by Jesse Teller
Sisalyyon shook her head. “Tristan is in league with the pirates. Why didn’t I see that?” She cursed. “We can’t make war with the pirates and the vampires. What are we going to do?” she asked.
The vampires before them screamed, and Rayph could watch no more. “We will have to do just that. We will have to bring our war to the sea.”
“We are seven people. How are we going to do that?” she asked.
“Not sure yet. Let me work on it.”
“Where am I?” Aaron asked. “And are you trying to hold me?”
Rayph felt a stitch of fear and shook his head vigorously. “No, we are not holding you. You are free to go wherever and whenever you want.”
Aaron stood and turned for the door of the Stalwart.
“Where will you go?” Dreark asked.
“I have to find my king. He needs me.”
“How will you do that?” Rayph asked.
“Not sure yet. But I will, because I have to.”
Rayph looked across the bar where the priestess of The Pale and the warrior of Cor-lyn-ber sat drinking tea and speaking in low tones. He wondered at a conversation like that and pushed it from his mind. He looked across the table at Drelis, who watched Aaron with an expression bordering on lust.
“I will help you find him, Aaron the Marked.” She drank from her mug, and with a few deep breaths, settled herself from the excitement of being near this young man.
Across the room, the priestess of The Pale gave Aaron the same lustful gaze, and Rayph suddenly realized he didn’t understand women.
“How can you help?” Aaron said.
“I am a witch. I can read your fortune, and it might give you a glimpse into where you will find him, if indeed he is findable.”
Aaron seemed to think about it. “Fine, I will do it. When will you be ready? We must hurry.”
She smiled. “Give me a bit to get my mind right. I haven’t done it in a long time.”
Rayph, Trysliana, and Aaron sat at the table watching Drelis take deep breaths and run her fingers along the crystal orb sitting before her. She closed her eyes and pulled a knife. She cut Aaron with it, and he hissed. She licked the blood from the knife and drove the blade into the table.
Rayph had been asked to join them. At first, he had wondered at this, but soon realized no matter what information was received here, Rayph would have to work with it to help Aaron. Trysliana was invited, too. The reasoning behind her invitation made Rayph feel as if he were intruding. Trysliana had been asked because she was a woman, and these sorts of ceremonies were women’s work. Drelis said men were not sensitive enough to the forces of fortune to read them, but the presence of women at these meditations always proved fruitful.
There was a whispering behind him as Rayph watched Drelis close her eyes and chant. The chanting he could not hear too well. It sounded as if she were speaking from a great distance. But the whispering swirled around him. Many voices spoke many different languages. One voice, in particular, caught his attention, and as Rayph listened carefully, he realized the voice spoke of Aaron. It seemed near the point of panic as it whispered in hushed tones of a death most bloody and traumatic.
All at once, it screamed out its horror, babbling about a severed arm and being kicked off a wall. If Aaron heard, he made no sign of it. His cool demeanor clashed violently with everything Rayph knew of him. As Aaron closed his eyes, it became clear the boy was much older than Rayph had originally thought.
The first time he had seen Aaron, he had been struck by his size, placing his age at either fifteen years or close. But as he looked at the solemn face, he realized this angry boy was close to being a man. He might be seventeen, or even eighteen. The thought scared Rayph more than a little, though, try as he might, he could not put his finger on why.
Many and more voices spoke of horror and death at the boy’s hands, and Rayph wondered if this man was an agent of good or evil.
Trysliana nudged Rayph, bringing him back to the ceremony and the appearance of Drelis as she chanted. Her face took on a strain Rayph had not seen on it before. She finally held up her hands. The voices quieted.
“Those of you who are unafraid, step forward. Those of you who quake in his presence, leave me.” Rayph heard voices trailing away, and Aaron smirked but said nothing. Now the room filled with voices, sinister and horrible, that spoke of dark deeds and darker intent. Shadows lingered and rolled around him. Claws in the shadows tore at the wood of the room. Suddenly, a burst of maniacal laughter set the hair of Rayph’s neck on end.
Jars of creatures submerged in smoky liquid swirled as the beasts within rotated as if being stirred. The walls splintered under the raging claws. The room took on a stench Rayph had smelled before. The musk of a huge animal was suddenly present, and Aaron laughed out loud.
“You can sense me here, can’t you, foul beast?” Aaron shouted. “I want you to know we are preparing for you. We are coming to end you. And my master will find you and gut you while you watch. I will be there to witness your end, and I will laugh and dance on your body while you bleed.”
Drelis’s face took on a deathly shade of pale beyond that which it had always been, and Rayph thought she would be sick. The room seemed about to explode with fury. Aaron laughed again, a terrible sound Rayph knew would cost him his sanity if he had to listen to it too many more times. In the span of moments, the room filled with wind. The tapestries and coverlets trembled and rioted before everything was again still and Drelis held her hands out bold over the crystal orb, waving her hand slightly over the smoky glass.
The globe swirled as if her motions disrupted the mist within before it all blew away and the orb sat clear and still. Rayph thought he could see a coin of sorts rotating and rolling within, but he could not be sure. In but a moment, the coin warped and changed until it took on the features of a dark child with no mouth.
Rayph nearly screamed at the sight of the creature.
At this, Drelis ceased her chanting and gazed with sweating face at the figure within. “I have come to speak with you Master, Voiceless.”
A great darkness lifted, and a light shone from within the globe that warmed Rayph’s face and brought joy to his mind. He bowed his head instantly, sensing the presence of a divine entity.
“Demontser of the Fallen, hear my pleas for knowledge and grant me a glimpse into the future of this mortal,” Drelis said. She gripped Aaron’s hands and placed them palms down on the glass. There was a strobing of light, and the glass went dark. Aaron removed his hands from the globe. It lit again, and with no mouth, the face within spoke. Drelis’s eyes moved and shifted from the eyes of a human to the eyes of a cat. She opened them and gazed at Aaron.
“Hero of darkness and murder, agent of light and righteousness,” the Voiceless said. “We have gazed into your life and we will answer your questions should you make them known to us. For our respect for you is great and our fear of you greater.”
Aaron looked around the room, and in that moment, the illusion was broken. In his bruised and battered face, Rayph saw fear mixed generously with a recklessness and awe. “Where is my king?”
Drelis spoke as the orb throbbed and pulsed. “Peter Redfist fights the bowl of Darkfess the half-demon. He remains a slave gladiator. He will not escape his bonds without your help.”
Aaron growled and shook his head. His fist clenched, and he looked to contain the world’s wrath. “How will I get to him?”
“Passage on the ship called the Venture will be procured by your prowess and fearlessness. You will fight beside them as you work your way across the ocean and down the coast of Brogoan to the city of Bladesport on the island of Geth.”
“You have two more questions, Aaron the Marked. Ask them wisely,” Drelis said.
“Will my king defeat his nemesis?”
“The future of that battle is not known. If the Elephant is woken, Peter will find defeat all but ensured. But if you are dead, then Peter may still be victorious.”
Aaron looked as if he had been punched. His lip trembled, and he shook his head. “I am to be at his side when he fights the Rhino. I am to cover his back while he meets that foe.”
“If Peter is successful in his quest, you will be dead.”
“How do I die?” Aaron demanded.
“You still may live. His resolve may buckle.”
“Answer me or I will find you and rip the truth from your lipless face!” Aaron screamed. He grabbed his dagger and drove it into the table. “How do I die?”
“Ask me another question and I will answer it gratefully. It will give me great sadness to be the one who breaks you. And the answer to that question will break your spirit and harm your soul.”
“I demand you tell me now or I will unleash my wrath upon the world. If my death aids my king in the destruction of his nemesis, then I will run to it. Tell me now what or who kills me, so I might lay my life down before them.”
“Peter Redfist is your death. It is his hand that kills you.”
Aaron sat back as if kicked in the gut. He turned his head and vomited on the floor. He stood and screamed, kicking his chair back and roaring again. He grabbed his dagger, and with both hands, tossed the table up and over on its face. He sliced a cut across his chest and screamed again as tears ran their course down his face.
“It is a lie, bitch!” Aaron yelled. He lunged forward, and Trysliana slammed her shoulder into him, knocking him to the ground before his wrath killed Drelis. Aaron rolled to his feet, screaming, and launched himself at Trysliana, who kicked him aside and slowly drew her sword. Rayph grabbed Drelis and shoved her out the door as he left the room.
The session had taken a great toll on her, reducing her to near helplessness. Rayph helped her onto a couch and pulled his sword as he stood his ground just before the door. He could hear the fighting within, Aaron screaming as he threw himself at Trysliana. She spoke in cool tones as she repelled him and occupied his rage, but he would not give quarter as he ruthlessly collided with her. Trysliana cried out in pain, and Drelis murmured.
“Can’t die,” she sputtered as her eyes rolled back in her head, and she slapped herself in the face and repeated her earlier phrase. “Can’t die. Don’t let it happen.”
“I trust her. Trysliana can handle herself,” Rayph said.
“Aaron must not die.” She looked at Rayph with clear eyes and said, “He must live to save his king.”
Rayph nodded and opened the door. Aaron lay raging in Trysliana’s arms as he wailed and thrashed. He stared into the air as if he were dying from a wound unseen.
Rayph cursed and looked at Trysliana, who wept openly with the raging Bloodblade in her arms.
The Lady of Hemlock
Rayph left Aaron in Ironfall to decide if he even desired to find Peter anymore. He left the Marked to wander the town, and he went to Hemlock.
Rayph stood on the roof of a scribe’s office looking out over the bay and the ships that weighed anchor in her harbor. He counted twenty ships, most with questionable reputations. Dreark worked below on the docks, poring over the docking book with the manifests and ship names. His men ransacked every hull, pulling out contraband and hidden criminals. Dreark held a fist full of warrants he had ripped off the posting wall of the wanted for the men his guards were pulling off the ships.
The pirates would be furious. There should have been some backlash. A warning should have raced through all the ships’ mages, of the cracking down on pirates entering the harbor, and telling them all to stay away from Hemlock. This would have led to a quieting of traffic and a lessening of the entering ships, but that was not happening. All through the afternoon, more and more ships pulled into harbor, and Dreark’s conquest of them continued.
“Can you explain this? Didn’t you say this would cut down on the traffic and clear us of pirates in this town?” Dreark said through his fetish.
Rayph looked at the seven more ships the last three hours had produced, a growing fear budding in his heart. “They received the warning. They just don’t care. We are getting about half of what they have, and a few of their crew members, but the bulk of them are getting past us. The word is out among the pirates; there is loot to be had here. They have been promised payment they cannot resist. You need to close the harbor. Get your ships out and set a blockade. No one in, no matter what they threaten or promise. No more ships in or out.”
“I am not sure I have the ships to form a powerful enough blockade to stop them all if they come at me all at once.”
“You don’t, but make a show of it anyway. Close the books. No one in or out.”
“Done,” Dreark said. “But we have another problem. My jails will be overcrowded, and the criminals won’t see a judge for weeks, if not months. I will have many men tied up with the holding of these prisoners.”
“Do what you can. I will work on something for you. Did you outfit your men?”
“I did that this morning just as you ordered. The queen of the Ironwoods was massive. Her bulk produced an amazing amount of wood, and I have my men carving crude daggers now. Soon, all of them will be outfitted with at least two Ironwood daggers. They will be crude, but effective.”
“Good work, Dreark.” Rayph turned away from the bulging port and to the strangely quiet city. He cast invisibility and a fly spell and lifted into the air. The streets, usually crowded on fair-weather afternoons, now saw few citizens. Those who did walk kept their heads down and quickly returned to their homes. Rayph went to the beggars’ district, looking for signs of their passing and finding none. Whole alleyways and streets where beggars made their homes in crates and lean-tos were deserted. Whole sections of town where the unfortunate made their lives had been cleared of any signs of life.
Rayph dropped into the streets, peering into every hole and abandoned building and seeing nothing.
“Smear, what can you tell me about the wretched life of this city?”
“Can’t really talk right now, boss. Got my hands full,” Smear said.
“Do you need me, Sweet?” Trysliana said.
“No, just running for my life.”
“From what?” Rayph asked.
“My buddy has reappeared again,” Smear said.
“Buddy?” Rayph asked.
“This damnable stone golem has shown back up. I am losing him in the sewers. I’m out for a while.”
“If you need me, call out. And please be careful,” Trysliana said.
“The homeless have been slowly disappearing from the daylight hours for the past few weeks,” she said to Rayph. “And now they have become rare during the daylight hours. They resurface at night, and I think you know why.”
“They are being hidden during the day. Where?”
“Don’t know, but somewhere big, and indoors. Dark, I would imagine.”
“Yeah. Well, look for any abandoned warehouses newly acquired by any rich folks in town and check them out. Somebody, give me some good news.”
“I think I have found her,” Trysliana said. “The lady of the city disappeared a week ago, but no one knew where. Well, I think I have figured it out. There is a legendary warrior around these streets named Corry. He is a pugilist and, from all accounts, he is the most powerful warrior in this section of the country. He came up missing about a week ago and no one knows where. At the same time, a bar was bought out. Closed to all patrons. Every room bought and paid for, every service flooded with money from somewhere. I’m pretty sure the lady is holed up in there with the brute waiting to ride out the storm.”
“Good, let’s check it out. Meet me in an alley close by. I want a look at the place.”
Trysliana and Rayph examined the building from the street, the windows boarded up and the doors nailed closed. Rayph shook his head and smiled. “I don’t believe it. They want us all to think the place is secure from all entryways, but that is ludicrous. No place is boarded up for long. This is not a city or a fortress. It has a breach it uses to get supplies. Maybe it is locked down during the nigh
t, but it is open during the daylight hours. No noble lady is going to lock herself away from fresh fruit and vegetables. Search the building for an opening. You take the left side of the building and the back. I’ll look into the right and the front.”
It was not long before Trysliana called him to look at a door. On the left side of the building, ill-used and covered with refuse and broken barrels, a squat, thick and ragged door stood half-blocked and locked. It blended in with the building so well, Rayph was shocked Trysliana had seen it at all.
“You going to let me go with you, or is this a solo thing like always?” Trysliana asked.
“We are in this one together.” Rayph grabbed her arm and spoke a word that turned them both incorporeal and nearly invisible. They drifted across the alley and to the door, passing through it and heading into the building. As soon as they entered, Rayph shoved Trysliana to the left and leapt to the right as a bolt of pure magic exploded into the door. Rayph grabbed a device from his pocket and rolled it along the floor in the direction of the caster. Rayph spoke a word, and the sphere exploded. Its shards hovered in the air before rearranging themselves together and forming a ball again. Rayph stood as the mage tried to cast again and again. Rayph grabbed the ball as it rolled back to him, and he shoved it in his pocket.
The mage’s face took on a look of terror, and he stumbled back. “What have you done to me?” he asked as he tried and failed to cast again.
“You’re fine. I’ll give you back your aura when I leave. I’m pretty sure we are allies.”
The man nearly screamed. “You stole my aura?” He stumbled back as he tried to run. Rayph cast a spell lifting the man up and summoning him forward.
“Where is she?” Rayph asked.
“Who…who do you mean? I am alone here.”
Rayph nodded and smiled as the face finally registered. “You’re Balkaha. You’re the lord’s mage. You’re here protecting your lady. I am Rayph Ivoryfist. We met at a dinner in Hemlock’s castle. I made a gift of a magic book. Do you not remember me?”