Spirit Mage

by Esther Mitchell

"I know that," Telyn hissed back, angry at herself for being so surprised, as she jerked out of his half-grasp and took a cautious step forward. "I just didn't expect the doors to open at all without force. I was testing for traps, not entry. I wasn't expecting a welcome."

  Nacaris chuckled quietly, without real humor. "I think our invisible friend has been reading your mind, balnyt. I'd wager she knew exactly what you were and were not expecting before you even touched that door."

  Telyn motioned him silent as the anaqueri in her hand sang a warning note Telyn had heard far too many times. They were being observed, and there was nothing friendly about it. Tentatively, Telyn sniffed the air of the entryway before clamping her lips shut and dragging Nacaris away from the entrance and down the path several yards. The scent lingering in the entryway of the temple, but dissipating on contact with the fresh mountain air, was potent and heavy with the essences of bitter madragan flowers, laced with sweet jassicon leaves to disguise the madragan's earthier smell. It produced a heavenly fragrance that meant death to anyone who took a deep breath of the fumes.

  Nacaris was looking at her quizzically when Telyn surfaced from her thoughts. "Why the haste to get away? I thought we wanted to go in."

  "If we had, neither of us would be here to debate the issue," Telyn snapped. "I knew it was too easy when the doors opened. What I don't understand is why Reaphia would think I'd fall for such a transparent trap."

  Nacaris made a confused sound. "Now I'm really lost. What are you talking about, Telyn?"

  "Did you smell that scent? Like bittersweet wildflowers?"

  He nodded. "I thought it was normal. Old incense and old temples usually go together. What are you getting at?"

  "That smell wasn't normal incense. It's the fumes of burning madragan and jassicon. It's lethal if inhaled too deeply."

  Nacaris raised one eyebrow quizzically. "I know what jassicon is. The fumes are actually supposed to be quite curative. What's madragan?"

  "It's an Atarsian plant -- most Endlanders call it 'Assassin Weed.' Raleena taught me about it, so I would be able to identify it and avoid anything that might be poisoned. But the Vedics are true masters of madragan, and I'm sure Reaphia knows all of its qualities I do, and more than a few I don't. The Vedics train their acolytes to recognize, prepare, and use all of the poisons known in this area, and quite a few not native to the Endlands as well. Fortunately, we still have an element of surprise. Reaphia would never use a poison she knows I can detect, and madragan is a simple enough poison to thwart."

  "Oh? How's that?"

  Telyn grinned, reaching into her pack to draw out two squares of heavy, hand-woven material. "I carry these to waterproof bandages. They're made from milkroot fibers. Not only will the tight weave allow us to breathe without inhaling the madragan at full potency, but milkroot is a partial antidote to the family of poisons madragan belongs to."

  "Partial?"

  Telyn nodded. "Milkroot absorbs the toxins, but only for so long."

  "What happens if the entire temple is full of that stuff?"

  Telyn shook her head. "It won't be. Reaphia would never risk her own life, and probably not the lives of her priests, either, until she absolutely had to. The main entrance is more than likely closed off from the rest of the temple, and the censer of madragan is somewhere in the entry chamber. If we can get through and into the main area of the temple, we should be fine."

  Nacaris nodded, taking the piece of milkroot canvas Telyn held out to him. "Let's do it, then."

  Chapter Thirteen

  Telyn squinted, her night-friendly eyes skimming the dim, hazy interior of the temple, as she and Nacaris entered the gloomy building. The torchlight flickering along the walls was barely enough to illuminate the area directly around each of the wood and iron cones. Telyn blinked her eyes against the stinging smoke as she searched the darkness. Her vision narrowed around the middle torch on the right-hand wall. A dark, lavender-blue cloud of smoke billowed out from it, filling the entire chamber with its haze -- the source of the madragan.

  Gaze fixed on the flame of the torch, her world gradually condensed on that point, until nothing else remained. Slowly, as she wound her senses through the flame, she felt it growing cooler around her, drawing itself inward in answer to the silent command of her will. By the time she reached the blue-white core, the flame had condensed itself into a spark and a wisp of smoke. Summoning her will, Telyn clamped invisible hands over the spark, drawing it away from the torch and into herself. The torch put out one last puff of smoke, then went cold and dead.

  A humorless smile touched Telyn's face, beneath the canvas, as the rest of her surroundings came back into focus. Already, the crisp mountain air was washing away the fumes, lowering the stinging haze to a barely detectable mist of smoke. They were past the first of Reaphia's traps, but Telyn didn't delude herself into believing for even an instant they'd see the last -- or worst -- of them. Telyn scanned the room for interior doors and found a total of four -- two along the wall directly opposite the entrance, and one in either side wall.

  "We need to be cautious about trying any doors. I'm sure they're trapped." she murmured to her companion.

  "How about starting with one of those two?" Nacaris responded in a hushed tone, gesturing toward the two doors opposite them. "Think they lead to the same place?"

  Telyn shrugged. Trying to outmaneuver someone who knew her as well as Reaphia did wouldn't be easy. Her first instinct -- that of the warrior -- was to avoid those central doors. They were too obvious, and the perfect place for a trap.

  Reaphia probably assumed Telyn would only see the obvious. Reaphia knew her only as a warrior, without any Majikal insights, and Telyn didn't doubt the Vedic would overestimate her own knowledge of Telyn. The last time they faced each other, Reaphia made no bones about her belief Telyn was incapable of change.

  A grim smile inched over Telyn's face. Was Reaphia ever in for a surprise. With a glance for Nacaris, she answered him, "Hopefully. With any luck, they both lead right into the main temple."

  "If they're locked, I'd say that'll be all the sign we need we're right."

  Telyn nodded. "Sounds good to me. I'll try them."

  She swallowed hard, hearing her own heart beating loudly in her ears. Only a fool wouldn't be intimidated by the situation they faced. If she under- or over-estimated Reaphia even slightly, she could kill herself and her companions, too.

  Breath frozen in her lungs, she stepped forward and closed her hand over the door's ornate golden bar handle. It was warm against her palm, and the carvings on it indented her skin under even her tentative pressure.

  She gave the door a small tug, then a push. Nothing happened. She tugged again, harder this time. Still nothing. Telyn looked back at Nacaris and shrugged. She tried both doors, but neither one budged. They were definitely locked, and quite securely, too. In a few quick strides, Nacaris was by her side.

  Telyn cast him a speculative glance. "I think our luck is improving."

  "We need to find a way in. Suppose we just knock?"

  She knew he was being sarcastic, but she didn't see the harm in trying, anyway. She lifted one shoulder in a half-shrug.

  "Anything's worth trying."

  She reached to rap on the heavy wooden door, but Nacaris' hand closed over her wrist, halting her.

  "Have you run mad? You do that, and she'll know we're here."

  She laughed, but it was a sharp, humorless sound. "If you believe for one instant she's not already aware we're here, you're the one whose sanity is in question here."

  He opened his mouth but, before he could say another word, the doors shook once, creaked, and then began to slowly open.

  Cautiously, Telyn led the way into the room, and stopped dead, biting back an oath. They were standing in the middle of the main ceremonial chamber. Directly across its length, at the center of the chamber, was a high-backed, intricately-carved stone throne. And seated on the throne like Empress of the World, was...

  "R
eaphia."

  The woman's robe was of a dark, silver-streaked black, embroidered with silver and red symbols, marking her as the High Priestess of the Vedics. Telyn stared back into the regal, imposing glare. The High Priestess' face was one Telyn had never seen before, and yet never forgotten. Weathered lines and scars of Majikal aging and ordeal marred features Telyn last saw with the smooth glow of youth and innocence. Silver streaked dull hair once glossy and as black as night. Her eyes, too, had long ago changed, but Telyn was prepared for that much. Reaphia's jade eyes had been midnight pools of hate long before the dark Majik she served claimed her youth and beauty.

  "Reaphia." The name whispered from her again, a shaft of terrible sadness piercing Telyn's soul. How had this happened?

  A small, dark smile twisted on Reaphia's lips as her gaze skimmed over Telyn. "The prodigal returns. I must admit I had thought the madragan would slow you down a little more. It appears you've actually managed to learn something."

  Telyn ignored the jab of Reaphia's words. "I'm no prodigal. By the time I left, you were already long gone. In more ways than one," she hissed back, feeling the anaqueri respond to her dangerous thoughts. "You left behind everyone and everything you ever loved or believed in."

  "Poor Telyn," Reaphia crooned, rising to her feet. "You truly don't get it, do you? This is my home. You assume I gave up what I believed in when I was taken away. But what I believed in back then was a lie -- pretty words without any truth. There is nothing to be gained in my mother's faith, or my father's politics. Here is where I learned what real power is. I gave up nothing of consequence to gain more power than you can ever imagine."

  "What about the people who loved you?"

  "Who? You?" Reaphia's words dripped with disdain. "You don't even know what that word means. You're too soft, Telyn, and you always will be. You'll never have any real power, because you're too afraid to use what you already have."

  "When did power become all you care about?" Telyn couldn't hold back the growl of disgust in her voice. "You become more like your father every day."

  Cold fury suffused Reaphia's face, telling Telyn she hit a nerve, even as the other woman hissed, "I am nothing like my father! I will never be a hollow, dried-out failure like him. With the Majik I've learned here, I can blind death itself to my existence. Every soul I harvest protects me from harm. But I've been waiting for something special -- I've been waiting for you, Telyn."

  That didn't sound good. Telyn knew whatever Reaphia's purpose was, it would be entirely self-serving. "Why me?"

  Reaphia laughed, the sinister sound turning Telyn's skin icy. Or maybe it was just the greedy gleam in Reaphia’s midnight eyes. "Now that you're finally here, I will be young and beautiful forever!"

  "What is she talking about?" Nacaris' muttered query dragged Telyn's attention away for only a second. She didn't want to answer him. She knew she'd have to explain everything about her Majik one day, but today definitely wasn't that day.

  "Later."

  Reaphia laughed again, setting Telyn's teeth on edge. "Oh, Telyn, you haven't told him? How wonderful!"

  That midnight gaze darted to Nacaris' face, and Telyn winced, aware Reaphia couldn't miss his stunned expression. "See, I know what it's like to be left behind, too. She'll only do it again, you know. She doesn't even trust you enough to admit to you she's not human anymore. As you age and crumble back to dust, she's going to stay exactly as she is now. And you think she'll still want you, when she can have a younger stud?"

  "Don't listen to her, Nacaris," Telyn muttered, her heart in her throat. She couldn't bear to have Nacaris doubt her. Not again. The last time had nearly torn her apart. "She doesn’t know what she’s talking about. Don't let her twist you up. She can use fear and anger against you. That's her power."

  Reaphia rounded on her in fury. "As if you have any idea what my power is, or what I can do! But how could you possibly grasp that, with your dim knowledge of true power? Allow me to demonstrate."

  A dark, purple-red glow suddenly began emanating from Reaphia as her eyes rolled upward and closed. Then her clenched fist leveled at the couple, and her smallest finger flicked outward, pointing directly at Telyn.

  Pain flared, suddenly and sharply, in Telyn's abdomen, growing like a wildfire out of control. She clutched her belly with a cry of agony, and the world was drowned out as she doubled over and dropped to her knees. As if through water, she heard Nacaris call her name, but she couldn't answer. The torturous twist wrung her womb, and fear spurred her instincts into action, the fiery Majik in her blood boiling up to protect her.

  A cold sweat broke over her as she struggled to ward away the Majik writhing in the pit of her very being, trying to drain away her soul. When the assault abruptly ceased, Telyn gasped as she was flung back into the world of sound and light. She opened her eyes, and a cry of distress flew from her lips. Nacaris stood, his good hand curled into a fist and his jaw clenched tightly as sweat poured down his face, between her and Reaphia's assault.

  "Nacaris, no!"

  "Go, Telyn," Nacaris muttered through clenched teeth. "I saw Paduari a moment ago. He, Nevorai, and I will occupy Reaphia. We were wrong about how this would play out, what she wanted. You're the only one she's wanted, all along. Only you know the source of her power. You have to go on and finish this."

  Telyn struggled to her feet. "I can't leave you like this..."

  "Telyn, I told you to go!" he grated out the words. "Don't think about me. You have to end this."

  Telyn bit back her objection at the fear flaring across Nacaris' face when he glanced her way. He was terrified for her. The agony in his eyes convinced her -- she needed to end this, to set him free from Reaphia's attack. Numbly, she nodded, then slipped away from him and into the shadows of a nearby pillar. In a quick glance, she saw Paduari on an upper level, half-hidden in the shadows and his brow furrowed in concentration over closed eyes. Directly across the open space, on another balcony, Nevorai looked similarly intent, though, unlike Paduari, his mouth moved in silent incantations. As she glanced at Reaphia again, she saw the glow of power around the other woman was dulled, fading by the moment. Obviously, whatever the two Maji were doing, it was working.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Her heart eased as she realized Paduari and Nevorai, both of whom were much better suited to a Majikal battle than she, weren't about to let Reaphia kill Nacaris. Telyn slinked along the walls, her attention glued to Reaphia even as her other senses hunted for the tell-tale signs of a trap. She couldn't afford to let her guard down where Reaphia was concerned, or remove her attention from the other woman. Reaphia was too calm, too focused, and Telyn didn't trust that. It surprised her Reaphia hadn't yet noticed Telyn was no longer behind Nacaris, and she intended to press her advantage while it still existed. There wasn't room for even the slightest misstep.

  If she could just get close enough to the throne, she could put an end to Reaphia's madness once and for all. Telyn was no expert on Atarsian Vedics, but she didn't have to be to know the throne Reaphia refused to leave was the central blood-hathe -- the place where enemies and souls alike were sacrificed for power -- of the temple. Reaphia's connection to this particular blood-hathe made the Vedic more powerful, harder to fight, and much more unpredictable. The anaqueri in her hands hummed its intentions loudly, but only she was enough in tune with it to know what those intentions were. If she could get close enough, the anaqueri would destroy the throne, and cut Reaphia loose from her power source. Then, with any luck, they'd be on even footing again.

  Telyn forced her breathing steady and silent as she crept up behind the throne. She was nearly in position when the atmosphere in the room changed. The air was no longer charged with battle and unleashed energy. Instead, the low hum of immediate danger washed over Telyn, and her breath stalled in her throat.

  Her heart went into triple-time as an eerie sense of foreboding oozed over her, and she fought the urge to lift her gaze. Something changed, but she wasn't sure she wanted to
know what.

  Her heart paused mid-beat as a terrible thought swept through her. Blessed Kishfa, had something happened to Nacaris? Was he injured again or, Helios forefend, killed? The possibility cut off all breath, and she was certain she was suffocating.

  Sweet Kishfa, don't let it be Nacaris!

  Just when she thought she might pass out from the lack of oxygen, she felt a stab and a twist, like a knife sunk into her soul, and she knew. Reaphia finally figured out she was missing, and exactly what she was up to.

  From behind the high-backed stone seat, she could no longer see the other woman, but Reaphia's connection to the blood-hathe must go deeper than she'd suspected. The blood-hathe must have alerted Reaphia to danger. Still, there was no way Reaphia could have guessed exactly how close she was. It just wasn't possible, in the mere moments since Reaphia was last in Telyn's range of vision, Brahmad's daughter could have done more than realize Telyn was missing.

  A cry of pain from above told Telyn Reaphia had discovered the Majikal interference. Telyn closed her eyes and muttered a prayer to all her father's gods whichever of the Maji Reaphia spotted would be okay. She could sense the energy racing upward from the throne, through Reaphia, and lashing out into the air above in crackling waves. Telyn's heart thudded hard. Reaphia had a victim at the end of that energy chain. She couldn't destroy the source of the chain without destroying a friend as well. Telyn bit her lip hard. She had to distract Reaphia long enough to destroy the throne and blood-hathe, without giving herself away.

  "Reaphia, daughter of Brahmad!" Nacaris' voice rang out in the cavernous chamber, and Telyn's heart nearly stopped again. What was he doing? "You've not even begun to weaken me, hag! Like your youth and beauty, your power has deserted you, old monster. Haven't you even realized why yet?"

  Telyn's breath caught in her throat. Blessed Kishfa, he was actually taunting Reaphia! He'd figured out the Vedic's weakness and was now wielding it against her, as sharp as any blade and at peril of his very soul.