by M. D. Grimm
"Well, yeah, but someone with my reputation, you would think would be taller, bulkier, brutish, right?"
The dialen shrugged carelessly. He was sure an odd one, and that combined with everything else I knew about him, which was too much, made my interest in him deepen. I scowled. I could handle simple physical attraction and keep my distance, but the fact that he had courage and a brain behind his looks made him dangerous.
"Of course, I like being underestimated." I smiled. "It makes it a lot more fun to destroy my opponent when they least expect it."
Aishe actually smiled. Just a little, and it was a hunter's smile. I was reminded of the blinding beauty of the sun. "I know what you mean. And just imagine what that murdering bastard will think when I stick an arrow in his gut."
I did, and my smile widened. "Can't wait. Nothing worse for a sorcerer than having a nonmage kill him."
"So, you've decided to allow me to kill him?" Aishe raised an eyebrow. I heard the sarcasm, and for some reason, I wasn't offended. I was amused.
"Yeah, I think I have. He's not important enough for me to kill."
Aishe narrowed his eyes. "And what does that say about me?"
I was taken aback by the anger in his voice. Why was he suddenly offended?
"Does it matter?" I said. "You get to kill him; I get the stone. We both win, and he'll be dead. That's all I care about."
Leaving it at that, I continued to walk. He followed silently behind me. I slowed my pace and looked at the crystal in my hand. Aishe walked ahead of me, and I found myself looking at his ass. By the Mother, it was round and perky, and the green leggings seemed to only accentuate that.
We continued through a field of grass that was as tall as me, and I heard the calls of cows, which were on all sides of us. They were large and horned and completely stupid. If a trul was charging them, they wouldn't have the sense to move. They would just keep chewing their food. They only came in black and white and had huge noses that constantly dripped like they had a cold. They were disgusting to look at.
I walked ahead with Aishe behind me, and with a word I had the grass bending away from us to keep the long stalks from slapping our faces. Aishe walked close to me -- a little too close for my comfort.
"Can you take Rambujek away from the sorcerer?" Aishe asked.
"I can," I said with confidence. "He might have power but he doesn't have skill, and that's more important."
"I see," he said. "What I wonder is, why hasn't he used more power over the world than he already has? I mean, Rambujek is a greater stone of power; couldn't he dominate the world?"
"Not immediately," I said and followed the crystal as it curved to the right. The grass bent away from us, and I glanced up to see the Kracka mountains looming in front of us. They were kirons away but still intimidating to see, to know what monstrous creatures burrowed deep into the rock. I could probably take on those nasty beasties, but while I had power and skill, I also had sense, which led me to stay away from anything that might eat me.
"Rambujek won't just give limitless power to whoever possesses it," I continued. "At least not immediately. He has to work up to it, and like I said before, he has to unlock the power gradually. But make no mistake; he will use it with the intention to rule the world, the idiot. Morons like him shouldn't be born."
I said the last sentence with more viciousness than I intended, but I truly hated those assholes who took power without earning it, without learning how to control it and themselves. They were without discipline, breaking the number one rule of magick. Sure, I relaxed discipline during my pranks, but I knew where the line was drawn. I was always aware of the balance needed when using magick.
"But... " Aishe started.
"But what?" I snapped.
"Don't you have stones of power?"
I stopped so suddenly he smacked into me, and I stumbled forward. I swung around, and I saw his eyes widen in surprise. I felt heat gather in my hands and knew they would be glowing. Control, damn it, control it!
The heat faded, and I took a deep breath. "Listen closely, Aishe. The damned stones are a menace. They should never have been created, and I would destroy them if I could find a way to. I earned the magick that I have, through years of practice and discipline and with my own sweat. Through pain and meditation, which makes me qualified to use it. Those who steal magick, like this bastard, should be punished for assuming they deserve magick they never earned."
Aishe stared at me through my entire rant, and my stomach knotted.
"You know," he said, "there is no need to become violent with every question I ask of you. You are a villain, one that controls through terror, just like this sorcerer. How am I to know you have no wish to use the stones?"
I stepped up to him and though he was taller, I managed to look him in the eye. "Don't you dare compare me to that pathetic piece of life, Aishe. I have never sought to become overlord of Karishian or to destroy it. I have the stones, but I detest everything they represent. As for the terror I rule by? I don't slaughter innocents to do it. I'm not a mindless, bloodthirsty brute."
I turned around and continued walking through the grass. I felt Aishe behind me, but I didn't speak again until we were free of the grass and walking down a dirt trail with a scatter of trees on either side of us.
The world had labeled me villain at birth, and I had embraced it like an endearment. I'd had to; there was nothing I could do to prove I was anything else. The other mages would think what they wanted about me: that I was a murderous nuisance, evil and destructive. I accepted that, but for some reason I didn't want Aishe to think of me that way.
"I'm glad," Aishe said softly, his gaze on the ground. "I'm glad you don't use the stones."
Most of the tension inside me loosened, and the stiffness in my shoulders slid away. "They're tempting, Aishe. That's the problem, they tempt and they seduce. They addict the user until free will is taken. I control my magick, it does not control me."
"Where do they come from?" Aishe asked, lifting his eyes to my face. He was curious, and my temper didn't seem to have scared him, merely startled him. I didn't know how to feel about that. I was used to having people afraid of me, to run at the very sight of me. The dialen seemed to want to stick.
"Why should I tell you?" I asked with attitude.
Aishe glared at me. "I think I have a right to know about the thing that caused my tribe to be massacred. My family told me nothing about it, about why we received it in the first place. I want to know what I am up against, just in case he kills you."
My jaw clenched, and I muttered before I lifted the crystal again. It pointed the way, and I continued walking.
"Will you answer my question?" he asked after a moment of silence.
"You ask too many questions," I said.
"I have been told this. But I do not know why that is a problem. Without questions, how can I learn? And besides, if I do not ask you questions, make you angry, you would never talk to me."
I frowned and glanced over at him. He walked beside me, matching my stride, though his was significantly longer.
"Why do you want me to talk to you?"
"How else will we pass the time? I'm used to talking. I had a tribe, remember?"
I felt a little guilty because of his loss. And because I hate to feel guilt, I decided to get rid of it by humoring him.
"It's a legend or a myth, depending on who you talk to," I began. But before I could continue, the sky suddenly poured buckets of rain down on us. I scowled darkly and hunched my shoulders, becoming drenched within seconds.
"Let's go to the trees," Aishe said, not looking the least bit fazed at having rain dumped on him. "We should rest anyway."
I followed him and made sure the crystal was still pointing westward. More than likely, the dumbass would have a large phallic tower on a cliff over a raging river. This dickhead would be horribly predictable.
The leaves of one particular tree were thick enough that they blocked most of the rain, but I w
as still soaked and chilled. If I got sick it would really piss me off. I flapped my jacket and muttered a couple of words, and the water dried in an instant. Then I wrung both wrists out, lifted my hands palm up, and said a few more words that created a force that spread into a dome above both of us. It acted like a barrier between us and the rain. I pumped enough magick into it to make it last as long as the rain lasted. I wished I'd noticed the sky darkening, and I blamed it on the damn dialen. He distracted me. I lowered my hand and looked at Aishe, who was staring at me way too intensely for comfort.
"What?" I snapped, feeling nervous. Why the fuck did he keep staring at me? "I hate being wet."
Aishe rolled his eyes and looked down at himself then up at me. "Would you be so kind as to do the same for me?"
I coughed slightly and stepped closer to him. I stretched out a hand and thought the same words, and the water evaporated instantly, leaving the dialen's tunic, leggings, and boots dry.
"Much obliged," he said. He looked at our wet surroundings and hugged his bow to his chest, hunching his shoulders.
"I miss them," he whispered a short time later. I had to lean closer to hear him. "They banished me when I wouldn't unite with who my parents chose for me. But I know they loved me."
He paused and closed his eyes. "Sometimes I miss them so much I can barely breathe. I can barely get up in the morning; my hakum is the only thing that keeps me going. The only comfort is that they are with our Mother now. I can do nothing but avenge them. To seek justice for them."
Aishe looked at me but did not meet my eyes. "The mark reminds me of them, of my task. Thank you for helping me."
I was humbled. It had been years, decades, since I'd felt humbled. Aishe knew that it was highly unlikely he would find justice for his tribe without my help, and even with me, it was going to be hard, very hard. The longer the sorcerer had Rambujek, the more powerful he became, and the more likely other mages would come forward to fight him. Someone else might kill him, and Aishe would fail. And yet, he still tried, he still hoped. I could almost feel his emotions worm their way inside my cold heart, and I struggled to yank them out.
I leaned against the tree and shoved my hands in my pockets, my hair falling around my face. There were other mages who would help him out of the goodness of their hearts, and yet he'd chosen me. I had to admire his guts.
Shit. Beauty, guts, and loyalty; this dialen was really going to cause me grief. The only two other beings in this world I admired were my mentor and Enfernlo, my payshtha friend. He and I had met many years back, and I found him amusing and completely non-judgmental. I found it easy to talk with him. He decided I wasn't half bad myself, and we've been friends ever since.
Enfernlo was currently on a large island in the middle of the ocean, participating in mating season. Mating season lasted two years and ended when the first eggs hatched. Ten years later, the season would begin again. As I thought more about it, the season should be over in a couple of days. Maybe I could get him to help us if we didn't kill the bastard before then.
"You were about to tell me about the stones," Aishe said as the rain continued.
I slid down onto the ground after evaporating the excess water on the grass. I rested my elbows on my bent knees and leaned my head against the tree.
"Like I said, it's just myth or legend. Basically, they were created by the first seven mages who wanted to spread the wealth of their magick to those less inclined to the power."
Aishe slid down to sit next to me. He set the bottom tip of the bow between his legs and held onto the hand rest as he listened. I sort of liked the attention.
"Since they were apparently all idiots, they agreed and harnessed magick and placed it within the gemstones. Accounts vary concerning how many stones were created, but some were more powerful than others. Some gave control over one thing or element, while others gave control over various elements. But, of course, surprise, surprise, the whole thing backfired on them."
Aishe chuckled. I rubbed the palms of my hands on my knees and watched the sky, wanting the rain to stop. I might have been able to stop it myself, but that would have taken too much power, and battling with the Mother was useless. It never rained for long around here, anyway.
"Greedy hands got the stones and used them to destroy. And since they were addicting and seductive, many killed for them. The mages were pissed and took all the stones back, hiding them, hoping a day would come when discipline and control became more valued."
I looked pointedly at Aishe and rolled my eyes. He smiled a little. I smiled, and because I was feeling strangely comfortable like this, I stood up and put as much distance as I could between us.
"That's basically it. Other versions are more flowery and simpering, but those are the basic elements. They can't be destroyed either. Or, if they can, I haven't found out how."
"And you call yourself a villain."
I didn't like the tone of his voice. It was mocking. I turned around to see him staring at me, amusement on his face.
"I am a villain," I said, sending magick flooding to my hands, making blue and red flames erupt from my fingertips. The magick made my skin glow, and I knew that my eyes shone as well, as much as muddy brown eyes could shine.
"I could kill you without any effort," I said, my voice taking on a resonant baritone that shook the ground and trees, making leaves fall around us.
"Go ahead then," Aishe stepped up to me, our faces close. "Go ahead and kill me, put me out of my misery. Be the villain you think you are."
My eyes narrowed. "I don't think anything, Aishe. I am a villain."
"All evidence proves just the opposite."
I bared my teeth and latched my hand around his neck. He dropped his bow and didn't move, didn't fight. His eyes never left mine.
"I don't know what you think you know," I snarled. "Or who you think you're dealing with, dialen, but know that if you grow to be a nuisance, I will leave your ass and kill the sorcerer myself. I will let you fail without feeling any guilt."
Anger lit Aishe's eyes, and his mouth pulled into a thin line. "Who do you think you are fooling, Morgorth? I saw you in the village, the way you protected them, defended them, even rebuilt what was ruined. I saw your concern. You also admitted you want to destroy the Pferun Dulleriin when any real villain would be using them, no matter if they ended up using him in the end."
I hissed and pulled my hand back, not one mark left on Aishe's skin. "Don't assume to know me, Aishe. You don't. I have my reasons for what I do and what I don't do. And we waste time just standing here talking. Don't pretend I'm something I'm not."
"I won't, as long as you don't."
My hands clenched into fists, and my body trembled. Who did this dialen think he was? What the fuck did he know about me? About anything?
Our faces were still close, his eyes burning into mine. Neither of us looked away, and my body urged to be closer to him. I fought the sudden and overwhelming desire that roared to the surface along with my anger and magick. He fought me, stood up to me, dared me. It had been a very long time since anyone had ever done that.
"Stay away from me, Aishe. After this, after the sorcerer is dead and I get the stone, we part ways. And don't think I'll wait for the end before kicking you to the side. If you slow me up, I'll drop you."
"Just try," he dared, and his hot breath fanned my face. It smelled of spices, tangy spices. My mouth watered, and I ordered my legs to step away, but they didn't move.
It was Aishe who ended up walking away. The rain stopped, and he grabbed his bow before stepping out from under the dome I had created. He walked down the muddy path, his movements stiff. I took a deep breath, and only when my magick settled back inside me and my hands stopped glowing, did I follow. I caught up with him, took out the crystal, and didn't look at him as I walked on.
Chapter Four
Night fell, and we were in the middle of another forest, but one less sinister than my own. Bidadari fluttered around us, their colorful orbs ligh
ting up the night like a dancing rainbow. The trees glowed dimly, and there was more space between them, allowing the sky to be seen with all its stars. Most of the animals were quiet, except for the occasional owl. The trees themselves were calm and quiet and didn't seem to be too playful. The air was crisp and gentle, and the silence made me slightly twitchy.
The seehirt, the protective spirits of nature, could be seen as white shapes floating in the dark. They only interacted with other creatures when their home was violated and harmed. Then they would glow red and destroy what harmed them. I've only seen it once, and it still gave me the shakes. I also noticed some rym playing hide-andseek in the distance, their laughs echoing faintly. Other small creatures haunted the trees and the bushes, and while they may not be the kindest beings ever born, they usually left travelers alone. They might steal things now and then, but they didn't harm. I knew if I walked deeper into the forest, I might come across a Night Fire, a small elemental entity who led weary travelers to their deaths in bogs or over cliffs. They had a strange allure to them, and I'd been caught by one or two in my younger years.
I sat down, and Aishe dropped his bag, quiver, and bow and went in search of firewood.
"If a Night Fire catches you, you're on your own," I told him as he walked away.
I heard him snort. "What am I? A child?" He vanished among the trees, and I smiled slightly. This was the first time we'd spoken since our... I really wasn't sure what that was. An argument? A battle of wills? I wasn't sure.
I tapped my finger on my knee, shifting my butt on the bumpy ground, and knew I wouldn't be able to sleep if this was all I had. We weren't too far away from my home, so I was able to transport a thick mattress, blankets, and a pillow, just like I had with the sword. I smiled and sat on the mattress, sighing with pleasure. I didn't know how long I would be able to do this, considering that the farther I was from my home, the more difficult transporting became. I knew mages who could transport something to them from the other side of the world, but I wasn't that good yet.