by Brad Clark
“She shimmered?”
“I’ve seen lots of crazy things lately, so it didn’t really scare me or anything. I thought maybe she was a magic person like Hargon or some of the Elves. I thought maybe she’d use her magic to get away. Throw fire like Hargon or something like that. But she didn’t. She just shimmered once, and then that was it. They talked for a bit, then they got up and started walking. We followed them for a time, but when we realized they were just heading back to the castle, we broke off so we wouldn’t be seen.”
Lord Martin rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Shimmered, huh?”
“Yes.”
Lord Martin pondered what it meant that the girl shimmered. It seemed that there was apparently more to her than what any of the others knew. After a moment, he asked, “So, what about the Deceiver’s army?”
Rufus shook his head. “No sign of it, but we also didn’t make it very far west.”
Lord Martin was still thinking about Rufus’ description of the shimmering woman, so it took a moment for Rufus’ last words to sink in. With a suddenness that caused even a trained soldier such as Rufus to jump, Lord Martin snapped, “What? You were supposed to find their army!”
Rufus hesitated because of the force of Lord Martin’s tone, but it didn’t bother him. He’d been yelled at and screamed at by better and more powerful men. “Like I said, there was no sign of the army, and there was something about the woman that piqued my interest. I thought…”
Lord Martin pointed a finger at Rufus, sticking him in the chest and said, “I am not paying you to think, I am paying you to do what I tell you to do.”
Rufus did not flinch at Lord Martin’s poke. With casual deliberateness, he looked down at the finger and then straight into Lord Martin’s eyes. With a cold, calm voice, Rufus said, “You don’t pay me at all.”
Lord Martin realized that he might have pushed too hard. He knew he was an extraordinary man, but he also knew he didn’t have the same power that he once had. Before the war, he had the backing of his own small armed force of soldiers as well as the authority given to him by the throne. Now, though, there was little true power that he held. If he were to keep the power that he did have and have any hope of increasing it, he couldn’t alienate those that he had recruited to his cause. He had brought Rufus under his command because of their mutual hatred for the queen and the Karmon Knights. Without that hatred, there was little to keep them allies. Although he was angry and frustrated, the diplomat in him took over.
Dropping his hand, Lord Martin straightened to try and appear taller. He took a small step forward and lowered his voice. “There is little support for our cause,” Lord Martin said in a voice just above a whisper. “The royal line of Thorndale and the Karmon Knights have put us in the position that we are now in. They have brought us war and destruction. Two cities and thousands of dead are left in the wake of their horrendous rule. That must end, and it cannot happen without us working together. We are both loyal to Karmon, and we have her best interests in mind. With that, we all have roles to play, and if we are opposing one another, then we will fail. That is why we must work together in the roles that we are given.”
Rufus slowly nodded as his eyes narrowed. “So, you expect my role to be to listen to you and do everything that you say.”
Lord Martin let out an uncomfortable chuckle. “No, of course not. That is not what I meant.”
“Yes, it is. I know your kind with your sweet words. I have been a soldier and a follower for too long.”
“Someone must lead, and someone must follow. That is the nature of things. Not everyone can lead, nor is everyone capable of leading. I have spent my life living in and among the decision makers of this kingdom. I not only know how things work, but I also know how things should work. I know how to make this kingdom better to become the great nation that it once was. Together, we can rebuild this kingdom from the ashes of the Dragons who tore it asunder.”
“Those Dragons now fight for us, you know.”
Lord Martin firmly shook his head. “I was there when the Dragon attacked South Karmon. I saw the devastation and death that the devil creatures wrought. They may appear to be an ally, but they are not. They will eventually turn on us.”
Rufus raised an eyebrow. “Oh? And how do you know this? I saw the queen riding on its back. I’m not a fan of the queen’s, but if they are here to fight against the Deceiver’s army, then I am all for them.”
“I have been in politics my entire life. No one or nothing can be trusted. Just when it seems that something can be trusted, it’ll bite you in the back. You were a Royal Guard for many years. You saw this, right? Of course, you did. For too many years this kingdom has been run by royals who had only their own interests in mind. Not the little people like you or me.”
Rufus’ lips slowly upturned into a smirk. He knew when he was trying to be played, but he went along with it anyway. Lord Martin had his angle, but he had his as well.
“I want you to find more about this woman that you saw,” Lord Martin said.
“I am not your personal servant. You go find her.”
Lord Martin took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I am well known in the castle. If I start sneaking around asking questions, Queen Elissa may be suspicious. This must be done in secret and without anyone knowing what you are doing. Can you do that?”
“What do you want to know about her?”
“Everything. Especially why she shimmered. Is she magical? I know most of the Elves can use magic, and the only Human that I know that can use magic is Hargon, and he is clearly on the Queen’s side. If we had someone on our side that can use magic, then maybe we’d be able to gain control of the kingdom quicker and without any sort of nastiness.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Well, do better than you did finding the Deceiver’s army! Now begone! I need to clean up.”
Rufus said nothing and turned and left. The wall of blankets billowed out briefly after Rufus passed through, exposing the main part of the large cavern. For a brief moment, he could see it filled with Karmons who had survived through the loss of two cities, a major assault on this castle, and a cold, bitter winter. He knew it was those people that made up the kingdom, and if they did not survive, there would be no kingdom for him to lead. It had been essential for him to know where the Deceiver’s army was, for if it were still far enough away, there was a chance that they could escape through the mountains and head north through Thell. Now that winter was on its way out, they could hide out in the Great Mountains north of Thell through the summer. There was not a castle like Neffenmark Castle where they could hide, but there were plenty of caves and other places to hide. If the Karmon Knights stayed here to fight, the Deceiver might never know that the people of Karmon had fled. He would lead them north to safety if only he could get an audience with the queen. Once she heard his plan, he was sure that she would agree to it, for it was the only way to save her people. If the walls failed, the helpless survivors would be slaughtered, and the kingdom would be no more.
The mysterious woman did give him a hopeful backup plan, though. If this woman was someone who could use magic, maybe she could be useful to him. Much of the Queen’s power now came because of what Hargon could do. The former Taran emperor had proved his worth by single-handedly defeating the first goblin attack on the castle. If he had his own magic user, then he could pull that power away from the queen and make it his.
Lord Martin remained staring at the blankets well after they had closed shut. He was tired of living in such squalor, missing the large fires that burned in the hearths of his estate, the grand feasts, and an unlimited supply of sweet wine. He was sure that the queen still indulged in such luxury in the main part of the castle and it made him uncontrollably jealous. Soon enough, he would be in her place, living the life that he deserved.
***
Marila looked at herself in the mirror, and she didn’t recognize who, or what, she saw. Queen Elissa had been overly
gracious with her time, chatting incessantly while they walked from the main gate to the castle interior. It was idle, pleasant chatter, which eased Marila’s mind. She was worn out from running through the night, and she would never remember any of the stories that she made up to cover the fact that she was not Human but a being from the realm of the Deceiver.
What she saw in the mirror was not what the Human saw, but what she actually was. She had an innate ability to cast an illusion on the beings around her. She had chosen her current illusion because it represented what she thought a typical Human looked like. She could not be sure exactly what she looked like, as she was immune to her own illusion. But she imagined it was as she envisioned in her mind. She imagined herself to be young, but not too young. Definitely, she did not want to be old and look feeble. She had no concept of Human ages, so she tried to base her appearance on what the women around her looked like. Most of them had brown hair, so she envisioned her hair to be long and brown. To complete the appearance, she made her eyes large and brown.
“The dress fits you well,” a young girl said from behind her.
Marila looked at the lithe chambermaid who stood holding an imaginary pile of dirty clothes. The moment Marila realized that she was going to be provided with fresh clothes, she suddenly panicked. Her entire wardrobe was a part of her illusion. The clothes that she had chosen for herself came across as worn and tattered, to give the appearance of being in the wild for several days. It was a part of the sophisticated story that she had put together for herself. The story began to quickly unravel in that panicky moment.
“Thank you,” Marila replied with a smile. The young girl smiled back and turned away to attend to her other duties. In that instant, she quickly forgot about the pile of dirty clothes that had been in her hands and left the room with a hop and a skip. Young minds were more impressionable. Not only did the illusions work, but impressions and memories could be adjusted as well. As the mind grew older, it was still just as susceptible to illusions, but it developed the ability to repel simple suggestions. She knew of more powerful beings that could manipulate even the strongest minds, but she had never come across them and hoped she never did. There were horror stories from her home realm of these beings being able to conquer entire civilizations just with their minds. She shivered at the thought of such power.
Still looking at herself in the mirror, Marila turned her head left and right. Because she did not see her illusion, all she saw was her gray, hairless, formless body. Human females had shapes and features that she did not have. In her mind, she had given herself those features and gave what she thought was a feminine figure to herself, but she could only imagine it, and not see it. The dress was a simple gown that hung loosely on her shoulders and would take some effort to keep up. She would have to ensure that her illusion included the new dress fitting properly. Fortunately, making illusions was such a natural part of her that she didn’t have to think about it. Once she envisioned the illusion, it became a part of her, so she didn’t have to concentrate on keeping it going. Even while sleeping, her illusions would remain in effect. The only time the illusion would go away would be her death, or if she chose to stop it on her own.
There was a light knock on the door.
“Yes?” Marila called out. “Come in.”
The door opened, and Queen Elissa stuck her head in. She saw Marila and smiled brightly.
“You are beautiful,” Elissa said.
“Thank you,” Marila replied. She felt her cheeks heat up, and an odd sensation swept through her. She glanced at the mirror, and she could see that her cheeks had turned a soft shade of red. Tears begin to fill her eyes as she realized that her body was responding to emotions that she thought she never had. For her entire life, she had been trained and taught to be an emotionless being, but once she allowed herself to feel them, her emotions were becoming overwhelming. She turned her head away from the sight of herself in the mirror and sniffled while wiping her eyes. Too much more of the emotions and she would simply break down, and she couldn’t let that happen around Queen Elissa.
With a deep breath, Marila collection herself and said, “You are too kind.”
Elissa stepped into the room and gently closed the door. “The meal is almost ready. It is not much, as there are many mouths to feed. But, it should satisfy your hunger.”
“Any bit of food will do, even if it is cold gruel.”
Elissa smiled and laughed. She never had cold gruel so she couldn’t relate, but she laughed anyway to be friendly.
Marila smiled and laughed as well. She never had gruel, either, but she heard it mentioned several times while she was staying in the caverns underneath the mountain. She had learned quickly that she didn’t need to be knowledgeable about everything but only needed to know just enough. Her quick mind easily picked up on details, so she was able to make her illusions complete by adding little tidbits to the ruse.
Their laughter faded to an uncomfortable silence. Marila could tell that Elissa was thinking about asking her a question. It was clearly in her eyes, and even though she was not Human, she was beginning to understand their non-verbal communication.
“What is it?” Marila asked.
Elissa let out a quick breath and said, “Before we go down to dinner, we have to talk.”
“Okay,” Marila replied when Elissa took a long hesitation.
“Glaerion has some questions that he wanted to ask you, and I thought it best that I ask them rather than him. He can get a bit, well, testy. He’s not always grumpy, but he comes across like it all the time.”
“It’s okay. Ask your questions.”
“I really hate to,” Elissa said again. Her hands absently went to her belly.
Marila had overheard the chambermaids talking about the queen being with child. It seemed that the reproductive organs of her race were just like Humans. It was a very painful experience giving birth, and she was glad that she had never experienced it. It required male fertilization of her eggs, which also was known to be a harrowing experience. She tried not to think about it, but she couldn’t help wonder how the queen would handle such pain.
“Glaerion, the Elf that came back from the mountains with you, wants to know how you could run so fast. He has never known a Human to be able to run as fast as any of them. He says he’s been around Humans for thousands of years, so he knows what he’s talking about.”
She had not known that there was much of a difference between Human and Elves, other than the Elf’s pointed ears. After quickly setting those thoughts aside for further consideration, she did her best to hesitate while she considered what to say.
With a shrug and smile, Marila replied, “I don’t know. I could always run fast. Faster than any boy, which always worked out well for me.”
Elissa let a short laugh burst out. “Of course! Until you want to be caught.”
“I guess I’ll have to figure out how to slow down, then. I don’t know how I run so fast. I just do. I hope that’s good enough of an answer.”
“It’s good enough for me, and that’s all that matters.” Elissa walked forward and straightened the dress on Marila’s shoulder.
For the briefest of moments, the illusion had slipped, and the true looseness of the dress was exposed. Marila’s heart seemed to skip a beat until she realized that Elissa had not noticed anything else other than the dress had slipped.
“How long were you out there?”
“A couple days.”
Elissa’s eyes widened. “Days? Dressed as you were? Were you not cold?”
Marila was one step ahead of Elissa. She had already created the story in her mind, so now she only needed to tell it so it would be believed.
“I lived the last few years in the city, but I grew up in a small village in the forest. My parents moved to the city to find their fortune, but all they ever found was hunger and despair. Because I grew up in the forest, I knew how to survive in the cold. I built a fire to keep warm, and I had brought some
food with me to last a couple of days. If I needed to, I could have captured a rabbit and cooked it.”
“Well, that’s something I could never do. I know Conner could. If I were out in the forest or the mountains, he’d be able to take care of us.”
“Conner was the other one that found me?”
“Yes. He’s my husband, too,” Elissa beamed. She reached over to Marila and adjusted her hair so that it flowed down her shoulders.
Marila forced herself to smile, wishing that Elissa was actually adjusting her hair, rather than the illusion of her hair. Sensing an opportunity to end the questioning before she revealed something that she would regret, she said, “I am hungry.”
“Let’s go eat, then!”
***
Elissa and Marila were greeted outside the room by two lightly armed men. They were young Karmon Knights clad in light leather shirts banded with metal plates. Each had their longswords strapped to their hips and fierce looks on their faces. Marila flashed a smile at them, but neither responded with anything other than a curt nod. Elissa began walking swiftly down the corridor, and Marila fell into step. Their escorts silently followed.
They passed many people on their way through the castle. Elissa either greeted or was greeted by each and every one. Many smiles and kind words were returned along with quick curtsies. There was an overall sense of friendliness in the castle, something that Marila never would have considered. They were preparing for war, yet they still had the time to be courteous and kind. The mood clearly started with Queen Elissa, and Marila began to understand why this small group of Karmons were so defiant against the Deceiver and his overwhelming army. In her realm, kindness was not a thought that was even considered. They were ruled by the iron hand of the Deceiver’s generals. Their lives were solely about training to fight a war that had been promised since the beginning of time. Death was an everyday occurrence, as only the strong were chosen to survive. The weak and kindhearted were eliminated. Kindness, though, was apparently not a weakness of the Karmons. It was a strength that gave them the will to fight, but more importantly, the will to stand up and fight after being knocked down.