by J E Mueller
One of the older overseers called up to him, “You bring a guest, and a Cursed one no less. You’ve got our attention. Please explain.”
It was clear my presence was a beacon. I had no way to hide my Cursed status and wondered if it was even possible with practice.
Emmyth, either being practical or a showoff, did a flip over the railing and landed on the training room floor with practiced ease.
“As you know,” he began speaking loudly enough for me to hear as well, “Lee’s friend here is Cursed, but she has agreed to being bait. Her new idea came with many different opinions, but we agreed it would help save lives and virtually eliminate any casualties or even injuries.
“While it helps our goal, and our numbers drastically - to the point where we know we’re going to win, I’d like for her to learn anything here that could help her stay safe. We can’t look past her life just because it was at one point cursed. She’s risen above that and has stayed pure from corruption despite how difficult that must have been and continues to be. I’d also like to honor her request of training Lee’s cousin who is to aid us in finding Juniper in the lower realm.”
There were a few moments of silence before the overseer spoke.
“I accept the request to train Lee’s cousin. She is welcome to come here on the morrow.” He paused. “I do not accept the request to train the Cursed child.” He held his hand up before anyone could argue. “However, her deed cannot go unnoticed. Not helping her would go against everything for which this order has stood for centuries. She may be trained elsewhere by anyone grateful enough for her aid with this dangerous quest.”
“Thank you, Master Aaron.” Emmyth bowed.
“You may take five volunteers to help train her tomorrow. I’ve no doubt you’ll have many willing to help,” Aaron replied. He turned to those already gathered. “Spread the word if you or someone else wants to help place a card in Emmyth’s box. He’ll select before morning. You have an hour break. Dismissed.”
The crowd bowed and scattered quickly. They all vanished elsewhere on the lower floor.
Aaron and Emmyth made their way up the stairs and towards me.
“I’d like to personally thank you,” Aaron said, holding out his hand.
I shook it without hesitation. “Thank you for lending your aid to me and Tella.”
He shook his head. “Would I do more if I could. Survive this and I will train you here myself.”
I blinked in surprise. “Truly?”
“Yes. Anywho can make such a sacrifice, remain uncorrupted, and survive? I’ll make you an honorary Blessed.”
“She has my vote,” Emmyth added.
“Three votes is all we need. I’ve no doubt the third will be earned without you even asking.” Aaron smiled kindly. I had a feeling he meant Lee.
“I’ll hold you to that if I don’t get another claw or sword thrust through me.” I smiled in response. I could only hope to avoid such pain.
Emmyth laughed. “If you say that it’ll be a dagger or something stranger.”
“Be careful on your quest,” Aaron warned us not to tempt the fates. “We all thank you for it.” He made a half bow at me.
“Thank you,” I replied, unsure of what else to say.
“We’ll be heading out. I’ll be back shortly.” Emmyth bowed to Aaron.
“May the path you take be without trouble.” Aaron bowed back.
The way back was a silent affair. My thoughts focused on that final bit of conversation. It would be an honor to be considered among such a wonderful guild that was fighting against evil. My thoughts were also on Lee and where he was. There had been no sign of him there, and I worried.
“I hope his training is going well,” I said as we reached Kegan’s.
“There’s no doubt. He’s talented and determined,” Emmyth replied. “I wish you could have your reunion, but sadly you will have to wait. You won’t have a way to see him until after all of this is done.”
“At least Tella will be up to speed tomorrow. Mostly. I doubt she can learn everything in a day, but she’ll come close.” I smiled at the thought, ignoring the fact that I may die without seeing my closest friend.
Emmyth laughed, concentrating on the positive force that was Tella. “I don’t doubt that either. I’ll see you in the morning, then.” He turned to head back as I went inside.
Tired and finally ready for sleep, I prepared to go to bed. Carefully, I nudged Tella awake to let her know about her training opportunity in the morning. Half asleep, she cheered and soon passed back out. Chuckling to myself, I followed suit and quickly was asleep.
Dawn felt like it came too quickly. Tella was nudging me awake and I tried with no success to bat her hands away.
“Did you say something about me training today?” she asked excitedly.
“Yes, yes,” I grumbled into my pillow.
“What was it? What did you say?” She shook me forcefully.
“Fine.” I sat up. “Emmyth will have a group training with you since you are so important to this mission.”
“Really?” She jumped around excitedly.
“Yes. Change then eat and we’ll figure out the rest.” I yawned as I forced myself to get up and get ready.
Tella was changed and out the door within twenty seconds. I heard her greet Emmyth as the door shut and soon after a knock sounded.
I finished changing and answered it.
“Morning Emmyth.” I yawned. “Tella’s ready to go.”
“I gathered that from her dashing about.” Emmyth smiled. “So, are you ready?”
“Not really. Morning is hitting me hard, but I will be.” I went and grabbed the letters and handed them to him.
He accepted them and took note of how many there were. “I’ll put them somewhere safe. Hopefully, they won’t be needed.”
“It’s always good to be on the cautious side.” I agreed with him. Hopefully, they wouldn’t be needed, but my luck could be finally running its course.
Tella dashed back to us, toast in hand. “Ready.”
“Eat first.” I pointed at her. “Now, not while we’re traveling. Finish breakfast then you’ll be free to go.”
She rolled her eyes. “Mother’s not even here and I’m being mothered.” She went to sit down.
Emmyth laughed and carefully put the letters into his cloak. “When she’s done I’ll get her started, then I’ll come back to show you where we’re heading.”
“I’ll have some toast and be able to join you. No need to make two trips,” I replied.
“If you insist.” Emmyth shrugged and sat down with us.
The trip to drop off Tella was quick because she was too excited to do anything at a normal pace. I waited outside while Emmyth got her set up. The door guard was someone new but she didn’t shy away from making conversation.
“I’d have volunteered if I hadn’t already drawn duty,” she commented when the other two disappeared. “I don’t think I’d have the guts to go through with such a plan without having my blessed gifts. It’s easy for me to strike demons and cause damage. It makes my job sound less scary thinking of your task.”
“But mine’s hopefully only going to happen once. Yours is virtually unending,” I pointed out, not letting her think less of her job.
“True.” She shrugged, removing her hood and letting her dark curls bounced free. “But this won’t end this problem for you. They likely won’t attempt a kidnapping again with the damage we’ll cause, but I won’t be surprised to hear more stories of your travels.”
“I’d love to argue that, but you’re probably right. I don’t think my stomach can take any more scars though.”
Without hesitation she lifted her shirt to show me her torso. There were six small scars and two long scars. “The worst one is actually along my back.” She shrugged as she fixed her clothes. “Scars are stories. Some are good, some are bad, and some are really terrible. I’m the best at dodging now. I hope you gain as many skills from your travels.”
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I smiled. “You’re my favorite guard now.”
Laughing, she tried to tie her hair back. “Thank you. Don’t let the scars bother you. If you’re alive, you can brag about the marks.”
“I’d love to hear your stories when I return.”
Emmyth came out, ending the conversation.
She glanced at him and then back at me. “My name is Lydia. I look forward to seeing you again.”
“Ready then?” Emmyth asked me and I nodded.
As we walked away it dawned on me that the name sounded familiar. “Is she the-”
“Yes, she is the same Lydia from the fixed events. She’s really talented yet always seems to get into the most trouble.” Emmyth shook his head. “You’d never guess it though.”
“Tella had said her friend Lydia was visiting here. Could she be the same person?”
“Yes, she is.” Emmyth smiled, “She and her sister are both of the Blessed order, but they love spending any off time with their mother. Since Lydia is still so young she’s allowed to spend more time at home. She’s only called back here for three months at a time each year, mostly to work on her skills.”
“How long has she been doing this?” I was surprised as I thought about all of her scars.
“Since she was four. She started her training around the same time most blessed children do. Some parents know the choices they’re making. It’s a noble cause and they’ll never want for food, clothes, or shelter.”
“There’s a lot to learn about this Order of the Black Violets,” I commented, remembering their official name.
Shrugging he replied, “Probably. I was raised with it. It’s what I know best.”
“Your mortal parent had no indecision when they sent you to be trained here?” I didn’t bother to hide my curiosity.
Emmyth laughed. “I’m of Blessed blood through and through. My parents were both in the Order. I grew up here. I grew into this life without question. I’ve no regrets and saw they had none either. It may mean an earlier end, but I’ve helped countless people in ways only the bards can sing of.” He winked. “And I’ve no problem boasting about my glory when the time calls for it.”
I laughed as we made our way out of the village.
We quickly found our way to a clearing where the five volunteers waited.
Emmyth wasted no time getting to business. “Jordyn is our resident fire elemental. She’s got plans to put your skills to better use.”
Jordyn, like all the others, was wearing a warm cloak. She lowered her hood and smiled. “Curse fire is a wonderful gift to use when working against demons. The biggest problem you have is that you can’t hurt them since they heal too quickly from surface injuries. Let’s make them deeper.” She smiled wickedly. “I’m going to teach you how to use your base magic to make a hole in the surface and force the fire to go deep inside where damage can be done. Demons can kill one another, and that’s what inspired this technique. Also, lacing your blade the same way and using it as a way to let the fire magic enter will work wonderfully.”
“This is the best idea ever.” I smiled, remembering that Jamie had mused about such an idea a while back. “Let’s do it.”
So our training began and before long the others were helping out. We practiced dodging, swordplay, learned some dagger work, and finally practiced charisma. This was an equally important skill for the task at hand and one every bard knew well. A good story had to be based on facts and move at the right pace in order for the exaggerations to fit in and mask any lies needed to complete the tale and keep everyone else safe. It was about more than just telling a good story. It was about the fact that in the end, even if it was revealed that there was even a single untruth, the audience wouldn’t know what part was a lie.
It was dark when we made our way back into town. After a thousand thank you’s and well wishes I went back in to find Mara and Clover at Kegan’s inn. I sat down to eat and drink with them and vaguely explained that tomorrow we were going to begin our quest to help get Juni back. My tale seemed to go well enough that they didn’t believe they needed to help. I hope it stuck.
Tella rejoined us at the right moment and brought a rush of words and feelings as she explained her day in quickly spoken, but great details. Mara and Clover listened carefully, asking all the right questions about her technique and stances. It warmed my heart to see they had taken so well to her. If things were to go south for me, I had no doubt they’d still be there for her.
Finally it was time to go to bed early. I hoped sleep would welcome me warmly, but my dreams had other plans, as was the usual when things got tense. That night I dreamt of a dark and cold night. There was icy hail raining down as a ragged man called out into the darkness, his voice lost in the wind and storm. He pleaded, hoarse and ragged into the night until a demon appeared.
The Mad King.
I woke up shaking and sat upright. Why was I dreaming of my corrupted father? Rain beat against the window and I saw the inspiration for the dream. The situation struck me for a moment as similar, but only for that moment. I’d soon be calling for demons. Not to ensure my own victory, but for others. I’d be luring them out not to make a contract or pact, but to bring them into this realm and away from where the others ventured. In the end, it was nothing alike.
At peace with my mission, I slept soundly until dawn.
40
When the sun had only just started to lighten the sky and bring a glimmer of light, I awoke. Giving Tella a few extra moments, I changed and got my things ready before waking her. Yawning, she got up slowly and we ate a small breakfast.
Her energy was renewed and she was pumped and ready to go. I hugged her tightly and we talked through her mission together before Emmyth joined us. The three of us walked back to the Order of the Black Violets. Eagerly, she met her team inside, and I met my smaller team outside. It was the same group from the day before.
“When we have the sign they are back, we’ll jump in to help you,” Emmyth explained as we traveled.
“Six versus an unknown number, though?” I questioned.
“I can easily take three or four on my own on a bad day,” Emmyth replied, looking at the group.
“Just four on a bad day, Emmyth?” One of them teased. “You’re getting weak in your old age. I handled seven with a broken leg.”
The jesting continued as we left the main gates. It was the best way to start a grave task, and I was comforted by their sass, snark, and snide remarks.
The morning went by quickly, and the afternoon felt slow as we journeyed on to a location I had never visited. It felt weird traveling like this, even though I used to travel to unknown destinations all the time. Finally, after six hours of traveling, we arrived.
“We’ll be nearby but not close enough to be detected by the demons. It will also be out of your usual hearing range,” Emmyth explained. “However, any screaming will be heard and we’ll notice fighting right away.”
“Let’s just do whatever we’ve got to do.” I nodded, mentally preparing myself.
“Do you want me to stay behind?” Emmyth asked unexpectedly.
I shook my head. “I’ve got a feeling it won’t matter anyway.”
“More of those change of wind feelings?” he asked curiously.
“More like this was too easy to plan out, and none of the people that know me expect anything to be different from what they were told,” I replied.
He nodded. “That is a valid point. All right, let’s continue on then.”
The group melted into the woods.
Waiting a few minutes, I hummed to myself the same song my mother had sung to me as a child. The words were lost to me, but the tune was always easy to pull out of my memory. It had been months since I found myself humming this tune, and it comforted me. Sitting down, I closed my eyes and continued to hum. I hummed and hummed until instead of a wordless tune my plea formed in my mind.
To keep them safe I needed to beg desperately, and this plan was nothing b
ut that to begin with.
My pleas slipped past my lips as a whisper. They were so softly spoken I could barely hear them myself. Pleas for saving loved ones, winning a losing fight, and I stressed how desperately I needed any help at all.
It suddenly struck me as odd why people scream these things in their desperation. It took minutes before I felt the eyes on me. My words were heard easily. The demons wanting souls didn’t need screams to find you. I imagined they liked hearing the screams of desperation greatly, yet a single whisper may have been enough. I continued pleading anyway. I continued until the weight of so many watchful stares became uncomfortable enough to make me pause.
I took a breath, hoping this was the right amount to delay responding to the demons gathered. Again, I continued until I heard a voice. It was a voice I had only ever heard once, and that was in my dream last night.
Opening my eyes, I saw a similar figure that I had in my dreams. It looked so much like Ramulus had in my dreams, only now he was covered in soot and ash with the same glowing and flickering effect the demons had. I didn’t know what he had said, so I didn’t respond.
For a moment we stared at one another.
“The missing soul costing me my title,” he said, almost begging in a whisper.
“Your failings are your own,” I replied as neutrally as possible but my words had bite.
He took a step back in surprise. “You can’t know who I am.”
“There were pictures for a while. All of them are burned now. Gone into the ashes where you now live.”
I remembered vividly when they had finally decided to burn every last painting he was in. The fire was weak at first, but every last one eventually turned to ash.
He nodded, accepting this answer. “So, your soul?”
“I’d sooner give it to anyone else here,” I didn’t need to look around to know others were still there. I could feel their hungry eyes still watching me. The truth laced my words, and I was sure they felt it. I wanted nothing to do with this creature. “They’ve more right to it. You floundered, too confident in your victory for your own good. I will not do dealings with a failure.”