As if their muscles had been stirred into action by an old, well-ingrained habit, everyone in the Hearthwood Clan encampment started stirring.
“Mistress Yulli! You’re alive!” One of the Hearthwood Clanswomen exclaimed with surprise.
“It was a long and difficult fight, but we managed to escape the clutches of our attackers. They attacked with their Sakaku Clan pawns, but we now know the true face of our enemy. A damned group of cultists who worship something they call the Unblinking Eye.”
It was then Nela emerged. Yulli’s eyes locked onto her immediately.
“Ah! Little Nela! You did a good job organizing this group of servants. This place is hardly suitable for the long term, but after a few houses are built for me and my warriors, we could stay a season or two while we gather more survivors from the Songstone Clan.”
“Oh... elder sister Yulli, I’m gladdened by the fact that you survived.” Nela’s expression said that she was anything but glad. “How did you find us?”
“That’s matriarch to you, little sister.” Yulli scanned the group of survivors below imperiously. “I’m the only true mage here, and eldest between the two of us of the matriarch’s daughters. Assuming none of our other sisters survived, it’s my job to take the reins over what remains of our glorious clan and avenge our fallen. But to answer your question…”
Yulli grabbed the collar of a nearby Hearthwood Clanswomen. Out of her shirt Yulli withdrew the chain on which the women kept her spellheart.
“This thing led me here. You know how the clan elders always had us newly risen true mages spend countless hours condensing spellhearts for the servants and lesser clan members? Well this one was one of mine. I could sense it from miles off.”
The Hearthwood Clanswomen looked slightly ashamed as Yulli handed her back her spellheart. She bowed deeply to Yulli, and then to Nela, a look of apology on her face.
No no no. Why now!? Why here!?
This was absolutely the worst thing that could have happened. Another batch of survivors from the Songstone Clan had arrived, and their leader had seniority over Nela. Yulli could ruin everything I’d built. If I wanted any of it to endure I had to act quickly.
I forced my way to the front.
“Yulli, is it?”
Yulli did a double take at my approach. Then she looked me up and down and licked her lips.
“Little sis, you’ve been holding out on me,” Yulli said with a cheeky grin.
“I’m new. I ran into Nela by chance very recently.”
“Well then, as the matriarch of this downtrodden little backwater I’ll have to stake my claim on you,” she reached around my shoulders, though she was shorter than me and had to stand on her toes to do so. Still, with overwhelming strength I hadn’t experienced since seeing those elves back in the brothel she yanked me down to her height and pressed her face into mine.
“An offer I’ll take you up on eventually, but we have more pressing concerns,” I slowly extracted myself from her grip. I realized I needed to direct her attention elsewhere as soon as possible, before she started taking control. “Let’s talk in private.”
As I led Yulli off into one of the nearby buildings, many of her warriors hooted and hollered, slapping their leader on the back.
“You earned it boss!” One of them said with a laugh. The only one not joking was a figure in the back with shorter hair. Stooped and sickly looking, with no breasts to speak of, along with a bit of unkempt facial hair. Wait a second, could that be a male elf? I wasn’t sure, since the only one I’d ever seen died shortly thereafter, but he fell within my expectations of what a male elf would look like. They couldn’t possibly have been too different from human males given how everyone I met instantly knew my gender. I’d have to speak with that elf later.
When I entered the private chamber with Yulli she closed the door behind her. She immediately started stripping off her top. She was every bit as attractive as Nela, but in a fitter, more athletic way. This Yulli shared her sunlight-golden hair, though hers had streaks of red in it. Yulli shared the families full lips and high cheekbones, but she stood a few inches taller than her younger sister. Beyond that though, she had a poise that bordered on arrogance, and a cocksure grin endemic to those accustomed to having their boots licked by underlings. There were a few scars on her, and wounds still wrapped in bandages, but there wasn’t a single pimple, scar, bruise, or imperfection on her body. A property of becoming a true mage, I suspected. She had a bit of grime on her from travel, but she was flawless in a way the elves I’d met thus far were not. Only the ones I’d met back in the brothel on earth compared to her physically. I suspected that meant the elves back in the brothel had been true mages themselves, or higher.
I sensed the feeling I got from her, and the patterns of swirling zeal I witnessed in mage sight. I memorized this feeling so I’d be able to pick out any true mages I ran into in the future. Her followers were all mage acolytes, and by their arms, that power wasn’t just for show. These elves were soldiers, with Yulli as their commander. That made my current situation as patriarch of the newly formed Hearthwood Clan a good deal more precarious. If half of what I’d been told about mages was true, she’d be able to physically overpower everyone else in the Hearthwood Clan single handed. There was no way she wouldn’t end up in charge even if she showed up here alone. With her band of loyal warriors, I’d be reduced to the status of a camp follower or a bed warmer if I didn’t act quickly.
“I’m afraid we don’t have time for that,” I said, pulling Yulli’s shirt back down.
She looked back at me in confusion. “Wait, you actually had something to talk about? I thought that was just an excuse…”
I nodded. “I’ve been keeping this under control here. Organizing the construction, building houses, you know the deal.”
Yulli blinked in surprise. “I was wondering who was keeping things in order. Nela’s… well… she’s read a lot of books, but she isn’t flexible. If something goes off the beaten trail she’s helpless. I’d expected far worse when I realized she was in charge of this band of refugees. Assisting her in that regard you’re already far more useful than the male we brought with us,” The true mage glanced around at the crude building we were in. “This will do as a temporary shelter for us as we rally for a counterattack.”
Except from how I’d heard it, the Songstone Clan had been wiped out. Completely bent over and screwed. If the Songstone Clan hadn’t been able to fight back when at full strength, there was no chance of them overpowering their enemies now in their crippled state. I did my best not to let these thoughts show on my face.
“Right, well, I could really use your help. That and the help of those under your command.” I said instead.
Yulli frowned. “We’re warriors. My followers are mage acolytes, and I am a true mage. If you’re asking us to clear brush, such tasks are beneath us.”
“No, nothing like that. It’s just that if we’re claiming this forest as our base of operations, it should belong to us, right?”
“Ah,” understanding blossomed in Yulli’s eyes. “There are a few little tribes scattered throughout these woods? Good. They might have some useful things in their treasuries. Don’t you worry your little head, big sis Yulli and her girls will have all these backwater hicks buried in the ground or pressing their foreheads against it in supplication right after we finish getting some well-deserved rest and relaxation.”
I waved my hands. “I don’t want you to destroy them completely. Just show them your power. Scare them a little. There’s one tribe in particular that wiped out a settlement near here, and a show of force might prevent them from getting any ideas about attacking this place. But that’s beside the point. There’s a threat that you need to deal with right now.”
Yulli’s expression turned a little sour. “It is hardly appropriate for you to be giving me orders. I’m the official matriarch of this Songstone Clan branch after all—“
“The Cult of the Unblinking E
ye.”
Yulli blinked.
“One of their agents is in the forest right now. They must have followed you.” I continued, lying through my teeth. “If she manages to get word about you to her commanders, they’ll be on us like flies on dead flesh.”
Yulli’s eyes narrowed and her fists clenched. “Damn it. If that’s true… You’d best not be lying about this.” Then she stormed out of the building.
“Seventh Spear! Girls, front and center! It isn’t time for rest and relaxation yet. We’ve got one more battle to fight.”
Instantly the mage acolytes who had come with Yulli snapped to attention. All except for the elf male, who was being spoon-fed soup by three of the Hearthwood elves. He complained and groaned about a bandage on his forearm, while the elves whispered comforting words in his ears and massaged his shoulders. Really? If that’s the treatment elf males could expect, maybe I really was working too hard. Yulli’s mage acolytes had been enjoying similar attention moments ago, but their leader’s command got them all on their feet and lined up in front of her.
“It seems we were followed. There’s a cultist of the Unblinking Eye lurking about.”
Illiel jumped and let out a little yelp. Her eyes glanced back and forth, and she started backing away slowly. I’d forgotten about her. I’d need to pull her aside. Right now, she was acting highly suspicious. I’d also have to fill Yorik and Sava in on the details, and that they needed to keep her background quiet. She could be my contact with her organization.
Though I was beginning to suspect that contacting the Cult of the Unblinking Eye just exploded exponentially in terms of danger. I could see the anger and hate in the eyes of all Yulli’s warriors. Her own eyes most of all. Letting them know I was trying to contact their enemy — and even sheltering one of their members — was certain to not end well.
Gurthari would have to be sacrificed to deal with Yulli for the time being. That didn’t bother me much. From the way she’d been treating Illiel I’d found her to be extremely distasteful. Maybe I could leverage getting rid of her with Illiel to forge a stronger connection between us. Failing that, I’d grant her shelter and hide her from Yulli. That should make her like me more as well.
“I’m coming with you,” I announced to Yulli just as she was about to head off.
Yulli looked down in surprise. Most of her soldiers had raised eyebrows as well, though no expressions were as incredulous as the male elf who was being tended to by three elves.
“No. I won’t have you slowing my troop down,” Yulli said firmly.
“I’m faster than I look,” Wait, that was dumb. Every one of these mage acolytes was way faster than they looked, being more intimately connected to the power of zeal than a heart wielder. “I mean, I’m faster than your usual heart wielder.”
Yulli didn’t even consider it. Instead, she pulled the over-sized ironwood sword off her back and tossed it on the ground in front of her. She set one foot on top of it and then the other, and the sword slowly lifted off the ground. It was at that point I realized it wasn’t a sword at all, it was some type of magical hover pad. With pointy edges included.
Luckily, she was the only one who was gifted with the power of semi-flight. The others all followed along behind Yulli, as she scanned the surrounding forest with her mage sight.
Luckily, I’d gotten the location of Gurthari’s camp out of Illiel, so I knew exactly where to go. I’d beat them there and show up at the last moment. If anyone was getting that spellheart, it was me.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
I GRABBED ILLIEL’S hand as I ran out of the camp. I’d have her get me close to Gurthari’s camp, but I didn’t want her getting too close herself. Hopefully, her distraction spell would be enough to conceal her from a distance.
Yulli wouldn’t kill me, but she might kill Illiel, blood relative of her clan or not.
“You need to work on your acting skills,” I said as we moved swiftly through the underbrush. Hearthwood forest was old growth, so it wasn’t difficult to maneuver at speed across the relatively clear forest floor. All you needed to do was make sure you didn’t stumble over a root. Although it was past sunset, the moon was full overhead and enough light was reflected down that I had no trouble seeing. Illiel was only just able to keep up. I wondered how much of my night vision was because my body had been enhanced by zeal, because I would have been stumbling around blind if I’d tried this a month ago.
“What... do you mean?” Illiel said, breathing a bit heavier. Unlike earth zeal, mind zeal did nothing for physical strength.
“You had the word guilty written all over your face. Figuratively speaking,” I corrected myself when I noticed her rubbing at her forehead and checking her sleeve, as if expecting ink to rub off.
“I thought... sorry, I just thought you sold me out.”
“I wouldn’t sell you out, Illiel. We’re just getting to know each other. I’m sorry my original plan didn’t work out, but I’m improvising a new one as we speak,” I gave her a thin-lipped smile, “but your terrible poker face could get you killed one of these days.”
“I know.” Illiel said glumly. “I should have known better and stayed still. I nearly gave myself away. Those were mage acolytes! And their leader was a true mage! I’ve seen such experts before, but they’ve never had cause to want to kill me… unlike now. They clearly weren’t happy with the cult. I almost threw myself at their feet and started begging. That would have been embarrassing.”
“And hard to cover up, once you realized they weren’t talking about you and that you could have gotten away without issue if you’d just kept your mouth shut.”
“That too,” Illiel said slowly, with a tinge of sadness in her voice. “Hey, Theo... are they really going to kill Mistress Gurthari?”
I noticed her glum tone of voice. “I thought you hated her?”
“Oh, I do... I’d give anything to be transferred to another supervisor, but... I don’t know. Death seems a little… permanent. I’ve never killed anyone before. Even indirectly like this.”
“I was the one who arranged this, not you” I consoled her. “But, I know what you mean, and I’ll do what I can.” I didn’t make any promises because they would have been lies. I knew the moment I mentioned her to Yulli and her crew Gurthari was going to die. I’d already made myself okay with that. Illiel was innocent and untainted though, in a way Sava and Nela were not. I wanted to preserve the clumsy girl’s innocence while it lasted.
“This is far enough. We’re already closer than Yulli’s group. I can make it the rest of the way myself. Put that distraction spell on yourself and slowly make your way back to camp. I’ll let you sleep in my room once you get back. I can give you a cover job for a few days while we work out what to do next. You can even try to contact your cult, though before you do let me know. There’s some stuff that I’m okay with them knowing, and some stuff I’d rather keep to myself for now.”
“Okay. Thank you, Theo,” she acted genuinely grateful and completely trusting of me. Either that or she was a far better actress than she’d let on.
“You’re welcome. Now get going. Based on the directions I gave them, Yulli and her group should be circling around from the north. If you circle back from the south, you’ll be back at camp without ever crossing paths with them. Keep your distraction spell down while you’re near. I have a hunch you’ll have an easier time hiding from their eyes under this thick tree cover than you’ll have hiding from their mage sense.”
Illiel departed without any further prompting, heading back in the direction of the small village I’d been building.
Now that I was on my own, the eerie noises of the night began to make themselves known. An owl hooted overhead, a squirrel darted up a tree. A wolf howled in the distance. None of them frightened me. I had my earth magic, which I’d carefully honed into a potent tool. The new strength gave me confidence I’d never felt before. That same rush of invincibility I felt back in the alley in Queenshold filled me and I grinned
.
Without any further delay, I stepped forward to deal with Gurthari.
Gurthari saw me without me needing to announce myself.
“You,” she stated simply.
“There’s been a small hiccup. I’m not going to be able to join your cult after all.”
“Recruits are made, not sought out. My superiors have already decided they want you, and so they will get you. Even if it means I have to rewrite your mind entirely. Now that I have thought it over, I realize you couldn’t have possibly dispelled my magic through your own power, even if you had unlocked mage sight early. I don’t know what manner of item you used to resist my mind magic, but when I find it I’m sure the cult will reward me well for turning such a treasure over as well. Treasures that can resist mind magic are incredibly valuable, even if they’re only at the mage acolyte level.
I shook my head. “You’ll be disappointed. All I used was my own skill. But more importantly, you will die tonight unless you do exactly as I say.”
Gurthari responded by reaching into her pocket. I had long since realized that was where she kept her spellheart, so I drew upon my own spellheart. I’d taken to keeping it around my neck like so many others as a temporary measure, though I planned on getting it worked into a ring or armband. It turned out the reason why so many people fancied necklaces was because they could be worn under the shirt, which would allow constant direct contact with the skin, which was necessary to access the spellhearts power. The drawback was that it was far too obvious a location.
Gurthari’s method of simply keeping the spellheart loose in a pocket meant it could be moved around at will and easily concealed. The drawback to this strategy was that it cost her a half second to physically touch the stone and it occupied one of her hands. In her line of work, she was probably accustomed to going after a target with subtlety, surprise, and using mind zeal to control other people or to conceal herself. Not for direct combat.
Zeal of the Mind and Flesh: A Cultivating Gamelit Harem Adventure (Spellheart Book 1) Page 25