She went to where the girl lay, her body trembling uncontrollably. Brown eyes looked up at her, pleading. A hoarse whisper escaped the girls parched lips. "Free me . . ."
Hesitating before pulling a small dagger from her belt, she knelt next to the girl, wiping away a few sticky strands of hair off her face. She was so innocent and didn’t deserve to end up in this awful state.
U’ka closed her eyes, sighing deeply. "It is time for you to go to sleep and the pain will be over."
She’d give the dying child a quick death to release her tortured soul to the Eternal Lands. Looking into the girl's soft brown eyes one final time, she pulled a knife from behind her back, hiding it from the girl's view. U'ka's lips tightened as she quickly slashed the girl’s throat. She gasped, letting out a gurgling sound as her blood spilled all over the floor.
"Sleep now, little one."
The life faded from the girl's brown eyes. She let out a final shuddering breath before her body fell still.
U'ka reached down to release the cuffs from her wrists. A snarling Daemon spirit rose from the girl's dead body, clawing out to her, desperate to stay in this reality. The red-skinned female Daemon, with her back hair swirling around her head, was quickly pulled north towards the Gateway.
She shuddered, feeling the Gateway open and slam shut again. Tears rolled down her dirty, sweaty face leaving a clean tear trail running down to her jaw.
Teek knelt beside her. He touched the young girl’s face in reverence, gently closing her eyes.
"I've seen too many children killed. I never wanted to see another one die like this, especially by my hand," she said solemnly, "If it hadn't been for the war, she’d be at the Citadel beginning her magic training."
Ivy entered and stood next to Teek. "What you did was necessary. The child no longer suffers. Feel no guilt about your actions."
"Too late for that," said U'ka, wiping away her tears before picking up the cuffs.
Teek hissed at the sight of them.
"I know you wanted the pieces destroyed, but I knew there’d be a need for them." She turned the cuffs towards him. "Look, I engraved them with our personal marks. They can't be used against either of us."
Teek turned his head, motioning her to put them away, then helped her stand.
"I will make sure her body is put to rest," said Ivy, delicately picking up the girl and cradling her in her arms. She gazed down at the girl with a deep sadness in her green eyes.
"Go with her, Teek. I need to check something in the Keep's archive."
With the ravaged state of the Keep, she hoped the archive was still intact.
Teek nodded and walked with Ivy back out to the ruined garden.
U’ka wearily climbed the grimy stone stairway to the Keep's archive. She wrapped her arm across her chest to support her ribcage; each step sending shooting pain through her torso. What I wouldn't give for a Touch Healer right now.
Her feet felt like lead as she lifted them from one step to the next, the death of the girl weighed heavily on her. Once upon a time, this was a place of knowledge and enlightenment. It should be filled with scholars discussing philosophy, mysticism and history. Now it sat empty and silent.
Reaching the top of the stairs, the stink of old smoke and soot filled the air. U'ka rounded the corner, feeling her heart sink. The entire study hall sat blackened. She looked to the high vaulted ceiling where light filtered down through the dirty skylights. Motes of dust hung in the air. Burned and broken furniture was scattered everywhere. There should have been hundreds of rows of bookcases, but instead, the ashes of thousands of ancient tomes filled the room.
She went to one of the few bookshelves that still stood to pick up a soot-covered book from the blackened and blistered shelf. It shattered at her touch, black flakes exploded into the air, swirling in the air as they fell to the floor to join the mass grave of books. U’ka touched the rolled-up parchment in her cloak pocket in frustration. No answers would be found here. The mysterious symbols kept their secrets for now. As she made her way out of the archive, each step sent up a cloud of ash swirling around her feet.
Outside, the air was breathable again. The Daemon curse fouling the land broken with the death of the girl. Teek and Ivy stood near a small patch of green grass. Tiny yellow flowers sprinkled all around, a delicate sapling sprouted at one end, a fitting gravesite for the girl who was so brutalized by her Daemon..
"We will restore the reserve in her memory," stated Ivy. "Her body will rest peacefully in the garden."
"Thank you," said U'ka wearily. "Teek, take me back to Forlorn."
While they walked, green sprouts broke through the ground all around them. The Green Folk would heal the land and have the forest reserve back to its fertile, lush state in no time. They entered the Green Ways and were quickly swept back to the seaside village.
They emerged into the bright sunlight. The salty ocean breeze made the crops sway slowly back and forth; a beautiful, peaceful scene compared to the horror at the Obsidian Keep.
"I’d hoped to find some answers there," she said dejectedly. "The dark warrior wasn't there. I don't know what my dream means now. Am I going crazy? I went to the Keep's archive, but it was burned. Thousands of years of knowledge lost."
U’ka pulled the rolled-up parchment from her cloak pocket and showed it to Teek. "The Sanctum here has the same hidden chamber as Lonely Hilltop. I copied down the symbols. I thought the Keep's archive might have some answers as to what they mean."
Teek rolled the parchment up and handed it back to her. His sullen eyes told her how sorry he was she still didn't have all the answers she sought.
"Go be with your family. I'm going back to the hut to rest."
Teek nodded as she turned to walk back through the village. Several people greeted her when she passed by on the winding streets. At the stables, she checked on Bud and Daisy. The destrier was well cared for. His black coat shined brilliantly in the sun. She hugged the big horse around his neck, then went to where Daisy was sleeping in the hay with his goat friends.
U’ka smiled at the site before entering the hut. Thallas' armor sat in a corner. She picked up the helmet and gave it a sniff, smelling the familiar scent of Iron Oak and nothing else. The Green Jyll's even managed to remove the magic repelling symbols from the armor. She set the helmet on the table and cast a Throw Back spell. The helmet wavered a bit, then flew across the room and slammed into the wall, leaving a large dent in the mud bricks. She decided to leave the armor with Lahm and encourage him to trade it at the outpost.
Shayne came in with a tray of food that she quickly set on the table, then rushed to hug U'ka. She grunted at the pressure on her bruised ribs.
"I'm so happy you made it back!" Exclaimed Shayne. "I did it. I treated the children. All of them."
"I'm so proud of you," she said, touching Shayne's cheek. "I knew you could do it."
Shayne smiled then went to the cabinet. "I took the liberty of putting the medicines I used in here. I hope you don't mind."
"No. That's fine. I'll take a look later and add things I think you'll need. Right now, I need to eat and get some rest if you don't mind."
"Of course. Sleep well, you deserve it," said Shayne before hurrying out the door.
U’ka retrieved a pain-numbing amulet from the caravan, invoking it before sitting down at the table and forcing herself to eat. The food was good, but she left most of it on her plate, still troubled by the girl's death at her hand. She was tired of killing; having done too much of it in battle. All the deaths weighed heavily on her. The girl's death was almost too much for her to bear.
She pulled out the dagger still covered in the girl's blood, debating even keeping the weapon, but good steel was hard to come by these days. At the sink, she held the dagger under the spout while she pumped the water. The blood slowly swirled down the drain. U’ka wished she could wash away her troubled soul just as easily.
She curled up in a ball under the covers, feeling as if the weight
of her guilt was pushing her deep into the mattress to smother her and end the misery. Exhausted, she quickly fell into a deep fitful sleep.
In the darkness, thin, emaciated children with sunken eyes and covered in thick, dark ash, shuffled towards her. Their stick-like arms reached out, dragging her down, crawling all over, enveloping her till she disappeared under the weight of their writhing bodies.
U'ka forced herself awake and got up to take a Baku seed. She needed to stop taking the seeds soon. They became addictive to the point of not being able to sleep without them, but couldn’t take any more nightmares filled with dead children. Laying back, she let the numbness overtake her.
* * * * *
"Teek is almost done loading the supplies. I'm going to miss you," Shayne said through her sniffles.
"I'll miss you too," said U'ka resting her head on Shayne's. "Don't be sad. You have a bright future here as a Wise Woman. Take good care of the villagers. If I'm able to rebuild the Healers Guild, I'll send you an invitation to further your training at the Citadel if you want."
"Really?" said Shayne, her eyes brightening.
"Really. Thanks for everything you have done for me, Shayne. You made my stay here a wonderful experience. I can't thank you enough."
Shayne smiled and reluctantly let go. "Goodbye then and safe journeys."
"Tell your uncle I said 'bye."
"I will," said Shayne, walking out into the sunlight, giving one last wave before she left.
U’ka went to the caravan and opened the Infinity Chest. Teek handed up the supplies to her where she carefully lowered bread, wine, dried fish and other items into the darkness of the chest where they'd be perfectly preserved. She'd have good food to eat for weeks to come.
"Where are we going, by the way?" she asked Teek as she took a wooden box from him.
His creaks and groans told her they were heading north along the coast. U’ka suspected there would be more ruined lands along the way to deal with. She wished they found some leads on where the remaining Daemon Lords might be hiding. The Gateway Between Worlds couldn't be sealed for good until all the Daemons were back in their dark realm.
Teek handed up the last of the supplies. She made sure everything was there, including Bud's saddle and tack and Daisy's now unused saddlebags. Slipping the cuffs into one of the leather bags, she wondered when she’d need them again; happy they’d been so effective.
U’ka went to Daisy who shook his head and looked at her with sad eyes. She placed her arm lovingly around his neck.
"I'm sorry to take you away from your friends. But we really do need to get going; we still have much work to do."
Daisy let out a soft bray and nuzzled his head against her. U'ka gave him one last stroke along his shoulder before climbing into the caravan and grabbing the reins. Teek took the lead while they followed him through the cobblestone streets. The villagers called out their thanks and goodbyes, waving as they passed by. At the animal pens where Daisy spent most of his time, several of the goats bleated their goodbyes to him. He answered with a loud haaaawwww.
Lahm waited for them near the entrance. She pulled the caravan to a stop next to him.
"Good luck in your travels. We are forever in your debt," he said, raising his hand. U'ka took it and gave a firm shake.
"May the God of Storms continue to bless and protect Forlorn," said U'ka, releasing his hand.
They passed the pasture lands where the village mares lazily grazed. Bud raised his head, letting out a loud whiny. The mares all answered in return. It was a shame he wouldn't be there to see all the foals born later in the season.
10
They followed the road along the coast for several hours, passing burned out structures and blackened, dead fields. The Daemon war machines left their ugly marks on the land. Despite all this, U'ka loved the roaring waves crashing along the shore and the rattling of the rocks as the water flowed back into the sea. There were many kinds of sea animals along the coast. Impossibly large dark, sleek figures broke the surface of the water, blowing huge columns of misty water high into the air like geysers. Huge, blubbery animals lay on the sand, sunning themselves, lazily raised their heads to look at them when they passed by. Their loud barks and grunts carried on the wind. Living so far inland kept her from experiencing the wonders of the coastal lands.
U’ka enjoyed the warm sunshine and cool ocean breezes that washed over her as they rode on. A huge rocky cliffside forced the road inland through the forest. The roaring sounds of the ocean faded away to gentle sounds of the woods. At a fork in the road, the forest went silent, knowing trouble was approaching. Teek waved them to the side among the trees. The forest quickly closed in around them, hiding them from view. Something was coming and Teek wanted to keep them out of conflict.
U'ka slowed her breathing, straining to hear. The sounds of men on horseback soon came to her. A ragtag group of ten marauders rode into view. One man drove a wagon loaded down with a large wooden box. The poor old horse looked weary and overworked. He raised his head, sensing Bud and Daisy and nickered when he passed their hiding place. The animals knew better than to answer back. The rest of the men rode slowly by them. They were a motley group, with bits and pieces of armor and swords scavenged off the battlefields. All the men were on the younger side. U'ka doubted there was a real soldier among them.
One young man, bringing up the rear, stopped before them, looking around like he heard something. He slid off his horse and walked around, listening for any movement in the forest. The look on his face indicated he sensed something, but couldn't figure out what. He probably held some untrained latent magic ability. Drawing his short sword, he stepped into the brush in front of them. U'ka's hand went to her dirk.
Teek gently pushed her hand from the weapon and shook his head to tell her he did not want them to get into an unnecessary fight. So she followed his lead and cast a Move Along spell. His expression went blank before he turned to go back to his horse, where he spurred it forward to catch up with the others, turning at a fork in the road leading steadily up into the hills.
The wait seemed like an eternity. Slowly the sounds of the forest returned. The threat now passed. The trees and bushes retreated, freeing them from their hiding place. U'ka was sure they could have easily fought off the men, but she knew to trust Teek's instincts on such things.
Bud and Daisy gave themselves a good shake after being still for so long. They got back on the forest path and continued on their way, riding into early evening before stopping to camp for the night in a small clearing.
U’ka looked to Teek for confirmation it was safe, then started a fire. They were lucky this was the first group of marauders they came across in their travels.
After the evening meal, she laid back and looked up at the stars. She raised her hand, tracing out the various swirling patterns of the constellations with her finger. Some of the shapes seemed familiar. Pulling out her sketches of the rune symbols, she held the parchment above her, comparing the various shapes to the ones in the sky. Nothing matched up quite right. So much for that idea.
As far as she knew, the Obsidian Keep was the only archive outside the Citadel where the scholars studied the writings of the ancients. Now both were gone. How would she find the answers she still needed? U’ka couldn't shake the feeling the ancient symbols held the secret to sealing the Gateway Between Worlds for good. The secret Sanctum chambers were a forgotten relic of the past. There must be a connection. The Green Folk said the Gateway had always been there, long before humans arrived in Eleanthra. Long before the Green Folk awakened and walked freely upon the land.
Unanswered questions still swirled around in her head. She decided to call it a night and climbed into the caravan. U’ka laid out her bedroll with a heavy sigh. She was going to miss sleeping in a real bed. Taking another Baku seed, she crawled under the covers. Still unsettled by the girl's death, she wanted to avoid another dream about dead children. The numbness spread quickly through her body, pulling he
r deep into a dreamless sleep.
* * * * *
The next day they continued through the forest, passing several burned-out structures, but encountered no other humans on the road. She kept an eye out for any large animals hoping these lush lands might shelter deer or wild hogs or even large predators like bears, anything. But there were no signs anywhere, no hoof or large paw prints in the mud to show that any game animals passed by recently. They must be somewhere, but where?
U'ka was so lost in her thoughts she didn't detect the presence of magic in the area. A Throw Back spell sent Teek flying through the air into a deep ravine running along the road. Blindsided by another Throw Back spell, she was knocked out of the drivers bench, hitting the ground hard; knocking the wind out of her. She barely threw up a defensive shield in time before another spell hit her. Bud let out any angry whinny. She scanned the area, but couldn't see who cast the spell. Teek roared as he climbed out of the ravine.
U’ka reached up to wipe blood from her split lip and got to her feet, head swimming a bit when a Binding spell wrapped around her. The magic was weaker this time and she swiped it away with a wave of her hand.
Someone's magic power was failing. Hooves pounding on the ground. Bud covered himself in his Iron Oak armor, putting himself in between U'ka and the mysterious attacker. He let out several angry snorts and pawed the dirt. She laid her hand on his side.
"It's okay, Bud," U'ka said, continuing to look around. "Whoever it is is not an experienced magic-user."
Vines shot out past them, wrapping around an invisible figure. A loud yelp filled the air and a young woman hit the ground, the invisibility spell broken.
Teek approached, growling deeply. U'ka put her hand up to stop him, not wanting the woman harmed.
She knelt next to the petite woman with curly red hair. Her face filled with fear as she struggled uselessly against Teek's vines. The young woman was the same height and build as her. U’ka reached out to pull a defensive magic amulet from the woman's neck, holding it up for examination. An amethyst crystal was set in the middle of the square piece of wood with magic runes carved all around the edges.
The Blood Witch Chronicles Page 10