by JD Franx
“Popular belief holds that the Fae crafted it for the Ancients when they built Corynth,” Giddeon said. “You may both sample the water from the fountain’s far side tomorrow.”
Saleece giggled at the newcomers’ puzzled expressions. “Our city’s water supply comes from the downside of the fountain. The Fae’s enchantment makes it the freshest, most delicious water in Talohna. It never dirties or discolours. We will take plenty with us on our journey.”
Max shook his head in wonder, absent-mindedly fingering the pommels of the two swords given to him for their journey. “Could have used something like that back home in the Rangers. Drank plenty of bad water overseas.”
“You won’t have to worry about that here,” the ArchWizard said with a laugh. He and Max took the lead as they crossed the bridge, followed by Ember and the royal guards; Kasik and Saleece, chatting quietly, brought up the rear.
As they reached the far side and stepped off the bridge into the city proper, six women in dark, hooded robes rushed them from out of the crowds. Kasik was the first to spot the women, recognizing the brazen evil that accompanied them as his sword pulsed with a white glare of warning. “Witches, Giddeon!” he shouted, already sliding his greatsword from his back.
The first witch spit the words to a compressed air spell, aiming for the royal guards walking beside Ember. The guard to her right stepped in front of her, groaning as the spell shattered every bone in his body with a nauseating crunch. Slamming into Ember from the force of the spell, both toppled into the freezing water of the moat. The second witch’s spell, more focused than the first, crossed the distance in seconds, cutting the other guard in half at the waist; his legs followed after Ember, hitting the water while his torso tumbled into the street trailing gore. The panicked screams of passersby following him into death.
The first attacker, armed with two vicious, hooked daggers jumped at Max, catching his attention. Drawing his sword the moment Kasik shouted, the witch landed in front of him as he thrust it into her chest. Meeting no resistance, he recognized the illusion and without missing a beat, flipped his sword around and slid the blade along his waist. The real threat could only be behind him, he smiled as the sword jabbed the witch in the chest for real this time. The long, hook-tipped dagger the real witch had raised to stab him in the back clattered to the cobblestones. The second blade caught the side of his neck, the hook drawing a line of blood as the witch fell dead.
Kasik struggled to defend himself against three witches as the second ternion descended on him all at once. The first uttered a spell, launching a sticky black web at his head. Lifting his arm to protect his face, the web stuck fast, instantly burning into his flesh. Grunting with pain, Kasik slid the flat of his sword along his arm, forcing it under the webbing as a blade from the second witch scraped along his chainmail doing no damage to his stomach. Fresh blood mixed with the burnt flesh, but the caustic strands disintegrated as the blade cut through the web. Pulling the sword back, he plunged it into the ground, tip-first, and bent down to scrape the other side of his arm along the blade as a second web shot harmlessly over his head. More blood coursed down his arm as his flesh and the last of the webbing gave way to the enchanted blade. Mindless of his blood loss, the Northman pulled the sword from the ground and swung it down at the web-caster, cleaving her from shoulder to waist before a third web let loose.
The third witch lunged for Kasik’s back. Her dagger rasped against his mail making him wince as the chain-links partially separated. He planted his foot on the web-caster to wrench his sword free of her flesh. Max, seeing the Northman in trouble, covered the distance in flash, plunging his own weapon into the third witch’s back. With his other hand. Max grabbed the second witch by the back of her neck as she circled behind Kasik to his right. Max lifted her off the ground before she could stab the Northman. As his sword slid free of the falling body of Kasik’s attacker, Max squeezed, snapping the spine of the suspended witch with a vicious twist of his right wrist, letting her crumpled form hit the pavement. The matching sword he’d received from the King’s armoury never left its sheath.
Saleece ran to help Giddeon with the remaining witches the moment they attacked. A brief but violent exchange of snaps and pops echoed from the offensive magic as both women tried to eradicate father and daughter. Unfortunately for the Dead Sisters, their skills were no match for those of the ArchWizard and his prodigy adept, whose magical armour easily blocked their blistering blasts of green energy. Giddeon countered with an explosion of razor-sharp ice shards, reducing one witch to a chilled drift of bloody meat.
A sneer of suicidal glee danced across the final Sister’s face as a giant earth elemental rose from the ground at Saleece’s command and wrapped its stony arms around her. Saleece, hands outstretched, whispered commands to her golem and rivulets of molten rock oozed over the woman, hardening in less than a second, encasing the witch firmly in place.
Giddeon stood before her in an instant. “Got her?” he asked. Getting a nod from Saleece, he turned to the witch. “Who are you? Why have you come?”
She spat in his face as Kasik and Max approached. “You are lucky, ArchWizard. The rest of our Sisters stayed behind because we knew not of the big man. He fights like a demon, yet he is not from our world; that much is obvious.”
“I asked you a question,” Giddeon pressed, wiping the mucus from his cheek. “Why did you attack us?”
“We know he has returned to us,” she hissed. “We brought him back.”
“Why would you do such a thing?” Saleece asked, her voice heavy with reproof. Sweat formed on her brow as her arms trembled form the stress of holding the golem. “Surely you know what he is capable of.”
“Of course we know,” the witch said. “It is our duty to see that he rises to his proper place of power on oceans of blood, your blood and those like you, Giddeon. It is the duty of all Dead Sisters to help a DeathWizard destroy all you hold dear. That he is your son makes it all the sweeter.”
“Very well, Dead Sister,” Giddeon said, straightening to his full height. “As Talohna’s only ArchWizard, I hereby sentence you to death for the crime of demonic witchcraft and attempted assassination, right here and right now. As sanctioned by the Talohna Peace Accord in reference to the use of demonic magic, no trial is offered or given. Do you have any final words?”
She gave him a serene smile. “My Cardessa says hello, Giddeon. I have a message from her. She says to tell you that when you kill a Veht, you better make sure she is dead.”
Giddeon stared, stunned. Impossible—the words echoed inside his head, bouncing around like a physical entity. The Veht sisters were both dead; he had buried them many years ago. Finally he nodded to Saleece, who was still holding her hands spread wide to keep the earth golem in place. She lowered her arms, palms down, allowing the elemental to return to its natural state deep within the earth, pulling the Dead Sister with it. The witch was gone without so much as a scream. The only evidence that she had ever existed was the ringing of her laughter as the earth swallowed her whole.
Saleece turned to Giddeon, confused and near exhaustion. “What is a vet?”
“Not what, who,” he said gravely. “She can only have meant Mydea.”
“Your mentor’s sister, Father?”
“Yes. Many years ago before we found you, Saleece, there was a Black Sun. Some fifty years ago now. We couldn’t find the child. We suspected someone was hiding it. We heard rumours that the Dead Sisters were responsible. I was an ArchWizard at the time, but there were two of us, I wasn’t Talohna’s official ArchWizard. My ArchWizardess, my mentor... Talohna’s ArchWizard was Calladia Veht. We discovered a few years later that her sister, Mydea, was hiding the girl and her family, but still we couldn’t locate them. We only found them later because the girl went Braiga... Insanity set in along with the DeathWizard’s corruption, and she killed her family with a vile sticky black poison. The deaths were reported to the King’s officials as suspicious. Mydea had some kind of con
trol over the girl, who didn’t attack her, wouldn’t harm her in any way. Her name was Vienna. She was nine years old. When the Wizards’ Council asked her if she had killed her parents and siblings, she just smiled and nodded. It took the combined magic of all twelve of us to subdue them both originally. It was Calladia who severed both of their crua. The girl died instantly, but Mydea suffered for hours before passing.”
“Severed their crua...” Saleece repeated, inhaling sharply. “I heard stories at the Eye, but thought they were just that, stories.”
“Only an ArchWizard knows the spell,” said Giddeon. “It is a means of execution reserved for the most unfathomable crimes. I’ve no idea how Mydea could have survived. It shouldn’t be possible. A bonded mystic can’t survive without their bond to the earth.”
“Father...” Saleece said, pointing. Max, becoming increasingly agitated, searched alongside the moat for Ember from the moment the last witch was contained, but no one else noticed.
“Ember! Dammit, where the hell is she?”
Saleece rushed to the side of the bridge to join in the search. “I see her, Max. I think she’s all right.”
Giddeon, snapping out of his grim thoughts for the moment, instructed Kasik to find some rope at the stables.
“Can’t you use magic to get her out?” Max asked.
“I’m afraid not,” said Saleece. “The only spell that might work would be levitation, but that’s been lost for thousands of years. Those who have tried to cast it have caused incredible damage.”
Max shook his head, calling to Ember to hold tight while they waited for Kasik to return.
The shock of hitting the water from such a height temporarily stunned Ember as she plunged below the surface, but its frigid temperature quickly brought her back to her senses. Resurfacing, she gasped, gulping for air as the ice-cold water made breathing difficult. She spied the mouth of the aqueduct just before crashing into its grating, the impact mercifully softened by the accumulated debris caught on the iron grate. Something partially blocked the opening, and a matting of leaves, twigs, and dead reeds had gotten hung up on it.
Ember clawed away at the slimy vegetation in order to scale the iron mesh-work and hopefully hop to the side of the bank. Instead, she found herself face to face with the naked body of a badly beaten Elvehn woman, wedged against the grate by the rapidly in-rushing water. A scream of surprise escaped her lips at the sight of the corpse, but when she laid hands on it to push it away, she realized it was still warm. Quickly regaining her composure, Ember checked the woman’s pulse, breathing a sigh of relief. She was alive.
Ember could hear the fighting above her, but knew there was nothing she could do to help, so she focused on trying to help the unconscious woman who had been beaten so savagely that she couldn’t guess how old the woman was. Having spent the past three years studying to be a doctor and the past week with Zefar and Kyria taking a crash course in magical plants and potions as well as Talohna’s inhabitants, she suspected the woman’s shallow breathing, her swollen throat, and the slight bleeding from her eyes were signs of poisoning.
Looking around, she realized the steep banks would prevent her from climbing out of the moat, let alone with the unconscious woman in tow. She continued freeing the woman from the tangle of weeds and sticks, manoeuvring herself under the still body to keep her head above the water.
In a matter of moments, the sounds of the fray above ceased. Seconds later, Max bellowed her name; looking up over her shoulder to the corner of the bridge, she recognized Saleece and raised a hand to let her know she was okay.
Minutes later, a rope was lowered within reach. Not wanting to send the unconscious woman up alone because she couldn’t determine the extent of her injuries, Ember wrapped the rope around herself and the woman both. The others lifted them out of the moat with as much care as possible.
Before they had even reached the top, Max was firing questions at her. “You all right? What happened down down there? Who’s the girl? Is she alive?”
“I’m fine,” Ember panted as she reached the bank, untying herself and the woman. “I don’t know who she is, but I think she’s been poisoned. Giddeon, can you do anything to help?”
Giddeon took a quick look at the Elvehn woman, whispering. “Huggan Mein.” The woman’s lungs rattled and she coughed up a foul glob of red and green. “You’re right, Ember,” he said, smearing the slimy fluid on his fingers. He took a quick sniff and winced, the vapour clearly burning his nose.
He held his fingers out to Saleece, who inhaled cautiously. “Blood hemlock?” she guessed, getting a nod. “Gods, who would have something like that? The tree only grows in the heaviest forests and even there its rare.”
“Only the cruelest assassins.” Giddeon frowned. “She needs the antidote soon. My spell will sustain her for a bit, but we must move quickly. It will take some time for Zefar to distil the cure. Ember, go ask him to get started right away. Injection and oral.”
“He told me yesterday that the antidote for blood hemlock requires a gallick mushroom,” said Ember. “Mine are already packed to go, so I’ll head for the stables. It’ll take less time for me to make the antidote than to find Zefar and fill him in.”
Giddeon hesitated. “If it’s not exactly right, she will die.”
“Zefar showed me. He told me assassins use it against magic users because magical healing quickly becomes counter-productive, and because the cure is rare, since it has to be distilled fresh. From what he said, she should already be dead. Shouldn’t she?”
Giddeon answered with a sombre nod. “We’ll be in the guest wing of the mansion.”
Ember wasted no time, taking off at a run and disappearing around the corner.
The ArchWizard turned to Kasik, who, with Max’s help, had just finished binding the wounds on his arm caused by the caustic webbing. “Try to find out who she is or where she might have come from. See if anyone has reported an Elvehn woman missing or what rumours may be floating around about a murder or assassination. Perhaps someone at Sora’s knows whether it is Family-related. Max, if you will be so good as to watch his back.”
The Northman and the displaced sheriff nodded, and were gone.
In the time it had taken to retrieve Ember and the Elvehn woman from the moat, half a dozen more guards had arrived at the sight of the attack. They accompanied Giddeon and Saleece to the mansion to watch over them and the stranger. Twenty-five men from the royal garrison were dispatched to clean up the carnage in front of the citadel bridge, while one hundred city guardsmen and ten wizards scoured the city for more witches. They were ordered to report only to their commanders, who would apprise King Bale and the ArchWizard of any discoveries their investigation might turn up.
“Has the city guard offered an explanation as to how six Dead Sister witches entered the city undetected? Is this not the reason why the city guard is augmented by wizards from the Eye?” King Bale barked, brimming with frustration.
“They probably entered the city one or two at a time, but even if they didn’t, we can only detect the combined power of a coven or demonic magic when it’s actively in use, Your Majesty. Witches look like any other peasant, especially if they’re wearing a cowl or shawl to cover their markings. The city guard are scouring the city en masse, and all squads have a master wizard accompanying them. If there are more, they’ll be found and sent to BlackWall Gulag. Warden Skyre can decide what to do with them.”
“This is a trying breach of security, Giddeon. What would have happened if the princess or my wife had been with you? From what I’ve been told, Ember escaped with her life because of the sacrifice made by her guard.”
“It’s true, Your Majesty. Guard Rhell used his body to protect Ember, Saleece saw him. I understand your concern. The Wizard’s Council will be investigating during my absence and adding any security features they feel are required. I have already notified Captain Sebastion about a visual search for demonic tattoos and markings on anyone suspicious trying to enter t
he city. A Master Wizard will preform all searches effective immediately, but we cannot hassle every citizen who enters the city. Once I return, we can discuss more permanent solutions. It’s the best we can do for now.”
“Fair enough, but the city guard better be more alert from now on.” King Bale said, running his hand through his white hair. “What about the Elvehn girl in the moat? Have you identified her yet? Will she live?”
“No, Your Majesty. We have no idea who she is. There are no reports of anyone Elvehn missing from the city, though if she’s from the rural areas it might take a while to receive those reports.”
King Bale frowned. “Will she live?”
“She almost died before we got her to my mansion. Between the blood hemlock poison and the beating she received, there is little we could do beyond the antidote. I’ll make it as soon as I return and Ember meets me. I’ll make arrangements for the internment of the body if we fail, Sire.”
“Very well, Giddeon. When you leave tomorrow, travel safe, and hopefully you’ll have a rewarding journey.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
Giddeon bowed and left the meeting chamber. Once he was gone, the King’s steward opened the door at the opposite end of the room and ushered in a small, hooded woman. Introductions being unnecessary, the steward promptly exited through the same door.
The woman addressed the King only after the door had closed. “Your Majesty,” she said, making only half an attempt to bow. “Your… representative tells me you seek an audience. As long as you hold my interest, you have one.”
The King fumed. “I do. That does not permit you, however, to behave disrespectfully toward your King.”
The woman laughed, quietly, yet it was layered in abrasive disrespect. “You will never be my king, Joran Bale. I bow only to the goddess and now I am beginning to lose interest in this conversation. I suggest you speak your mind, quickly.”