by Logan Jacobs
The door was still there though it hung on only one hinge. There was just enough breeze to twist it against the pin, adding the appropriate squeaking sound to the eerie scene. I raised my hand to tell everyone to hold up for a moment, but Dehn charged past me into the unnatural blackness with a blood-curdling cry.
And came flying straight back out. I had to duck to avoid his body as it flew past me and landed near the canoes.
“Dehn!” Emeline cried out in a shocked voice.
The halfling was still, though I couldn’t see any blood. Aerin had heard Emeline’s cry and she peeked from the side of the house. When she saw Dehn’s limp body, she ran back towards him.
“Emeline,” I ordered. “Light!”
Emeline tore her eyes from Dehn and tossed a mage light into the building. The place lit up for just a moment to reveal an empty room covered in dust and cobwebs and then the light went out.
“What… what happened?” Emeline asked in confusion.
A rasping laugh curled out from the door, and I felt a responding shiver along my spine. I tried to step forward but something blocked my way. When I checked the entrance for spells with my mana, all I could see was the seething darkness. It reminded me of the same inky blackness that had infected Pebbles Gravel when she called on dark magic.
“So, the Academy has come for me,” a sniggling voice whispered.
I could feel it slither along my skin and I fought the urge to shake myself like a dog. Merlin growled and backed away from the door, and I couldn’t blame him. I wanted to do the exact same thing.
“We’re not from the Academy,” I finally said. “We’re just trying to get through the swamp and continue our journey.”
“You lie!” the voice cried out angrily. “The Academy has sent you to kill me just as they killed my great-grandmother and my grandmother. But I will destroy you, and I will finish my mother’s mission. I will destroy the Academy.”
“I’m not lying!” I insisted. “The Academy hunts us as well.”
A cold wind blew along my skin, and I saw Lavinia and Emeline both shiver as well.
“There is truth in your words,” the voice finally hissed. “But there is deceit as well.”
“No deceit,” I promised. “The Academy is following us. They have been since we left Ovrista.”
“And what did you do to incur the Academy’s wrath?” the voice asked.
“We stole something,” I said.
The voice didn’t respond right away, so I tried to probe the dark shield again with my mana. I could just sense a presence behind the shield but little more than that.
“The Shodra,” the voice whispered. “I can see it in your minds. You carry them with you.”
“Shit,” I mumbled.
“How can she see into our minds?” Lavinia hissed.
“It’s a dark mage skill,” Emeline replied.
“That’s why she’s been luring people here,” I guessed. “She needs them for her spells.”
“She must be getting ready for whatever her big plan is if she’s picked up the pace over the last year,” Lavinia whispered.
“Oh, I’m very close now,” the voice confirmed. “And you will be the final piece. With the Shodra in my possession, I will put an end to the Academy and free the mages. And you, manipulator. I will keep you alive so I can use your mana.”
“Thanks, but I don’t plan on staying,” I replied.
“But you must,” the voice sniggered. “All of your friends will. And such nice friends you have. Imagine what I can do with their essence. The strength of an orc, the prowess of the ladonae, the sweet, sweet blood of the elves.”
“Gabriel!” Aerin cried out.
I turned around in time to see several larger-than-life alligators crawl from the water. Even from the porch I could see a double row of long, serrated teeth and a rack of sharp spikes along their backs. Aerin still had her hands on Dehn, trying to revive the halfling. I could see his mana pulsing inside him, but the dark magic was there as well.
Merlin morphed into his hound shape and bounded towards the nearest monstrosity, but the things could move fast and there was no way Merlin could handle all of them at one time.
“Maruk!” I called out.
Maruk and Yvaine ran from the side of the bungalow and charged towards the beach. Lena jogged behind them as she fumbled with her satchel.
“I won’t kill them,” the voice assured me. “Not yet.”
Lavinia gave me a questioning look, and I nodded. She pushed Emeline off the porch even as she unleashed her first round of arrows. Emeline stumbled, but she already had her first fireball ready and she unleashed it on a thirty footer that was closing in on Aerin.
I turned back to the door and studied the inky blackness once again. I tried pushing with my mana, but something cold and slimy pushed back. I could hear the rest of the Shadow Foxes fighting and caught a glimpse of Imogen and Cat as they sprinted towards the beach.
I barely had time to process that thought when I saw a long black tendril whip past me and strike the pair. Imogen cried out in pain and dropped to one knee as she grabbed at her thigh. A heavy black smoke curled up from the wound and Imogen coughed as she inhaled it. Cat had taken a shot to the chest, and he lay crumpled at Imogen’s feet. I could see his mana but it was weakening.
“Don’t worry,” the voice whispered to me. “He’s still alive. He has the blood of the ancients in him. His blood will feed my spells for a long, long time.”
I growled and drew my mana in. I started to unleash my own shield when I felt something block my flow. I cursed under my breath as I remembered Pebbles and her dark spells. She had been able to close off my mana as well.
A raspy laugh filtered from the door, and I tried to thrust my mana knife towards it. The blade was barely a flicker, but I felt the elven bracelet respond. And then I understood. The witch might be using dark magic, but it was still elemental magic at its core, only corrupted. I peered at the darkness again, this time using the bracelet.
The witch had found a way to conceal the spells from a regular elemental mage or even a manipulator but with the help of the bracelet, I could see the pattern. I forced myself to block out the sounds of battle and focus on the spell.
It felt like forever but I finally found the weak point. Using every ounce of my strength, I struck out with my own mana. I felt the witch attempt to block me again, but I forced everything through the bracelet, hoping the combined power of manipulator and elemental magic would be enough to overcome her shield.
The bracelet grew warm on my wrist and beads of sweat broke out on my brow, but I felt the witch waver, and that was all I needed. I punched through her shield and blasted her spell with my mana. A high-pitched scream filled the air as the interior of the bungalow filled with a brilliant silver light.
I didn’t hesitate. I charged into the bungalow and looked around for the witch. I found her at the far end of the house, hunched over an old table covered in dried blood. Her hair was matted, and her clothing was little more than strips of cloth. She had one hand over her eyes to shield them from the burst of light.
I ran straight at her, my mana blade in hand. She looked up just as I thrust the blade into her heart. Unlike Pebbles, there was no beauty here, no brief moment when I could see what she might have been. The witch had probably been corrupted from a young age and whatever bit of humanity she had once had was long gone.
She crumpled to the floor, looking like little more than a sack of old bones. Something black and greasy oozed from the body and then slowly burned away. All that was left was a pile of dust and a clump of hair.
I stepped back outside just in time to see the remaining alligators start to dissolve into their own puddles of oily goo. Apparently, the witch had used her own version of mana-based magic to animate the creatures rather than relying on a purely elemental spell, and with her death, they were withering away.
Dehn was sitting up though he still looked groggy. Maruk and Yvaine stoo
d over him, watching one of the alligators liquefy at their feet. Lavinia stood on the beach, her bow pointed towards the water as Emeline carefully checked the canoes for damage. Merlin, still in hound form, ran along the edge of the water, looking for more magical beasts.
Lena and Aerin were with Imogen and Cat. Lena was cutting Imogen’s pants so she could get a better look at the wound. Imogen was seated next to Cat, who was still lying still on the sand. Aerin had rolled him onto his back, and I could see her mana as she worked to revive the elf. Imogen had one hand on his forehead, and I could see her saying something.
“How is he?” I asked quietly as I walked up to the group.
“It would be easier if there wasn’t any dark magic involved,” Aerin replied. “I already used a lot of my strength on Dehn, and he didn’t absorb nearly as much of the black mana.”
“I’m glad you’re here,” Imogen said to the healer. “I know you’ll do everything you can. A lot of healers wouldn’t even bother once they knew dark magic was involved.”
“Thanks,” Aerin replied. I saw the tips of her ears turn red as she ducked her head.
“Do you want me to see if I can clean out the dark magic?” I asked.
“Oh, yes please,” Lena said as she looked up. “This is nasty stuff.”
“Start with Cat,” Imogen growled as she glared at the alchemist. “It can wait until we’re sure he’ll be okay.”
Aerin sat back on her heels and nodded to me. I opened my mana and studied the elf. I could see the swirling light of his own mana, and the gold of Aerin’s healing powers that had steadied his flow, but there was still something black that mingled in the stream, like little blobs of crude oil floating on the ocean after an oil spill. I placed a hand over his heart and let my own blue mana flow into him, guiding it towards the darkness. I pictured my fist closing over each little blob, obliterating it.
I scoured every drop of the dark magic I could find and when I was finished, I went back and looked again, just to be sure. When I was certain I had found every last bit, I sat back and caught my breath. I closed my eyes and guided my mana through my body, feeling its healing power spread through me.
When I felt steady enough, I opened my eyes. The rest of the Shadow Foxes had joined us and stood in a circle around our group, awe showing in their eyes.
“How is he?” I asked Aerin. My voice sounded a little hoarse, but I didn’t feel quite as exhausted at least.
“He’ll be fine,” Aerin replied. She had her hands on Cat and fed him her healing power, but she was looking at me in amazement.
“What?” I demanded as I looked around the group.
“You and Cat were both glowing with a silver light,” Lavinia said. “And we could see you grabbing these little black balls and crushing them.”
“You could see that?” I asked.
“It was sort of like there were two of you,” Yvaine explained. “The ‘you’ that was kneeling there with your hand on his heart and an image of you that was removing the dark magic.”
“Huh,” I mused. “I don’t know how you could see that. Maybe it’s something about this place.”
“Or maybe it’s just you,” Emeline said quietly. “You’ve been working on expanding your powers and you’ve already learned so much more than most mages even knew existed.”
“It was sort of freaky,” Dehn added. He still looked woozy and he was leaning against Maruk. “I thought maybe the elf had done something to me when she healed me but since everyone else saw it, I guess I’m okay.”
Cat stirred and blinked his eyes. Aerin lifted his head onto her lap and studied his aura for a moment.
“You need to rest,” she told him. “That’s the best treatment for you now.”
“What happened?” he asked as he looked around in confusion. “We saw something come out of the water and we started to run towards you…”
“The witch hit us with something,” Imogen said. “I got hit in the leg but you took a blast to the chest. We weren’t sure if you would make it but Gabriel was able to destroy the black magic that had infected you.”
“Oh,” the elf said as he looked at me. “Thank you.”
“Any time,” I replied with a grin. The elf gave me a small grin in return and then his eyelids fluttered again.
“Ouch!” Imogen cried out and she swatted at Lena.
“Sorry,” Lena said. “I think I’ve gotten most of it, but maybe Gabriel should take a look?”
“Okay,” I agreed.
I opened my mana and peered at the wound. Lena had done a good job of cleaning the poisonous dark magic, and I could see Imogen’s body starting its own healing process. I found a few more traces of dark magic that I removed and then gave the wound a small bit of mana to speed up the healing.
“You did a nice job of cleaning that out,” I told Lena when I was done.
“Thank you,” the elf said with a smile. “Dandelion and burdock are excellent blood cleansers.”
“They just sting like all get out,” Imogen groused.
“Oh, that’s the alcohol,” Lena said. “Or maybe the iodine.”
“I don’t want to know,” Imogen said as she held up a hand. “I just need it to work.”
“So how are we going to do this?” Lavinia asked.
“I should probably be with Cat,” Aerin said as she looked down at the elf who was asleep in her lap. “He may need more healing in a bit.”
“I’ll go with Emeline then,” Imogen offered. “Between us, I think we can find our way out of here.”
“We can tie a rope between our canoe and Aerin and Cat’s,” Lavinia offered. “That way we won’t have to stop if Aerin needs to help Cat.”
“Allow me,” Maruk said as he leaned over Cat and scooped him up as easily as if he were a small child.
Cat never stirred as the orc carried him to the edge of the water and placed him carefully in the bottom of one of the canoes. The rest of us found a spot in the remaining craft and began the slow process of moving away from the island. I watched the swamp with my mana, but there were no more signs of dark magic. The swamp never shifted, and Emeline was able to find the path through this strange forest.
We finally arrived at the other side of the swamp where one of Pellas’ brothers was in charge. The setup looked similar, with the tin shack on stilts and the floating docks among the trees. There were a few more customers on this side, and they watched us paddle up to the shore with only mild curiosity.
Pellas’ brother, a beefy fellow with black hair and a neat beard named Deke, came down to meet us. He beamed at us happily until he saw Cat in the bottom of the canoe.
“Oh, no,” he cried out. “What happened?”
“We encountered the witch,” Dehn blurted out.
That had everyone’s attention, and we were soon swarmed by people. We almost had to fight our way out of the canoes as the crowd pressed in, asking for details.
“Get back!” Deke bellowed at the crowd. “Let them get out of the canoes.”
The crowd grudgingly backed away, and we tumbled from the canoes, hot, exhausted, and suffering from way too many mosquito bites. Maruk had Cat cradled in his arms again as we followed Deke towards the shack.
Deke led Maruk to a back room where he kept a cot for his own use during the busy season. Normally, he would have spent the entire crabbing season there, but the stories about the swamp witch had reduced the crowds this year.
“Now,” Deke asked after he had made sure the elf was comfortable, “what’s this about an encounter with the witch?”
“She was using magic to reshape the swamps,” Imogen replied. “It kept forcing us back towards that island in the middle of the swamp.”
“The old Carpenter house,” Deke mused. “Wealthy fellow. Used it as his fishing shack until a storm nearly destroyed it.”
“The witch was living there,” I added. “She said she was going to use us as part of her dark magic spells.”
“How did you get away?” Deke
demanded.
“We killed her,” Yvaine replied. “And those creatures she created as well.”
“The spell is broken now that she’s dead,” Aerin added. “You shouldn’t have any more disappearing customers. Unless they really do get drunk and fall out of the boat and get eaten by alligators.”
“And Cat?” Deke asked as he glanced towards the backroom.
“He’ll be fine,” Aerin assured him. “He just needs to sleep for a bit.”
“You all look like you need some rest,” Deke replied. “And some good food.”
“That is an offer I will not pass up,” Maruk declared. “Tomorrow seems soon enough to tackle the next part of our journey.”
The others nodded their agreement, and while Deke described the night’s menu with them, I slipped back outside with Merlin.
“Go back along our trail as far as you can before sunset,” I whispered to the puca. “Make sure Maderel’s manipulators haven’t made it the swamp.”
Merlin nodded and then quickly shifted back into hawk form. He flung himself into the air and banked back towards the swamp. I watched until I’d lost sight of him over the treetops.
“You don’t seem quite as enthusiastic about stopping for the night as the rest of us do,” Lena said as she joined me on the deck.
“I know we need to,” I sighed. “And not just for Cat. That fight took it out of all of us. I’m still not sure Dehn is even seeing straight.”
“They might be manipulators, but they have to rest as well,” Lena pointed out.
“I know,” I agreed. “But it seems like we’re doing all the work, just clearing out the path. All they have to do is follow behind and wait for us to stop. They didn’t have to fight the sea gremlins, or those snakes in the desert. And now the swamp witch.”
“Something slowed them down on the ship,” Lena said. “And so far, they haven’t managed to catch up. I think Theira may be helping us.”
“Well, I wish she’d do something to make it easier for us,” I grumbled.
“She can see more than we can,” Lena replied. “She’s doing what she knows will help us more.”