‘Well,’ the woman said, assured and pleased. ‘Actually, this moment has been chief in my plans for such a long time that I am not sure if I want anything else to happen. I am quite enjoying it, but I suppose we must move along. Your intuition serves you well, Samuel. There is more. While you have come here to frustrate yourself once again, I have sent a ground force to flatten Seakeep; and with it, the last of those Turian sluts and their spawn.’
‘Thann’s wives? His daughters?’ the magician replied with surprise.
‘Of course. They shall pay for lying with my beloved one. I will see everything he touched or loved destroyed. I have prepared the most lavish deaths for all of them. They will wish they could scream as my pets slowly devour them, but they will find the act beyond them. Such slow and agonising deaths. I had to scour the depths of five hells to find such exquisite creatures as them. I wish I could be there to see it, but I have something better to occupy me here.
‘Now I have you, I will kill you and torture Thann’s son. Then I will broil his mother in front of him.’ One edge of her lip curled as she savoured the thought and she held one palm before her and clenched it, visualising her foes crushed within. Sated, the savage look left her visage and she returned her gaze to Leopold with a smile, smoothing his brow with her hand, stroking him like a pet. ‘Actually, now I have seen this handsome young man I think I will keep him. It is fitting that if Thann refuses to be my husband, his son should act in his stead.’
‘And what after that? Will you not be joining Poltamir? Will you not be serving Lin?’
‘Pah!’ she spat. ‘Your rotten child has not shown his face and Poltamir is nowhere to be seen. I have been doing Lin’s work for him, ridding the land of men and freeing their souls for his nourishment, but he has not seen fit to thank me. Their life force roams free and useless and I have been left to self-amusement. I miss those days before, when I knew nothing of my past. At least I found interest with my wars and conquests, but now I recall having done so a thousand times before, and little remains to fascinate me beyond vengeance upon you and Thann.’
‘Then you have no idea where they are?’ Samuel asked her.
‘So, you still have not found where Poltamir is keeping your son? His growing presence shouts aloud from the south. I’m sure you can feel that as well as I. But I have no care for where Poltamir is or what he is doing. Lin’s hold on us has failed. Poltamir has him trapped—or perhaps he is dead,’ she added with a smile.
‘He is not dead,’ the magician said squarely.
‘No ... no, he is not, but unless he frees himself it will not matter. Now come; enough banter. Tell me; where you have hidden my Thann? And why were you fool enough to bring his boy to my very door?’
At that, the magician smiled knowingly. He lost all pretence of anger and frustration, and mirrored Rei’s smugness, switching faces with ease. ‘Then you want to know where he is?’
She smiled too, taking Samuel’s change in demeanour to be a ruse. ‘I feel his presence about you, Samuel, so I know you have been with him of late. Tell me ... where is Thann?’
‘He killed him,’ Leopold announced from his place upon the bed and the woman spun her head to look at him with uncertainty.
‘It’s true,’ Samuel said.
‘Then he has been reborn!’ Rei declared, returning to confidence. ‘Thann cannot hide from me so easily. I will find him no matter what face he wears.’
‘No,’ Samuel said, shaking his head. ‘This time he will not return. I have severed him from Lin’s service and freed him from his bond. Thann is dead. He sacrificed himself for the wife and son he loves. He gave his spirit to me and I have absorbed his immortal essence.’
The woman wavered as she realised the implications. She backed away from the both of them, away from the bed, looking at Samuel with horror. ‘You did what?’ she stammered. ‘Such a thing cannot be done!’ She looked to Leopold with equal apprehension. ‘Then, you brought the boy to lower my guard. You ... you knew I would be after him. You fool!’ She fell into laughter, cackling loudly, an unconvincing facade. ‘I could have killed him at any time!’
‘You could,’ Samuel admitted, ‘but I know how you like to gloat. And how would you hold any sway over me if you went and killed the only thing you have to bargain with? I have not wasted all these years with plans of pointless revenge, Rei, as you seem to have done. I have busied myself, and believe me when I tell you what I am capable of doing.’
‘But, if you have Thann’s power ...’ she began, trailing off.
‘Then I can defeat you,’ Samuel confirmed. ‘The standoff so far was to lower your guard. Your self-indulgence for revelling in victory is much appreciated. I will take your power, as I did Thann’s, and give Cintar back to the Turians in return for their aid in distracting you. Then, I will find my son. Given that you have told me everything I need to know, this charade has no reason to continue.’
‘I am not finished so easily, Samuel,’ she stated defiantly. ‘You may think you have me, but your handful of soldiers will never retake my city. You will never reach Seakeep in time to save the women of Turia and the daughters of Thann. Even if you left now, you would never be able to save those harlots. They run like scared sheep into the wolves’ den, and the last soldiers of the Empire perish in my streets below as we speak. You have delivered to my armies a momentary blow, but I still have more than enough to wipe the remnants of Turia from the world. My generals serve me with absolute loyalty. Even if you remove me, they will continue my work in my stead.’
‘I do not care for any such things, Rei. Kill them, crush them—I do not care. All I want is to save my son.’ The magician’s words were delivered callously.
‘Hah!’ she scoffed. ‘Ever on your hopeless, selfish quest. Marrag Lin can never be saved. He can never give up what he has become! His cycle of destruction will continue for time eternal.’
Samuel met her rising desperation with a blank wall of calm. ‘Thann has stepped aside and soon you will be no more, too. Once I have removed Poltamir, Lin’s minions upon this world will be gone. How can he continue then? I will pull his plans from under him until the demon in him abandons all hope. When only my son is left behind, I will be victorious.’
‘He will find a way! He cannot be stopped! Don’t you think we have tried? We tried to stop him many times ... his power is absolute. He bound us to our task, and we cannot resist him. Even Poltamir is doomed to fail eventually. Lin will escape when he wishes, and the cycle will begin anew. He will find new agents to replace us and it will not disturb him in the slightest.’
‘We shall see. When the last of the Ancient Ones are gone, it will be time to parley.’
‘You can never rid the world of such evil,’ she insisted.
‘I will do it. I have already taken Thann. You are next.’
Rei hesitated at his remarks, then laughed gloriously. For some reason, his words pleased her and she regained much of her confidence. ‘You are a fool, Samuel, bumping around in the dark. You know so little yet strive to do so much. You are the father of this demon and you helped him come to power, yet now you would undo all your own good work. Don’t you remember anything of what happened in the beginning—when we first forged our pact?’ He did not answer. ‘Of course you don’t,’ she said with amusement. ‘So …’ She stalked the magician, circling him slowly, deliberately. She reached out one finger as she moved and ran it around his middle.
‘So what?’ Samuel asked, unmoving as stone.
‘The choice is yours to make, Samuel. Will you kill me and lose your cousin forever or let me go and try your luck another day? We could join forces you know. Wouldn’t that be glorious. I wonder if you have given in to the Change or if you are still ... capable.’
She stopped in front of him, and inched closer, putting her arms around his neck until she was nearly nose-to-nose with him, only a palm’s width shorter than him. She twisted her head slowly as she looked him in the eyes, like a charmer beguiling a snake,
and slowly, he gave in. He reached his arms up and drew her against him. He nestled his head onto her shoulder and closed his eyes, relaxing into her embrace.
‘Samuel!’ Leopold called with alarm. He tried to stand on legs that would not take his weight. He clung to the side of the bed: a hollow keg floating in stormy seas.
‘There there, Samuel,’ the witch cooed into Samuel’s ear. ‘How could you hurt your dear Jessicah? You dare not risk bruising the poor thing. Her love is pure and innocent. She could never harm anyone.’
‘I could not,’ the magician replied and his arms snapped tight around her. She yelped in his crushing embrace, but could not move, even as she tried to struggle. ‘But neither can I stand to see her like this. I will see her dead before I let you have her.’
The woman fought against him as the room began to shake. All the vases and trinkets dropped from their shelves and pedestals as the woman bucked and shrieked to escape. The power gradually eased, and Rei, still locked in his arms, laughed mockingly.
‘You do know what I found inside of her, don’t you, Samuel?’ she whispered, hoarse in the throat. ‘I am sure you have felt it. Just as there is darkness within you, something also lurks within this precious girl—an abomination the likes of which I have never seen, a burning light that pales the sun. You cannot ignore it, Samuel. It is there, sheltered in the shadow of her innocence. Even if you succeed in ridding the world of me, you will have to deal with her eventually. Can you do that, Samuel? Can you punish her as you have so many others?’
‘You know nothing about her!’ Samuel roared with rage, and the room shook again.
The magician crushed her in his grip and Rei wailed, shaking her arms and legs as if devoid of bones.
Finally, she languished into his arms. Now he held her so she would not fall, her head flopped sideways and her mouth hung open, and Leopold saw tears streaming from the magician’s eyes.
‘What have you done?’ Leopold asked, managing to prop both legs beneath him and standing unsteadily.
‘I am not sure ...’ came Samuel’s strained reply. It had lasted a few moments, but the effort had drained him substantially. A bead of sweat ran down his brow. ‘Rei is gone, but I don’t know what remains. I tried to take only the witch from her, but they were closely intertwined ...’
But the woman was not dead, even as motionless as she was in his hands. She blinked and opened her eyes, looking at Samuel unsure as she awakened from her slumber. He released her and she stepped back, taking her own weight.
‘Samuel?’ The voice was the same but the intonation was different, with no hint of the self-assuredness or demanding that it previously carried. Her posture and stance had changed; the seductress was gone. ‘What are you doing here? Where am I?’
‘You have been a slave to one of the Ancient Ones. I have saved you.’
‘Did you really?’ she asked. ‘I don’t know what has been happening to me. I thought it a dream; fragments of another woman’s life, strange and painful. It lasted forever. Oh, Samuel. I haven’t seen you for such a long time.’ She stepped closer and wiped a tear from his cheek. ‘You’ve been crying.’
‘I have missed you, Jessicah,’ he said and Leopold was again flabbergasted. He wondered if the magician’s words were true or simply another ruse.
‘I always wondered what happened to you after you went to Cintar, but I knew we would someday meet again. And who is this?’ She only now noticed Leopold standing beside them.
‘He is Leopold Calais, the Emperor of Turia—what’s left of it. Leopold, this is Jessicah—my cousin.’
‘Leopold,’ she said, disoriented. ‘I’m pleased to meet you.’
‘Likewise,’ he replied. He was surprised that this gorgeous woman was somehow related to the magician. The beguiling enchantress had left her, but she was no less beautiful. If anything, losing the forceful manner of Rei only made her more attractive.
‘Is something the matter?’ she asked him, concerned that he was staring at her.
He realised and averted his eyes. ‘I’m sorry. Forgive me.’
It was at that moment that she appraised herself, noting the sheerness of her clothes and their translucency.
‘My goodness! What am I wearing?’ she said.
The room was not lacking for clothing and she went to the side of the room where a mirror and wardrobe were located. She flung the wardrobe open and browsed the contents until finding a modest blue dress that was considerably less revealing.
‘These all look about my size,’ she said, noting the various items that hung there.
‘I think you’ll find they’re exactly your size,’ the magician told her, but she was too busy covering herself to pay much attention. She tied the dress at her waist, stunning in such a homely covering. How could she conceal such natural beauty?
‘There!’ she said, looking in the mirror.
‘Jessicah, I hate to rush you, but we need to hurry,’ Samuel told her. ‘There’s much I still need to do. Right now, I need to get you safely back to the ship.’
‘What ship?’ she asked.
‘Never mind. You’ve missed a lot and it will take time to fill you in. For the next day or two you’ll have to have faith in me.’
‘I always do,’ she said with a cheerful dimpled smile.
‘What about the battle?’ Leopold asked. ‘What about the people in Seakeep ... my half-sisters and the others?’
‘They do not concern us,’ Samuel said steadfastly. ‘Now we have removed Rei, her forces will be easily subdued. Captain Orrell has instructions on how to take the city. I’m sure he will prevail. I need to rest.’
‘But surely you can help them? And who will save the people in Seakeep. How can you be so cold-hearted? Is this all you care about—saving your own while letting others go to the slaughter?’
‘Samuel, what is he talking about?’ asked Jessicah, concerned.
The magician shifted his feet uncomfortably. ‘We have important things to do.’
‘This is important,’ Leopold told him. ‘You cannot sit back and do nothing.’
Samuel stalked the room angrily. ‘How can we save the world if we have to run around fighting every insignificant battle? People have to protect themselves, and suffer the consequences if they cannot. If we lose now, everything will be lost. All these lives will be lost for nothing!’
‘Please, Samuel,’ Jessicah said, trying to calm him. ‘I hate to see you upset. Come now. One more hug for my favourite cousin.’
She held his hands and pulled him into her embrace, hugging him tight. Leopold looked on incredulously. No one would believe the vile magician was behaving in such a homely fashion.
‘I missed you so,’ she said, before putting her mouth to his ear. She whispered something, too softly for Leopold to hear.
When they released, she looked content, turning and idly examining the room, but Samuel’s expression had changed. His face had greyed and he looked full of worry.
‘What is it?’ Leopold asked, stepping closer.
The magician shot Leopold a scathing glare that told him to shut up, before looking back to his cousin. ‘Very well. I have changed my mind and will do as you ask, Leopold,’ he announced. ‘We will save Captain Orrell and his men and then we’ll see about Seakeep, but I will get you to the ship first.’
‘Can’t you leave us here?’ Leopold asked. ‘It seems safe enough.’
‘It may be safe for the time being, but I’ve given Captain Orrell instructions to blow this whole tower to the ground, so I suggest we move rather quickly. Come.’
He led them to the balcony and Leopold and Jessicah were surprised to be looking down from a remarkable height. Jessicah breathed sharply and stepped back, unsure at being so near to the edge, despite the safety of the guardrail. Far below, almost as if they were looking down from the clouds, they could see the city around them, sitting amidst the pond of the ocean. The Farstride and the remainder of the fleet were upon the water, with landing craft moving be
tween them and the city.
Much of Cintar was burning, and the brisk wind that remained was carrying the smoke away. The gold and blue of Captain Orrell’s men could be seen in a cluster, fighting their way along the broad approach that led to the palace. They were surrounded by countless dark figures—Rei’s Order. Larger things walked amongst Rei’s army and they punished the Turian men with unbridled violence.
Every street and corner throughout the city was filled with debris and bodies. Samuel’s storm had significantly reduced the size of Rei’s defending forces, but still they greatly outnumbered Orrell and his men.
‘Rei’s army has not lost its enthusiasm as you expected,’ Leopold noted.
‘So it seems,’ Samuel said with annoyance. ‘I must have erred. One of her subordinates must be directing her Order. Hmm ... Ruardin. I will soon take care of him, but first, the captain needs breathing space. Come, I will put you somewhere safe.’
Before either protested, he clamped his hands around their waists and, with a sudden lurch, they were airborne.
‘By the gods!’ Leopold cried and he clutched to the magician’s side tenaciously, while Jessicah shrieked with fear.
‘Don’t wriggle so much, or I will drop you!’ Samuel declared.
‘Then give us warning next time!’ Jessicah gasped, finding her voice.
‘What’s that!’ Leopold called out, and he freed one hand from holding long enough to point to a cluster of dark shapes that were flitting towards them.
Samuel moaned. ‘Demon spawn. Why is nothing ever easy?’
‘Who are you to ask, Magician?’ Leopold asked with annoyance.
‘Lord Magician!’ Samuel returned sharply. ‘Now hold your tongue while I save your life again.’
The enormous batlike creatures screeched towards them, swooping in and snapping past with jagged beaks and razor claws.
The Ancient Ones (The Legacy Trilogy Book 3) Page 13