift string bag in his feet and dragged it over to the side of the cart. He knocked on the door three times with the side of his beak. Tim took the signal and let him out.

Aaron flapped his wings as hard as he could and just about managed to take off from the ground. It felt clumsy and was far more difficult than it looked, but it was probably because he had no idea how to fly. After a few flaps, instinct took over, and he started to feel the air beneath him. He got himself into an efficient rhythm of flapping, then gliding and managed to work his way into some natural thermals which brought him effortlessly high up into the sky. He flew north.

For some reason, he was certain which direction that was. He hadn't known a minute ago, but had a sixth sense for directions as a crow. By now he was way up in the sky. The carriage was a tiny spec on the ground behind him and he was soaring. The wind slid effortlessly over his feathers and he could use it to his advantage to go faster, slow down, change direction and so on. He tried all of those manoeuvres just to see how they would work. The feeling was exhilarating.

[Skill proficiency increase] Dominion Over Undead: Rank 4 Aaron was elated. He was training his skills and had never felt so free. He almost lost track of his mission and had to remind himself to stay on task. He glided gently down towards the ground and stopped in a tree. An instinct itched in his mind to stay away from the ground to avoid predators. He hooked the bag on a branch and grabbed one of the tracking stones between his beak. It made a firm thump as he threw it on the dirt below.

He picked up a second stone so he could throw it midair without stopping. Aaron took off again. It was much easier this time. His wing stung as he caught himself on a branch. He managed to take off and get away, but he had no idea that he could feel Cuthbert's pain. A series of natural air currents helped him gain height as he continued north. He dropped the stone from way up high and enjoyed watching it fall until it disappeared into the distance beneath him.

Aaron repeated the process a few times until he ran out of stones before turning around and heading back to the cart. He enjoyed the journey back much more. There were no stones to drop, so he experimented with flying. He flew up as high as he could and dived down, tucking his wings in to gather speed. After dropping for a few heartbeats, he spread his wings and glided until he levelled out. He must have been travelling tens of times faster than he could as a human.

There was another air current in front of him, which he innately sensed. He climbed up again and repeated the process. Aaron wished it could have lasted longer, but he needed to get back. He had no idea if his mana was running out in his own body as he couldn't feel himself anymore. Before long, he spotted the carriage on the ground. He got the impression that it would have been too far away to see with human eyes, but the crow picked it out easily. Swooping down gracefully, he landed on the top of the cart.

Giddeon grumbled something under his breath as he landed, barely audible over the whirring of the contraption. He tapped three times on the roof with his beak. The door opened, and Tim put his arm out. He hopped down, landing on his shirt sleeve, avoiding hurting him with his claws, and allowed himself to be pulled into the cart. Aaron looked up and saw his own body in front of him, eyes closed in a meditative-like state.

He released the spell and instantly got notifications that Malediction, Dominion Over Undead and Blood Bond had all increased by a level. This new spell seemed like an extremely efficient way to level his skills. And a fun one as well. Vision blurring out of focus, Aaron's perspective shot out of his body and spiralled back into himself. He felt heavy and weak.

"Aaron, your arm!" Tim said, "It's bleeding."