by Guy Antibes
“These are hard times, Fenning. You have to pick your friends and those who aren’t your friends are your enemies.” Insul looked back and then flashed his hands at Fenning. Fenning tried to respond, but his hands became caught up in his sleeves and the spell went unthrown, the little wizard’s clothes exploded in flame as he crumpled to the ground and then began to yell in pain.
Norra looked down in horror. She saw the flames consuming her friend and the thread of her restraint burned with it. Before it slipped from her memory, she muttered the same spell she thought Fenning had said and threw her hands towards the wizard with all her might.
Insul’s robe began to shrink. The wizard’s robe began to close in on his neck and wrist. His hands turned red and then darkened. His face reddened and then turned purple like his hands. The wizard’s eyes bulged as he fell off his horse, a muffled cry of pain stopped horribly short as he must have died. As he hit the ground, the wizard’s clothes began to burn furiously in all kinds of colors.
Norra ignored Insul. She hurriedly yanked up the carriage boot and removed a robe that had been placed on top and began to throw the robe on the little burning wizard. Fenning’s cries had already stopped.
“Don’t die.” She started to cry as Delia and Lily followed her lead. The flames began to abate and Fenning’s still form lay on the ground, blackened and looking smaller than ever.
“NO!” Norra screamed. She knelt down by the wizard and wrapped her arms around herself. She desperately wanted to hold Fenning in her arms, but was repelled by clutching a burned body. This couldn’t be happening. Not to Fenning. He was the one who led the company here. Fenning was the wizard she could trust and now she tragically knew that few wizards possessed that quality. Sobs shook Norra until Lily put her arms around her.
She lifted her head and found that the repugnance of killing another human being had left her at Fenning’s death. She rose and walked over to the wizard’s body, now emitting colored smokes. Norra kicked the still form. “Murderer, thief. You stole Fenning from us. Now I’m glad I killed your ‘friends.’ She spat on the body and slapped the flank of the horse sending it back down the road.
“Help me with Fenning’s body.” She looked at Lily who bent down and then at Delia who hesitated for a moment and did the same. “Put him on the floor of the cabin. There should be a graveyard in the town just ahead.”
“What about him?” Delia said, looking at Insul’s body.
“Roll it into those bushes at the side of the road.” The tears started to fall again as Norra felt as if she was crushed of all emotion except the loss of Fenning. This was not the path she intended to follow. Not without Fenning. Dear Fenning. No ghost or spirit lingered. The little man was gone forever and the loss felt like she had walked right into the edge of a door. She felt shocked and bloodied inside like a gaping wound opened up. Not Fenning. She had thought it all a bit of a game. None of their party had been hurt until now. The sorcerers along the road were easily taken care of. Lily ended up joining their party. She had envisioned taking the entire party to Magia with her on a grand adventure. Not like this. Poor Fenning.
~
Lily and Norra walked out of the stonecutter’s yard. “I’m glad he will take care of everything,” Norra said. “We can’t stay a minute longer. Just enough time to find a shop and buy supplies and then it’s on to Nastaly Port.”
“You’re still going even though we’ve lost Fenning?”
Norra nodded as they climbed back aboard the carriage. “Fenning was accompanying me, not the other way around. My fate lies far, far ahead.” She would have loved to stop and spend a week or two mourning Fenning and then return to Bordon Forest. Norra longed for the comfort of her father’s arms holding her tight. She even wished for the stern words of her mother and her erratic behavior. Something familiar, something comforting could help staunch the pain of losing her friend.
“You killed the wizard and now?” the soft voice of Gristan spoke in her ear.
“He killed my friend.” Norra said through clenched teeth. Her eyes welling up again as it had often in the hours after the confrontation.
“But you vowed never to use magic on a human.” Was Gristan goading her?
“That was before.” She clutched the armrest. “Before Fenning. He didn’t want a fight. That wasn’t him. I know that wasn’t his intent and he’d never join a wizard gang. He sought out knowledge, not destruction. And that wizard stole that promise from him.” She looked down the road without seeing. “There are things… people… that we need to defend. I defended Fenning.”
Gristan shook his head. An obscure look of sorrow filled his face. “So you see how life is. We can’t necessarily make a vow without understanding how we’ll react in every circumstance. Are you mad at the other wizard?”
“I am. Thief!” She spit towards the ground.
“You’ve never done that before.”
“I’ve never been so angry and so sad at the same time.” She hugged herself and then bent over with her head in her hands, sobbing. She knew that Gristan was helping her through this trial, but it didn’t erase the sorrow and frustration that had overcome her.
“How I wish I could feel as you do. Sadness was never an emotion for me. When I felt a case of sadness coming on, I headed for the nearest tavern and drowned it. I was an expert at drowning in taverns. My encounter with Essie and the kidnappers, those many years ago, changed all of that. I lost the capacity to hide from myself and I’m a better ghost for it.” Gristan smiled. “Take what you need from this like you did when you had to defend yourself against the two wizards. Remember Fenning’s fear. Remember your pain and remember your anger. They are all fragments of the whole. You can use those feelings to make yourself more than what you are today.”
“But I killed him without feeling bad about it and I still don’t.”
“Don’t you? Not a little bit?”
Norra felt Gristan’s touch on her cheek, like a butterfly wing. “I do feel a little bad, but not like the last time with the other two. I regret having to kill the man, but not why. He deserved it and who knows what he would do if he knew I was a… whatever I am.”
“It is justified, my dear Norra, to kill another for the right reason, just as it was justified to end the lives of the other two wizards. Put the two episodes together and think about them. You did right.”
She could feel the pats and felt Gristan remove himself.
“What a guy, eh?” Lily said. “I couldn’t help but overhear some of that. For a ghost he’s got some pretty real advice.
“And you? Do you kill coldly without compunction?”
Lily’s face hardened. “A subject for another time. Right now we have to get going. We should head out before we have twenty of those robed devils after us.” She grimly smiled at Norra, who sighed and climbed down to pull some of Fenning’s money out. Without Fenning, her magic power was no more of a defense than a feather. Even though she had lost Fenning, she wouldn’t give up. She’d have to find another wizard to help her along the way and that might mean finding a wizard in Magia. The thought chilled her, but she didn’t have a choice.
~
Cloud
Hovering far above the incident, a little cloud hung in the air and saw the entire episode on the road. The cloud had no eyes to bulge, but if he did, his eyes would see a woman with the power of a mage using the technique of a raw apprentice. He could feel the flash of her power all the way up to where he floated.
He had been focusing his attention on the wizard gang, but now knew that the girl was much more important than floating around picking up intelligence on the wizard battles.
He lowered his altitude to get a better view of the two women sitting on the driving seat of the carriage. One, a rough looking auburn haired woman, young but with a face that had seen too much in her few years. The other, the one with power, sat with tension radiating from her. Her face plainly showed that the little wizard’s death had disturbed her to the cor
e. Was he a lover? A friend? A brother? She was devastated. She was young , too, and life hadn’t yet touched her face. Perhaps it was currently in the process of doing so.
The cloud followed them on out of the town. He could barely see the buildings and ship’s masts of Nastaly Port on the horizon. They would reach the port sometime in the afternoon tomorrow if they pulled off to rest. One inn, in the middle of a forest of pine trees and palms stood along their path.
Perhaps he could… No. No one should see him, a sentient cloud. It would be like seeing a ghost. And yet…. and yet this woman might be the most important person in Polda. The Mage Council didn’t know about this woman. They were little better than the wizard gangs that were beginning to ravage the lands east of Magia. Perhaps another might take care of them as he continued to observe where this company of three women headed.
~
Norra
“I can’t go on any further,” Delia said. “My nerves are too frazzled to sleep in the carriage.” The three ladies stopped for a rest alongside the road.
“I don’t know if there are any other inns between here and Nastaly Port,” Lily said as they followed a curve in the road.
“There’s got to be.” Norra looked tired. “I think Fenning’s death has wrung all of us dry. I could use a night’s sleep.” She now had to lead and realized how much she relied on Fenning. Even if they just talked things over, the two of them had led the group.
“Here we are, an inn,” Lily called. “And it has an enclosed courtyard.” She drove through the arch over the gateway and found four other carriages of different types in the yard.
Norra climbed down and gave the stable attendant the money he asked for and helped Delia disembark.
The inn had a great room. The tone was subdued. That suited her as she yearned for peace and quiet.
“There are three of us. All women., Norra said to the woman at the counter.
“I have a nice four bedroom suite at the top of the second set of stairs. You won’t be bothered up there. “
“We’d like the room, dinner and breakfast. Any chance for a bath?”
“No. Our well isn’t that strong to provide a bath for all of our patrons.” The woman shrugged.
Norra could have used a good soak after all of the worry after Fenning’s death. She went back out to the carriage and found funds she needed. Gristan appeared within the carriage.
“Perhaps a nice night in an ale cask, for me.” He smiled at her. “No Fenning to tease at breakfast.” He paused. “Perhaps a ghost can feel sad after all. He loved you, you know. We actually had a nice conversation about it going over the mountain pass into Natalia. “
“When I stayed inside from the cold?”
Gristan nodded. “He was quite taken by you in some coffee shop. Is that where you met?
“It was. Fenning always treated me with respect, except at your Barleywood mansion.” Norra smiled. “I can’t say that I loved him, but he turned into a dear friend.”
“For us both, Norra. For us both.” Gristan floated through the carriage door and disappeared a few steps later.
Norra felt sadly mellow after her encounter with Gristan. She smiled and shook her head and then went up to her room.
~
The early morning sun shone in Norra’s face, waking her up. Lily sat on her bed, dressing in her leather vest and pants while Delia snored away.
Lily began to sharpen her sword when a thread of mist entered the room from the screened window. Norra threw herself back towards the wall. Lily stood with her sword ready as the cloud coalesced into a puffy shape about three feet in diameter.
“That’s not natural,” Lily said.
Norra felt the roots of her hair stiffen. Fear began to do some coalescing of its own within her.
“Fear not. I am a friend.” The cloud talked. How could that be?
Lily ran her sword through the thing.
“Sorry. That won’t work.” There was humor in the voice. “You can call me Cloud. I know it’s not original, but I certainly am.” They heard a little chuckle.
“Why are you here?” Norra could barely get the words out.
“I must apologize for seeing the tragedy of yesterday morning from my station some distance above. I was actually following the mounted wizard. He has a gang in Nastaly Port, you know, and this country won’t be safe for long, at least in the big cities.”
“How do you know this if you’re floating around all day?”
“My secret, lady with the sword.” There were a few bumps on one side. It didn’t look like a face, but Norra could tell where it ‘looked’ when the cloud spoke. “Just trust me when I say I do. I’m down here talking to you, aren’t I?”
“You are,” Norra said. This Cloud seemed benign, at least in its speech.
“I could feel your light, young lady, as you were sitting on the bed.”
“Not out of choice, do I have that light, Cloud,” Norra said wondering what to do if this Cloud thing should do something. She hadn’t been able to think of a single spell since her fight with the wizard who killed Fenning.
“Perhaps a topic for another time. You know my name, what are yours?”
“W-what’s that?” Delia clutched her bed sheet to her bosom as she woke.
“It’s a cloud, “ Lily said, thrusting her sword through it again. “I can’t stop it.” She tossed her sword on her bed and threw her hands in the air.
“I’m Norra, that’s Lily with the sword, and Delia’s still in bed.”
“I’m very glad to meet you, Lily with the sword. I can help you wherever you decide to go. You three are all alone—”
“No we’re not. A ghost accompanies us. He’s an Earl.”
Cloud laughed. “A ghost can’t be an Earl.”
“He was an Earl,” Norra said. “If you’re not afraid of ghosts, I don’t mind if you hang around for awhile. Perhaps you can tell us if that wizard gang is after us.” She shook her head. Why was she doing this? Ghost, then Lily and now this cloud thing. Did she crave strange company on her quest? She realized that only Delia approached normalcy.
“You are free to come and go.” Norra dismissed the cloud.
“I do believe you’re right and I’m going. I’ll return when you are on the road.” A tendril extended from the cloud and slipped out through the screen on the window.
“Is he really gone?” Delia said, still using the sheet as a cover.
“He’s easier to see if he’s around than Gristan,” Lily said drily.
“Did someone mention my name?” The ghost walked through the room’s door. “I’m here to say that there are three wizards downstairs and perhaps skipping breakfast might be an idea worth considering.”
“Oh no!” Delia said, jumping out of bed and throwing her clothes on.
Cloud rushed into the room as much as a cloud can go through the window. “The gang is downstairs. I’ll have to help you… You are a ghost,” Cloud said, surprised. “I thought the girl was joking.”
“I do suppose you are looking at me by whatever senses a cloud can possess. Allow me to introduce myself, Gristan, Earl of Barleywood. And you are?”
“Cloud,” he said matter of factly. “As I told the girls here, I just hang around.”
“Ah! A jokester,” Gristan said. “I’m afraid I can’t help you, Norra, except perhaps to put in an appearance downstairs to distract?” Gristan smiled. “I’ve not done that for some time.”
“And I can occlude your exit with a colorless mist. You’ll be nearly invisible, except for your wizard light. ”
“The minute I see you coming down the stairs, I will appear by the windows opposite and create a diversion.” Gristan turned around and disappeared before he walked through the door.
“His actions are pretty transparent,” Cloud said, laughing at his own joke. Delia peeped out a chuckle and then looked alarmed as Norra and Lily glared at her. “At least one of you has a sense of humor. See you all later.” This time, Cloud squeez
ed through the crack at the bottom of the door.
They bundled up all of their things and walked as silently as they could down the stairs. When they turned into the last set of stairs, they heard gasps coming from below and forced themselves to continue. The rest of the room looked filmy, perhaps as if a fog invaded the great room, but evidently the fog didn’t extend far.
Gristan performed a ghost routine complete with howls, floating and finished up by turning into a ghostly torch. They didn’t waste any time and fled outside and into the courtyard. Lily and Norra hitched up the horses as Delia pushed their possessions through the cabin door and crept inside. The fog had followed them outside. They slowly rode out the open gate and then raced down the road to Nastaly Port.
Cloud appeared to the side, matching their pace as Gristan appeared on the other side, floating with considerable speed. Norra hadn’t seen Gristan do that before.
“Did we lose them?” she said.
“We did. One of them looked back at my invisible mist and shook his head as if to clear out the cobwebs. Maybe I gave him the shivers,” Cloud laughed. “Or was it you?” He evidently meant Gristan.
“If you can create a tendril, can you create a face of some kind so we know who you’re talking to?” Norra said. Now she couldn’t tell to whom he spoke.
“Pardon me. I haven’t interfaced with any people in this form.” A long nose and two pits for eyes appeared. “Is this better?”
“I guess so. It’s creepy either way. Use the face for awhile.”
“Actually, I think you need me on guard duty for awhile. I’ll go back and see if the wizards follow and at what speed.” The cloud lifted up into the air and fell behind them. “Ta, ta!”
Gristan sat on a horse’s rear looking at the two girls on the drivers seat.
“Why are you doing that?” Lily said. “Is that cloud thing’s awful sense of humor affecting you?”
Gristan smiled. “No. I thought it appropriate that we decide our next move.”
Norra smiled back. “I agree. Should we get Delia?”
The sound of snoring came from inside the carriage despite their speed.