The Acolyte: Magicians of the Beyond

by Victoria Murata

  One mind suddenly drew her attention. A tall youth leaned against a tree watching the throngs of people passing by. He wore non-descript clothing, and a slouchy hat that half covered his face. He was searching for someone and waiting. His mind wasn’t scattered like most, but focused. When he found this person, he would make a choice. It was this choice that was occupying his mind. He seemed to be weighing the pros and cons. As she probed deeper, she suddenly realized that he was deciding whether to kill someone, and that someone was Rone, the Count’s son! Rone had arrested this young man’s father who later had been hung. Danica caught the thoughts of a man across the courtyard. One of the guards had noticed this young man loitering. He had been watching him for a while, and he was going to confront him.

  Danica spoke quietly to Emma and pointed out the youth. Emma walked over to where he stood against the tree and exclaimed happily and threw her arms around his neck, kissing him soundly. Danica saw the guard watching. He had started walking in the direction of the young man, but now he stopped. The comely blond woman seemed to know him, and she was a vendor. Maybe the youth had been waiting for her. The guard’s suspicions lifted, and he returned to his post.

  “What are you doing?” the young man asked when Emma released him. Normally he would be happy to have a beautiful woman kiss him, but today he was irritated when her advances took his attention away from his purpose. He looked at her closely to see if she was drunk. Many people were and had been most of the day. Bacchanal was always an excuse for people to drink all day and make fools of themselves. He was hoping Rone would be in that state and easier to overpower. He didn’t underestimate Rone’s skill as a warrior. All he had going for himself was strength and height. He was untrained in the use of weapons, but he had a dagger hidden in his surcoat, and he meant to kill Rone just the same. He knew Rone would be accompanied by his friends in the guard, and he had no fantasies about surviving the attack. He would die, he knew, but his death would be a fair trade for the death of Rone. He just needed the opportunity, and so he had been waiting.

  The beautiful young woman threw an arm around his neck and whispered into his ear. “You’re drawing attention to yourself,” she said, smiling at him as though they were having a happy reunion. “There’s a guard across the courtyard who’s been watching you. He was just on his way over to ask you some questions.”

  The youth glanced over and saw the guard she indicated who was observing them.

  “I’m not doing anything wrong.”

  “You’re not doing anything right. You look like trouble.”

  “Who are you? Why do you think I need your help?”

  “I’m Emma, and you do need my help. I know what you’re up to, and why.” He looked at her fearfully. She had been leading him to her vendor table as they talked. “These are my friends Nica and Jimmu, and we need to talk to you tonight. Come to the Red Fox Inn and don’t do anything stupid in the meantime.”

  Jimmu looked at the young man knowingly. Danica smiled at him. Emma said, “We’re on your side. You can’t take this on alone. We can help. What’s your name?”

  “Finian,” he said.

  “Your father was executed recently.”

  “Yes. Rone ordered it,” he spat.

  “There are others who want what you want. You can be part of an organized revolution and still do what you want to do, and maybe keep your life, too.”

  Finian regarded the three of them. They were strangers and he wasn’t going to trust them. His father had sacrificed his life by putting his trust in someone who turned out to betray him. Then he looked more closely at the foreign-looking woman. There was something about her that radiated conviction and he suddenly had the clear knowledge that she would help him. He knew in his heart that she was the defender, the protector, the one prophesied. He shook his head, scoffing at himself. And yet…

  “I’ll come tonight,” he said, almost before he knew he was going to speak.

  Emma smiled broadly. “Give me a hug before you’re on your way. The guard is still watching.”

  Finian hugged her close and whispered in her ear, “Thank you.”

  As he walked away, Danica saw that the guard was engaged in friendly conversation with a vendor, and when she probed his mind he was no longer interested in the intentions of the young man.

  Thirty-Three

  A little later, Danica noticed Nella’s bright red hair as the girl was making her way through the thinning crowd over to their table. She had been on the far side of the courtyard helping Danyl’s mother sell her goods.

  Nella picked up a length of silk as if she were examining it and said, “My friend will meet us at a back door shortly.”

  Emma said quietly, “I can’t leave the table. Nica will go with you.”

  Nella looked at Danica. “Let’s go then,” and led the way.

  Danica followed Nella at a distance. She kept her head down and didn’t attract any attention. There was a footpath that wound around the side of the castle to the back. Extensive gardens reached from the rear castle walls to the lake a close distance away, and tall hedgerows sheltered them all the way to the kitchen door. Nella knocked twice, and after a moment, the old timber door swung inward. Danyl, a young man in palace guard uniform, opened the door and smiled broadly when he saw Nella. She grinned back coyly and was about to speak when he put his finger to his lips. He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside, and Danica followed.

  An old woman with her back to them worked at a table in the cavernous kitchen. She didn’t turn around, and Danyl didn’t speak to her. Instead, the three walked quickly down a short hallway and from there descended a staircase to another timber door. This one required a key which Danyl produced on a large ring. After unlocking the door, the three of them passed through and then he closed the door behind him and turned to Nella. He laughed, taking her in his arms and lifting her off her feet.

  “I’ve been waiting all day for this,” he said.

  She laughed too and they kissed lustily for a few moments.

  Nella pulled away. “Danyl, this here’s Nica,” she said, pointing to Danica. “She doesn’t speak Lymonian, but she understands a little.”

  “Come on. Jenks is expecting a blond, but I guess she’ll do,” he said, barely glancing at Danica. He led the way down a wide hallway with closed doors on either side. Danica had the sudden realization that she and Nella were expected to be afternoon entertainment as payment for entrance into the underbelly of the castle.

  Soon they came to a door on the left that was cracked open. Danyl led the way into a barracks of sorts, dimly lit from a window high up on the back wall. There were a few cots against the walls and some pallets on the floor. Various wardrobe articles were hung on pegs: doublets, arming coats, surcoats, chain mail and armor. Next to the door was a rack of weapons. This must be where some of the guards sleep, Danica thought.

  Then she saw the man leaning against a table at the back, his arms folded over his chest.

  “I was wondering when you’d show up, Danyl,” he said in a gravelly voice.

  Danyl went over to him, laughing. “Jenks, you know you can count on me.” And they bantered back and forth amiably.

  Danica took this moment to grasp Nella’s sleeve. When Nella looked at her, she whispered, “So where are these tunnels you promised to show me?”

  Nella’s mouth fell open. “You …you …”

  “Yes and be quiet about it. Tell me quickly. Where are the tunnels?”

  Nella’s eyes were round. “They’re further down the hall we were in, just on the other side of the dungeons. There’s other guards though, so you’ll have to be careful. One passage is behind a dark rock. There’s others that are narrow openings. Some have collapsed as you go further in.”

  Just then, Jenks and Danyl walked over to them. Danyl took Nella by the hand and said, “Come over here. We don’t have a lot of time.” He led her into a dark corner where a pallet was on the floor. The other guard, Jenks, grabbed Danica by the
arm, and with his other hand he removed her hat.

  “Well now, she has a pretty face. Let’s see what the rest of her looks like.”

  Danica probed his mind and saw what he had planned. She allowed herself to be led to another corner where Jenks roughly pushed her down on a pallet and straddled her. His hands fumbled at her clothing, searching for the fastenings on the unfamiliar garb. He cursed softly under his breath and pulled her ruqun free of her skirt, lifting it to reveal her breasts. As he paused and stared, desire lighted his eyes. Danica calmed herself and penetrated his mind. His rough hands reached for her, clumsily fondling her. She knew she could overpower him, but that would draw the attention of Danyl. Instead, she willfully detached her mind from the barracks, from the rough pallet and Jenks’s hands which were crudely exploring her body, and she insinuated a thought into his mind. The thought was complete and utter exhaustion, bone weariness, and eyes too heavy to keep open.

  The concentration she needed for this thought to take hold in him was formidable and hard to sustain as she felt Jenks roughly pulling up her skirt and pushing her legs apart. She tenaciously kept her mind on its task, and mercifully she felt him slowing down. His fumbling hands forgot what they had been doing and his head lolled listlessly. He jerked awake but his eyelids were heavy, and he shook his head groggily. Then his body slowly fell forward until he was a dead weight on top of her. She pushed him off, and he briefly struggled to become alert, but soon he was overcome and fast asleep. She noted that his pants were unfastened, and his cock was flaccid. She spent a few moments carefully placing the thought of satiation in his mind, and then she got to her feet and adjusted her clothing. Nella and Danyl were too busy to notice her, and she grabbed her hat and quietly slipped out the door.

  The dim hallway was quiet, and she turned and walked in the same direction the three of them had been heading previously. She descended a flight of stairs and traveled along the hallway until she saw that it began to get lighter ahead. Soon she could hear muffled conversation and the hallway opened into a large round enclosure lit by torches along the walls. Men’s voices were coming from a room to the left, off the enclosure, so Danica headed to the right.

  Along this wall were metal gates behind which were small cells. Inside the cells were people in various stages of malaise: some sat with their backs against the wall, their heads bowed; some lay motionless on the stone floor. A few glanced at her as she passed. She put her finger to her lips, and no one said a word. Men, women, and a few children shared small spaces. As she was passing the fourth cell, she stopped. Inside were a few women of different ages. One drew Danica’s attention. The small woman leaned against a wall, long pale hair covering her face. She must have felt Danica’s eyes on her because she lifted her head. Danica gasped as amethyst eyes regarded her from a youthful face. It was the girl from Master Stefan’s cards! Danica’s fingers gripped the bars of the cell.

  “What is your name?” she whispered.

  The girl straightened and walked closer to Danica. “I am called Lucina.”

  “Lucina, that’s a pretty name. Why are you here?”

  “Someone has accused me of being a witch. I’m not, though.” She grasped the bars of the gate. She was pale and thin and a head shorter than Danica. “I’ve seen you before.”

  Danica stared at her. “Are you sure?”

  The girl nodded her head, her wondrous eyes fixed on Danica’s. “We’ve never met, but I’ve seen you in my dreams.”

  Danica searched Lucina’s face. “Then you know I speak the truth. Don’t doubt for a moment that I will help you.”

  Lucina nodded again. She looked down at the floor and then back at Danica. “You’re the one spoken of in the prophecy, aren’t you?”

  “Yes,” Danica whispered. “I’m the one.”

  Lucina graced her with a sweet smile. “Then I believe you. I believe you will help me.”

  The voices were getting louder now, and Danica gave Lucina’s hand a squeeze. “I’ll be back,” she said, before she disappeared into the shadows. At the end of the row of cells was a narrow wall partially covered with a massive dark rock. Danica looked behind it and found the passageway Nella had told her about.

  She slipped behind the rock and instantly it was so dark that Danica could not tell up from down. A musty, dank closeness pressed in. She reached into a pocket sewed to the inside of her skirt and drew out the talisman Phil had given her. She never went anywhere without it, and it had guided her many times. The small pyramid sat in the middle of her palm and glowed softly, shedding enough light into the passageway for her to navigate its narrow corridor. The rock sides were slick with wet and barely wide enough for a body to pass, but the footing was relatively smooth. Danica could tell no one had been there in a long time.

  She followed the twisting passage, and in some places had to step over rocks that had crumbled from the walls into the path. At one point, there was such a pile of debris blocking her way that she had to clear it before she could continue. There were many side passages leading to the left and right, and she allowed the talisman to guide her.

  After what seemed an eternity, she came upon a shallow alcove within which was a narrow opening covered on the other side with a heavy tapestry. She had to turn her body sideways to fit into the opening. Faint light came from an edge of the tapestry, and she could hear muted voices from behind it. She got as close as she could to the wall covering to see if she could make out what the voices were saying. After listening for a few minutes, Danica parted the tapestry and squeezed through the opening into the small room warmed by a blaze from a large fireplace. Lucas the blacksmith sat at a rough wooden table with a short older man—the same priest from Master Stefan’s cards, she was sure of it! His white tonsure haloed his head. Both men were dressed in cassocks of brown wool tied at the waist with rough rope. They looked startled when she stepped out from behind the heavy drape. Lucas jumped up, overturning his chair.

  “Danica! How did you find me? Are you alone?”

  “The talisman led me to you, Lucas, and yes, I am alone.”

  Lucas turned to the priest. “Semiel, this is Danica, the woman who saved my life and the lives of all the others last night at the mill.”

  The old priest looked at her closely and a smile spread over his features. “You look just like your mother, Danica. Your disguise is clever, but it doesn’t fool me. We’ve been waiting for you these seventeen years, and here you are!” he giggled, and then he enfolded her in a warm embrace. He pushed her at arm’s length regarding her with twinkling eyes. “I never doubted that you would come.” He gestured to a chair at the table. “Please, sit down.”

  The three of them sat at the table, and Semiel poured a cup of ale for Danica from an earthen-ware pitcher.

  “The hidden passageways aren’t in use anymore. They were built three hundred years ago when another tyrant tried to take over, and I’m afraid most of them are in disrepair. Some are dangerous, and a few are dead ends. You must be careful because most of the passages aren’t secret,” Semiel said.

  “Most of them?” Danica asked.

  “There are two that are only known to me and a few others.”

  “Do they lead to the castle?”

  “One of them does. I can show it to you.”

  “Danica, what are you planning?” Lucas asked.

  “My friends and I are here to liberate Lymnonia from the Count and his family and restore the High Priestess. We will be ousting the royal family and the wizard, Dumone, by whatever means necessary.”

  “The High Priestess? You aren’t...?”

  “No, I am not the successor, Semiel, but I will find the one who is. She is in constant danger from Count Gurdyn and his son Rone. If they find her, they will execute her.”

  Semiel frowned. “Yes, the Count has stepped up his investigations and there are more arrests every day. Mostly women now. He knows of the prophecy of your return, Danica, and his fear is driving him to desperate measures.”
<
br />   “I saw some women in the castle dungeons before I found the passageway here.”

  “In two days, some of them will stand trial for witchcraft. One is just a young girl,” Lucas said.

  Danica’s face drained of color. She remembered Lucina telling her that she had been accused of being a witch. “Is the girl’s name Lucina?”

  “Yes. She was arrested a week ago. She’s the daughter of a trusted stone mason who’s been working on the abbey for years.”

  “Why do they think she is a witch?”

  “A neighbor saw her levitate when she was meditating and reported her.”

  “What kind of trial will these so-called witches have?”

  “No trial that has any justice to it at all,” Semiel said. “The women will be taken to the middle of the lake by barge and thrown in. Those who don’t drown are said to have magical powers and so must be witches. They will be fished out of the water and burned at the stake.”

  Danica stood up quickly. “I must go back to the dungeon and speak to Lucina. There may be a way I can save her.”

  “You’ll be safer if you leave from the abbey. You’re putting yourself in grave danger by returning to the castle dungeon, Danica,” Lucas said. “There are guards everywhere.”

  “I’ll be careful,” Danica said, and moved to the tapestry.

  “Danica, wait. Take this.” Lucas reached into his robe and produced a small adze. “It’s a tool I use in my trade, but it will stop a man if used with force.”