by Kelly Carr
Liana couldn’t speak. She only gripped him more firmly, as if by holding him tightly enough, she could keep his life from slipping away. He held her back for a moment, then his arms dropped to the floor. Liana noticed that the ground was still shaking. Battle cries and screams began to penetrate her grief. Elias could hear them too.
“Go, my darlings,” he said, his voice fading. “Save them all.” His expression relaxed into a contented smile as his eyes grew dim.
Liana laid him gently on the floor. Rage now came to replace her grief, and her gaze turned towards the tower stairs with a new sense of purpose. She retrieved her sword and summoned a flame to light her way. She took the steps two at a time. With every stride, the power inside her grew until it seemed to be leaking from her very pores, begging to be released.
Another three Lezarian guards confronted her as she came around a bend, but she swept them aside almost absentmindedly, all her thoughts focused on what waited for her at the top.
Liana had visited the highest tower in the castle only once before when James brought her to see the view at sunrise. She hesitated as she reached the door that led to the rooftop, then took a breath and with a gesture, sent it flying off its hinges and stepped out into the moonlight.
“What a dramatic entrance,” Katya said, raising her eyebrows as though in mild surprise. In her hand, she held something akin to a bolt of lightning. It sizzled with power, but rather than flashing with light, it seemed to suck all of the light around it away. She tossed the thing casually towards the city and Liana winced as she heard it hit the ground.
Katya smiled. “It’s just you and I now, the way it always was,” she said. “Now I can get rid of you once and for all.”
“I think it will be the other way around,” Liana said, and charged towards her enemy, sword raised. Before she got anywhere close, Katya raised a hand, and Liana felt the blade vibrate in her hands. She gripped it tighter, but it continued to shake. Suddenly it shattered, sending fragments of metal flying in every direction. Liana instinctively brought her hands up to cover her face and gasped in pain as the metal bit into them.
Before she could recover, a blast of power knocked her off her feet. She rolled out of the way before the next blow could hit her. Bruised and bleeding, she ducked and dodged Katya’s attacks. She tried raising a shield and rubble pummeled her as it exploded. The attacks were too powerful. She didn’t know how to counter them.
Katya began to laugh. “What’s this?” she taunted. “Don’t you want to come and play with me, or are you just too weak to control your little puppet?”
Liana, hiding behind a column at the edge of the tower, was struck by the suggestion. She wondered if that was it, or if the Mother of Magic was simply too kind to steal a body that belonged to someone else.
Katya sighed theatrically. “Well, if you won’t entertain me, I suppose it’s time I put all your people down there out of their misery,” she said.
Liana peered around the column and saw a new bolt of Vorshi growing in Katya’s palm. Her gaze flickered towards the city that already lay in ruins far below. Valeria was down there, and Davu, and Susan, and many others she had come to care for. She thought of all the lives the Vorshi had already taken, of Elias’ empty eyes and James’ wasted form.
Rage grew within her again and with it came the magic, strong enough now to tear her apart. Stepping out from behind the column, she met Katya’s gaze and let the power consume her. It felt like fire in her veins. She let out a strangled cry and ran towards the queen of Lezar, desperate for some kind of release.
Katya took a surprised step backwards, but she was too slow. Liana grabbed her by the arms and sent a jolt of magic through her, more powerful than any she had ever produced. It wasn't enough. She released another and then another. Katya screamed, but Liana continued to pour power into her.
The magic began to radiate outwards, shaking the tower until Liana was sure it would crumble beneath them. Still, the energy within her grew. Then, suddenly, she wasn’t in control anymore. The power rushed out of her in waves, blowing the walls of the tower outward and knocking both Liana and Katya to the ground.
Shakily, Liana pushed herself into a sitting position, ready to fight until the last breath left her body. She looked around for Katya and found her on her knees, her eyes wide. A dark shape oozed out of her, wriggling as though it were trying to escape.
The shadow shot upwards, and Katya collapsed on the ground. The sounds from the city below abruptly changed in tone, but Liana had no time to think about it further. The last of the power left her and with it, the strength that had kept her going. Her knees gave way beneath her, and she landed on a pile of rubble that suddenly seemed very comfortable. Her gaze drifted upwards. Bands of brilliantly colored light lit the sky. The warm tingle of magic gently caressed her skin, and she smiled in satisfaction as her eyes slowly drifted closed.
Epilogue: susan
Susan was exhausted. She wiped a trickle of blood from her forehead as she prepared to raise her bow once more. Her arms ached from overuse. She feared that her weapon would give out before long, but until it did, she would keep fighting. The warmth of Valeria’s back against hers reassured her that she wasn’t alone. They were surrounded by Genvu now. There had been no sign of Liana for what felt like hours. Susan nocked three arrows and took aim.
All at once, there was a blast of noise from behind her. Susan ducked instinctively and turned to look. Her jaw dropped. The observatory on the tallest tower of the castle had just blown to pieces. Chunks of stone hurtled downwards as she watched, smashing through parts of the castle roof and leaving craters in the ground. Light rushed out of the tower, streaking towards the city and growing brighter and brighter until she was forced to look away.
When she opened her eyes again, she nearly dropped her bow in surprise. The Genvu had vanished. In their place were hundreds of bewildered people in ragged clothes. Behind her, she felt Valeria relax.
“She did it!” Valeria said. “Liana must have defeated Queen Katya!” She turned and wrapped her arms around Susan, laughing with relief.
Susan returned the embrace, but kept a tight hold on her bow, hardly able to believe that the fight was over.
“Where are we?” a man asked. “What’s happening?”
“Davu here will explain everything, won’t you, Davu?” Valeria said, grabbing Susan’s hand and beginning to pull her away.
“What—No—Where do you think you’re going?!” Davu spluttered.
“To find Liana,” Valeria called over her shoulder, already unwinding the glider from her waist. Susan reached for her own, and together they lifted into the air, heading straight for the castle. Lights shifted in the sky above them. Susan eyed them suspiciously.
“Should we be worried about those?” she called to Valeria.
“No,” Valeria yelled over the wind. “It’s just magic, the good kind, but it may mean that Liana—“ she didn’t finish the thought, but the wind grew more powerful, pushing them faster.
They shoved their way through the piles of debris at the top of the tower and hurriedly looked around. Both took a step backwards when they saw Katya on the ground, but she lay still, so they hesitantly moved forward again, searching among the toppled stones for their friend. They found her perilously close to the edge of the tower and hastily pulled her to safety. She didn’t stir.
Valeria snatched the dagger from her waist and held it above Liana’s mouth. Both of them waited with bated breath, then sighed with relief when the metal fogged for a moment.
“We need to get her to an Undine,” Valeria said, hefting Liana onto her back.
Susan nodded, wandering over to Katya’s crumpled form and looking down at her with pity. She let out a shriek and jumped backwards as the queen of Lezar stirred for a moment. “She’s alive!”
Valeria was by her side at once. She repeated her test with the dagger and scrambled away when it misted over.
Susan and Valeria looked at on
e another. “What do we do?” Susan said.
Valeria shrugged. “Kill her?” The suggestion was halfhearted.
“I think that would make us no better than her,” Susan said. “She’s powerless for the moment. I say we lock her up until we can speak with others about the best course of action.”
“Isn’t she too powerful? Keeping her alive could be dangerous,” Valeria said.
“I have no idea what happened here tonight, but whatever it is seems to have left both of them weak. I certainly don’t feel the Vorshi anymore. We should be safe for the time being, and we’ll set plenty of guards.”
“If you say so,” Valeria agreed reluctantly. “In that case, we’d better hurry. The battle may be over, but I suspect our troubles are not.”
As if on queue, a cry rose from Corralis, followed by another and another. Wails of grief and shouts of anger filled the air. The sun rose to reveal a city in ruins, filled with the bodies of those who had fought to free it and the innocents who had been caught in the struggle.
Valeria was right about their problems being far from over. The days that followed were some of the busiest Susan had ever known. Everyone was occupied with burying those who had been slain and grieving their loss. Elias was buried with great honor atop the Cliffs of Kerval, overlooking the Endless Sea. Liana was not awake to attend the ceremony, but Susan felt sure she would have approved.
Liana remained unconscious for nearly a week, lying comfortably on the bed in her former bedroom. She was attended day and night by the most skillful Undines the Trevi had to offer, but they hardly knew what to do for her. Her ailment didn’t seem to be of the body but of the spirit.
James rarely left her side during all that time. He ate hearty meals and began to regain some of his former color, but Susan wondered if he would ever again be as hale and healthy as he had been before his months of captivity. He slowly returned to his usual cheerful self, though she occasionally saw a shadow pass over his face as though he were thinking of painful experiences. He never spoke about it, and Susan didn’t press him.
To Susan’s great relief, James willingly took on the king’s responsibilities. Susan was glad to relinquish them. She had never cared for the burden of so much authority. She spent every moment that could be spared with James and Valeria, eagerly waiting for Liana to wake up. However, one day, their companionable silence was broken by the arrival of a terrified guard.
“Your Majesty, Princess Susan, the prisoner is awake!” he gasped, his eyes wide with fear. “She’s asking for you.”
James’ face went white. Susan laid a reassuring hand on his arm. “I’ll take care of this. You stay here with Liana,” she said.
“No,” James said firmly. “I should be there, but I would appreciate your company. Valeria can keep watch over Liana.”
“I won’t leave her side,” Valeria promised.
James and Susan followed the guard down to the cells beneath the castle. Ten guards stood watch outside the one at the farthest end of the corridor. All of them looked relieved at the arrival of their king and princess. They stepped aside briskly to allow them through.
The cell was cold and dark, but Katya’s form was visible in the shadows. She stood as they approached. Her long, dark hair hung loosely about her face, half covering it as it had always done before she had been possessed by the Vorshi.
“James, Susan, is that you?” she said, her voice small and timid.
Susan glanced at James. His jaw was clenched, his expression one of forced calm.
“Yes, it’s us,” Susan replied.
Katya suddenly burst into tears. “I’m so sorry, James!” she sobbed. “I don’t understand what happened. My body hasn’t been my own for many months past. I was aware sometimes that bad things were happening, that I was doing them, but I was powerless to stop it. Mostly it was like I was asleep.”
“What happened to you?” James asked coldly.
“All I remember is that I ran away after father told me he was dying. I found a strange place in the ice and something rushed out of it at me. After that, all I can remember is in short flashes. Do you know anything about that? I remember you were there in some of them.”
“I was,” James said. His tone caused Katya to take a step backwards.
“What did I do to you?” she asked.
Susan placed a placating hand to James’ shoulder. “It’s a rather long story. James, I think you should return to Liana. I don’t believe we have anything more to fear here.”
“Perhaps not,” James said, “but she stays in her cell until Liana can confirm that she’s no longer a threat.” With that, he turned and left.
Susan pulled one of the guard’s stools nearer to the cell, but not close enough to touch.
Katya's face crumpled. “The things I did must really have been awful.”
“It wasn’t you,” Susan said. “You were possessed by a power called the ‘Vorshi’. You’ll find the world a different place after the events of the past few months.”
She told Katya about the Trevi, about the Mother of Magic and the Vorshi, about the threats that Katya had made, the attacks, and the actions Liana had taken to save her people. She spoke for hours, pausing at times when Katya broke into tears over some new atrocity the Vorshi had committed in her name.
At last she finished speaking, and they sat in silence for a long time.
“No one will ever be able to trust me again, will they?” Katya said finally.
“No. I don’t think they will,” Susan replied.
“Will I be executed?” Katya asked. She seemed almost relieved at the prospect.
“That has yet to be determined. Liana is still unconscious. She’s the only one who can tell us for sure if you’re completely free of the Vorshi’s influence. If you are…I don’t know.” There seemed nothing more to say, so Susan stood and turned to leave.
“I’d like to meet her,” Katya said quietly. “The woman who saved everyone.”
Susan sighed and left without answering. She didn’t want to make any promises she wasn’t sure she could keep.
Two days later, Liana finally began to stir. The healers called Susan, Valeria, Davu, and Jina so that they were all by her side when her eyes opened at last. She blinked in confusion at the crowd of faces around her.
“So, did we all die then?” she asked.
Everyone laughed. “On the contrary,” Jina said. “Somehow, you managed to save us all. None of us is exactly sure how, though.”
Liana attempted to sit up and winced. Her expression changed quickly from confusion to grief to solemn acceptance. James took her hand, and a small smile flickered across her lips as she turned to see him beside her. She swallowed back some deep emotion, then glanced to the table across the room where a jug of water lay. She flicked her fingers at it, then frowned as nothing happened. She tried again with no effect and gasped. Trembling with weakness, she got out of bed. James steadied her.
“What are you doing?” Jina asked indignantly. “Get back in bed at once.”
Liana didn’t listen. She stamped the ground, then blew out a large breath of air. Finally, she held her hand out in front of her expectantly, but nothing happened. Her legs gave way underneath her, but Davu stepped forward and caught her neatly, placing her back in bed.
“What was that about?” Valeria asked.
“I can’t do magic anymore,” Liana said. “I should have expected this but…” she frowned and lightly ran her fingers along Davu’s arm. “I can still feel it.”
“What happened between you and Katya on that tower?” Susan asked.
Liana tried to explain. She told them about Elias’ death and how the magic had welled up within her when she faced Katya. “I must have let out all the Mother of Magic’s power at once. It forced the Vorshi out of Katya, and now I guess it’s gone, back to wherever it was before it came to me.”
No one seemed to know what to say to that. They were all quiet for a while, thinking.
“The
Mother of Magic’s power might have left you,” Jina finally said, “but I don’t think you can live so long with that kind of magic and not be changed. I suspect you’re still a Trevi. Perhaps you’re just one of the rarer kinds. At any rate, you’re too weak now to try any experiments. You should eat and rest. We’ll return to talk to you again tomorrow. I’m glad you’re alright, dear.” She kissed Liana’s head and gave her a pat on the shoulder. Davu followed her out of the room with a cheerful wave.
“We’ll go as well,” Susan said, taking Valeria’s hand and leading her to the door. James made no move to follow them. Susan hid a smile.
Liana recovered rapidly. As soon as she was able, she left her bed to visit the wounded. A temporary infirmary had been set up in the ballroom of the castle since most of the city had been destroyed. Susan watched as her friend walked among the rows of cots with a grim expression on her face. They had been forced to speak with her about the number of dead the day before. The Trevi were all but gone.
Liana stopped by the side of a woman cradling her son, who couldn’t be more than sixteen years old. His face was pale with loss of blood, and his features were twisted in pain.
“The Undines say there’s nothing more they can do,” the woman said hopelessly as Liana knelt down.
A strange expression crossed Liana’s face as she touched the boy’s cheek, part anger, part frustration, and part desperation.
Susan let out a cry as Liana suddenly fell backwards, landing heavily on the floor. She rushed to her friend’s side, but Liana was already sitting up again by the time Susan reached her. Inexplicably, she began to laugh.
“What in the five kingdoms is so funny, Liana?” Susan asked irritably. “You gave me a fright.”
Liana didn’t answer but leaned over the boy again. Strangely, there seemed to be more color in his cheeks, and his breathing was more regular. Susan looked from him to Liana, and back again.