Curious, she thought. It was like nothing she’d ever seen before. It flickered and blurred infrequently leaving a faint after-image as he moved.
Inside the breach the remaining guards defended themselves with crossbows picking off the cloaked men and women assaulting them with ice magic and lances of spectral energy. One guard, a veteran she supposed based on the unusual insignia on his helmet cleaved a path towards Haures and lunged at him his sword ready to impale the severe figure. The noblewoman reached for her own weapon but Haures stepped forwards and with a flick of his wrist telekinetically ripped the sword from the guard’s hand letting it drop onto the stone below. The guard hesitated as Haures stepped forwards and pressed an open palm to his helmet.
“Sleep.” Haures’ quiet voice belied the compelling power behind his words. The guard froze and collapsed to the floor in a deep slumber. The traitor stepped over the prone form and continued onwards.
“Why not kill him?” His companion asked as she picked up the fallen sword. And stabbed downwards through the joints of the armour plating into the sleeping man and twisting with an unpleasant grin across her face. “Much easier.”
“I applaud his dedication to his job, even outclassed and outnumbered his resolve was commendable.” Haures turned to look down at the dying body beneath him. “Such people are rare.”
The woman shrugged with disinterest and withdrew her sword. “Who cares about some no-name guard on this gods-forsaken rock. If he were valuable he wouldn’t be here.”
The rogue inquisitor merely scowled and ignored his companion. As the last of the guards were killed or lay dying his followers descended into the prison complex through another breach torn open by Valdgeirr. The dragon circled constantly around the island like a vulture over carrion.
“This test of yours had better work.” The woman spoke up again. Her voice was haughty and cultured yet sharp and cold. “It won’t be long before the Inquisition catches wind of this.”
“Then we’d best hurry, hadn’t we?”
From the breach Haures’ followers dragged the chained and shackled miners enslaved deep within the prison, their skin paled by years spent below the surface. They stared upwards at the overcast sky blinking in pain away from the light as they were shoved unceremoniously towards the ship docked at the port. Scores of prisoners marched towards the boat flinching away from the eldritch energy emanating from the hooded cultists herding them out of the smouldering ruins.
“All I want is a guarantee this’ll work. That you’re not squandering our resources freeing scum like this.” The woman persisted.
“Then you’ll be disappointed. There are no guarantees, that’s why it’s a test.” The traitor took his eyes away from the escorted prisoners and glared at the noblewoman. “If you want the gift it’ll take time, and sacrifice. It could take years — thousands of subjects. We’ve been through this Natascha.”
Natascha shrugged. “Spare me the lines you feed my father. Unlike him I’ve got time to wait.”
A fireball exploded against a nearby wall blasting chunks of stone masonry and melted iron outwards as Valdgeirr swooped overhead. Natascha flinched from the shrapnel and stepped backwards. “That attack dog of yours needs better training.”
Haures smiled. “It’ll do whatever I command.” He reached into his pouch and withdrew some paperwork and skimmed through it before handing it towards her. “Take this and return to the ship. We’re almost done here.”
The noblewoman turned her nose up and grabbed the papers with the tips of her fingers and retreated towards the ship. Her pace quickened when the shadow of the dragon passed overhead flying in for another attack run. Once she was out of earshot he spat towards the floor.
“Even these prisoners have more value than you Natascha. They don’t claim to be noble whilst abusing their power and selling out their own father.”
As he surveyed the last of the prisoners filing onto the boat his hand idly grabbed the psy-shielding pendant around his neck shaped like the head of an owl. The resistance around him fluctuated and distorted and he froze. She was exposed.
The word was not spoken aloud but she heard it clearly within her own mind. Haures spoke directly into her mind with telepathy.
The rogue Inquisitor shook his head.
He laughed mirthlessly, crossing his arms across his chest.
Without unfolding his arms his left hand flicked upwards and tendrils of psychic energy wrapped around Isobel constricting her projection. Behind him something within the breach exploded outwards raining shrapnel down upon the courtyard and thick smoke billowed upwards. She lashed out with her mind slashing at the bonds restraining her, severing and shredding her way free. Floating backwards and evading his seeking mind, between the distance of her projection and his psy-shield any assault on him would be futile. Instead she flew upwards shedding illusionary duplicates in different directions to confuse and divide his efforts. She dived through the burning remains of a collapsing watchtower and circled behind the stone walls keeping out of his sight as he effortlessly crushed her illusions.
Shouts followed by fireballs exploding across the courtyard towards the loaded ship broke out as figures emerged from the smoldering breach. At first Isobel wondered if any of the Guardsmen had survived the initial purge but was surprised to see the familiar face of Inquisitor Mia Pietas leading a group towards Haures and his followers. The robed cultists countered with a volley of icicles and eldritch fire towards the Inquisitor’s retinue. She deflected them away and raised a blue translucent shield as they advanced, beside her she could see two old men splitting off from the group and rushing towards Haures as he sought cover. Alvis Razakel struck the fleeing traitor with a blinding bolt of electricity throwing Haures to the floor twitching, whilst the unforgiving chiselled face of Aether Caeneus hacked through the drone-like movements of some of the defending cultists.
“Surrender and submit to the authority of the Inquisition!” Mia Pietas shouted over the battle. Raising her longsword in the direction of the terrified prisoners and the prone Haures. With her free hand she reached into her dark brown leather longcoat and drawing her badge of office holding it before her like a weapon.
Haures dragged himself up, stumbling over the rubble and narrowly avoiding another incandescent bolt of lightning as he dashed beneath cover. Though old Razakel and Aether closed the distance with remarkable speed, forcing a path through the mindless thralls blocking their way.
“Just how many people’s lives are worth your own Haures?” Aether shouted, furious as people threw themselves before him each robbed of their free will. “You can’t escape us forever.”
“Criminals and heretics. That’s all they were!” Haures shouted in return. Bolts of spectral energy lashed from his outstretched fingertips as he poked out from behind a shattered pillar. “You protest too much, Inquisitor. These are exactly the sorts of people you hunt and kill on a regular basis.”
“There’s a world of distance between the hand of justice and the heresy you commit and you know it.” Aether swung his greatsword and slashed throug
h the magic blast splitting it aside. The energy dissipating harmlessly against his black plated mail as he advanced towards the traitor’s hiding place.
Haures laughed despite himself. “Do you really believe that? The Inquisition never stood for justice Aether. Not really, it’s seeped in corruption.”
“You’re one to talk.” Razakel appeared, raising a gloved hand towards the pillar and shattering it into millions of pieces and exposing Haures. “One less to worry about now.” His finger aimed accusingly at the traitor Inquisitor and wreathed in arcane energy.
“We need him alive Alvis!” Mia shouted as she signalled the rest of her retinue to secure the ship filled with cowering and shackled prisoners.
Upon hearing her words a half-smile crossed his face.
Aether circled around him, his sword aimed squarely at the traitor. “I wonder if you’re as durable as Morveil was. Perhaps I might slice that head of yours off to spare me your voice.”
Haures merely shrugged and gazed across the battlefield as the last of his thralls were killed by Mia and her retinue. “Don’t worry this conversation is over.” He looked upwards with a rare smile.
“Fall back Alvis!” Aether shouted as he ran towards Inquisitor Mia. “You know you can’t harm it with magic!”
Razakel ignored him focusing more and more bolts of lightning towards the dragon, the air around him crackling with energy and swirling around him. Lost in focus as he stood his ground.
Isobel heard Aether and Mia shout his name as they retreated, some of her followers peppering the dragon with crossbow bolts that shattered against its scales or were lost to the winds. Unable to do anything to help in her intangible form Isobel cursed, Razakel was a friend to both her and Eleanor during their earlier years. She thought of Eleanor, and the magic she made look so easy, competing with Razakel in contests of spell-casting and their fascination with esoteric magical concepts. The loss and hatred dulling her mind as she soared after the dragon pulling up from its murderous dive.
“I didn’t think it would be that easy.” Haures shouted at the grey owl flying after him. The dragon turned with unnatural speed despite its huge size, to chase after the owl. Another blast of super-heated air scorched where the owl had been seconds before but the owl avoided the blast with ease. Its small size confusing and infuriating the dulled and ravaged mind of the undead dragon. Each gout of flame missing the small bird as it circled and dived away from the larger creature.
“Enough of this. Kill that damn bird.” Haures yelled at the silent Falkner. The traitor Caelite glared at him with thinly veiled contempt and with reluctance unleashed his own lightning magic at the tiny owl. A blast of electricity missed the transformed sorcerer by mere inches sending the owl into a tailspin as it lost altitude and accelerated towards the scorched earth out of control. The dragon renewed its own attack chasing after the bird as it fell out of the sky opening its maw either to eat the bird whole or burn it to cinders. Isobel chased after them feeling ineffective and watching in horror once again, unable to break Haures’ control over the creature or save Razakel as he fell. The dragon’s sleek black form accelerated after the owl as the ground rushed up towards them, gaining on the small bird.
Inspiration struck first and Isobel launched herself into the dragon’s mind, whereas Haures was shielded and Falkner within his shield radius the dragon was not. She dove into its murky veiled thoughts controlled by necromancy and driven by a mixture of hatred and despair, feeling pity at the once noble dragon. Haures connection was too strong, his foul spell-work bound the dragon entirely to his will and she had neither the time nor the knowledge to free the bound creature. Instead she sought to interfere, slowing the creatures thoughts, and tearing into its motor control. With great resistance and the sluggishness of an undead mind she managed to wrest control of its flight muscles and hinder the creatures’ co-ordination veering the dragon off to the side as Razakel tried to regain his own flight. She closed the dragon’s mouth and tried to send the creature into a terminal dive as the owl escaped. Razakel swooped down towards the prison and through the narrow passage ways within the walls to safety.
“What happened? Are you okay?” Claire’s big blue eyes stared her in the face as she tried to ease the elderly woman back into her chair. “Take it easy.”
“Eleanor?” Isobel asked, her throat dry and hoarse. As her vision cleared up and foolishness crept over her. “So much like your mother.”
Claire watched the world pass by as the horse-drawn carriage pushed on steadily through the streets. Though uncomfortable given the uneven twisting roads; riding in a carriage had a certain style she had to admit. With Sevaur and Adrian trying to locate Reiner and share some of Isobel’s information; she and Isobel headed towards the Night Guard’s main station. Their absence was tangible; the elderly woman beside her remained exhausted from her psychic search and spoke little. Wrapped up in a long coat the former Inquisitor’s colour was returning; she’d refused to wait at home to recover and insisted they alert the Night Guard.
“You’ve never been to the city before have you.” Isobel asked after a while. “It’s not much to look at I’ll grant you but it has its charm.”
Claire nodded in response. “It’s different. Bigger than I expected.”
Isobel chuckled. “You should see some of the other cities. This miserable place can’t hold a candle to some of them.”
“Where are you from? If you don’t mind me asking.” The journal had been sparing in its descriptions; the briefest contact details and several records of cases together but rarely anything personal.
“Lohrheim. Far, far to the east.”<
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“I’ve heard of it.” It was hard not to, given its role as heart of the Empire, and home to notable colleges, academies and innovations. “That’s where the Inquisition is based isn’t it?”
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