by J. B. Jenn
Only a Servant and their gifts can penetrate its skin. His form when moving is blurry to the human eye. His motive is to destroy civilization. To destroy mankind.
Mercea had destroyed him in such a way this last time someone would have to summon him to bring him back. I pray every day no one is foolish enough to do so. Whereas the summoner would have control over him, it wouldn’t be complete. Urian could break loose and destroy Hartland. He is a vengeful being.
It has come to be understood if you have a powerful group of wytches, it may be possible to bind him. Once doing so, he could be forced back to the underworld. It’s difficult to do so, but I have seen it done with a different demon. It cost the lives of four of the six wytches performing the ritual.
Beware of Urian. He’ll destroy everything in his path unless he’s stopped. If it’s possible, find Mercea Stoneshield should Urian ever resurface. It may be your only chance for survival.
-- Olin Mestin, 361 E.O.G.
She set the scroll back on the table and stared at it. When she looked up, he met her eyes. They seemed thoughtful. Worried. Maik waited for her to speak.
“Honestly? I wouldn’t believe it if not for who wrote it. Olin Mestin was one of the wisest, most knowledgeable scholars of that time. My father made certain his children knew everything about the man. Well, apparently not everything. It seems there were some things left out of our education. It isn’t surprising as Carthoda is a mixture of beliefs. Father raised us to believe in the one God as my mother did. I don’t think my father ever believed in the new faith. He would always grow quiet when mother spoke of God.” She took in a deep breath and met his eyes. Determination sat in hers. “How do we stop it?”
“You read the scroll. We don’t. We need wytches or Mercea Stoneshield. The Desert lacks wytches due to our past as slaves. Wytches were killed once identified to keep us from revolting. Few wytches have come to the Desert since. Basically, we need Mercea.”
“How do we get her?”
Maik shook his head. “I have no idea. There’s still so much more to learn. I need to learn how to summon a Servant to us, if it’s even possible. I just… I just need time. If we even have the time. Urian might be on his way here already.”
Janessa studied him for a moment. “What happens if we don’t have the time?” It was evident in her voice, she knew what would happen and wanted him to lie.
Maik sighed. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.”
Thac
“How could she have just disappeared?” Thac demanded of the guards who were assigned to watch Rosha. A deep scowl furrowed his brow, drawing deep lines in it. None of his men seemed to want to offer an explanation. “Someone tell me something before I decided every single one of you is useless.”
One of them gulped. Thac stared at the man. “We saw nothing, sir.”
“The only thing I can think of,” another man added, “is Trester took her. He’s the only one missing. He was assigned to guard her, too. He must have taken her during his watch.”
Thac’s eyes swept the area. Once he saw the man spoke the truth, he growled low in his throat. He should have seen the man was missing, but he had never paid him any attention.
“Spread out! Find where they went!”
Thac watched them do what he had ordered. He turned back to the sniveling man and studied him for a moment. With one swift movement, he thrust his dagger through the man’s chest. As he turned away to join his men in the search for Trester and Rosha, the sounds of the man’s gurgling made him smile. Some of his men cast each other worried looks. He didn’t care. Killing that one, incompetent man meant the others would work harder to avoid the same fate. It was something King Barend had taught him the day he had killed his brother. Thac would never forget the lesson.
He scanned the area again, trying to get a sense of where the man had gone. “We’re coming for you, Trester. You’ll pay for this with a slow death.”
“Sir,” came a call from up ahead. Thac ventured forward. When he approached the smaller man, the man gave a respectful nod. “We found their tracks.”
“Let’s follow them.” As he started away, he saw a figure in the distance. It was a man he recognized. “You better have a good reason showing your face after what you did at the lake.”
“It was all for a reason.”
Thac met the man’s brown eyes. “And?”
“I know how you can capture the Servant with my help.”
“I’m listening.”
Mercea
There were footprints. She scanned the area. There was a small print of a woman inside one of the larger boot prints. Mercea scanned the area again, knowing she was, at least, on the right trail. Rosha was somewhere within a day from her. If she hurried, she might find Rosha by tonight.
For the first time since the inn had burned, she felt hopeful. She could see to the woman’s safety before continuing to Dawn Stone. Or, discover who the woman was.
In the gray light of early morning, Mercea could see a group of people in front of her. As she approached them, remaining in the darker shadows, it was easy to see they were King Barend’s men. The Seeress wasn’t with them though. She clutched the foreign sword in her hand. This was it. This was where she was going to kill them all and figure out where they had sent Rosha.
As she started toward them, someone grabbed her shoulder. She expected to see Arem there. Instead of seeing the wytch, she saw a man who stood over six and a half feet tall. He grinned down at her. A large fist hurtled at her face. She fell to her knees, spitting out blood. Gaining her feet, three more men came toward her. Mercea looked to them.
“If you’re planning to do something, wytch, now would be a good time,” she yelled.
She charged the man. He reached out, grabbed her arm and pulled it behind her. Mercea struggled against him for a few moments before allowing her body to go limp.
The man laughed. “That’s not going to save you.”
As he reached down with his other arm to grab her, she jabbed upwards, hitting him as hard as she could in the stomach. When he fell to his knees, gasping, she jumped to her feet and gave a vicious swing of her sword toward the others. They fell back.
Her golden eyes scanned everyone, waiting for one of them to move. They didn’t advance. It wasn’t until she felt something sink into her shoulder did she realize there were bowmen. They had known she was coming.
Mercea growled, throwing one of her daggers at the three men before spinning to focus on the bowmen. She scanned the area, wondering how many there were. There was a small hill in the distance. It was the only place for them. She’d see them otherwise as the area was treeless and mostly flat. To her left, there was an outcropping of large rocks.
She rushed toward the rocks. Another arrow soared toward her. She knocked it aside with her sword. One more arrow barreled toward her. Again, she knocked it aside. As she took another step forward, an arrow hit her from the other side. That was two archers. She hoped there weren’t more.
She made it to the rocks, disappearing from the archers’ sights by skidding behind a cluster of rocks. They’d have to venture into the rocks if they wanted to engage her. Here, she could defeat them.
A shadow fell over her. She found herself looking up at Arem. He wore a grim look before his fingers pressed against her forehead.
Arem
“What took you so long?” Thac demanded as Arem stared down at the Servant.
Arem looked up at the man, scowling. “Just be glad it’s done. She’s here. She’s unconscious. I can keep her that way until we reach King Barend, but we must hurry.”
Thac studied him for several moments. His dark eyes were inquisitive, almost accusing. Arem stood, meeting his stare without humor. Thac thumped his chest. The impact forced Arem to take a few steps back.
“Just do what you have to do.”
Arem shook his head and knelt beside Mercea again, stroking back her long golden hair. He stared at her face for a few moments, noti
ng how peaceful it looked. She was a beautiful woman. As Arem stared down at her, he hoped he had hidden the regret he felt for having done this well enough from the others. He glanced at Thac and nodded.
“Move out.”
Arem watched the man, stone faced. King Barend’s men grabbed Mercea and started north to Dawn Stone. Soon enough, they’d deliver her to the king. Arem had no idea what King Barend wanted with Mercea, but he didn’t plan to find out.
He shook his head. Poor, arrogant Mercea. If she’d just listened to him, it wouldn’t have come to this. They could have had a pleasant conversation and taken action together. Instead, she had met him with resistance from the beginning. After centuries of servitude, she thought she knew what was best. Even if she didn’t truly understand what was happening. This was the only way for them to reach Dawn Stone alive. She’d understand once she saw it.
Thac towered over him. Arem looked up at the man and nodded before moving forward with the others. The less he talked to any of them, the less likely they’d grow suspicious. They were already suspicious because of what he’d done at the lake.
“Are you certain you can keep her asleep the entire way?” Thac asked.
Arem scowled. “No. I’ not entirely certain. How could someone be certain when it involves a Servant? Are you certain you can take her should she wake? Had it not been for me, she would have killed all of you. You would have come into those rocks and threw yourselves at her.”
Thac took his time in responding. As they walked alongside each other, the large man ground his teeth. “If she wakes, we’ll take her. It’s that simple.”
Arem snorted. “Perhaps I should let her wake just to see that.” The aggravated look on Thac’s square face was priceless. “I didn’t think so. I’ll do my best to make certain it doesn’t happen. I have every reason to see her delivered to King Barend. He’s made me a few promises I intend to make him deliver.
Thac chuckled. “Good luck.”
Janessa
Janessa stood in the southern tower, looking out across the sand. All she could think about was what she had learned from King Maik. How could a demon have come out of the forest and destroyed Kenokel? Everything had seemed so peaceful. Who would have summoned such a fate for them?
She thought back to the attack which had delayed them from meeting her father in time. The man had said someone wanted all the Stones dead. Destroying an entire city and killing all those innocent people to reach them was unforgivable.
She wrapped her arms around her chest and shuddered. The fact she had survived was a mistake on their part. She wondered when they’d try to kill her again. With everything that had happened, she thought it’d be easy to see to. After all, they had summoned a demon.
When the door behind her opened and closed, she didn’t bother turning to see who had joined her. She thought it was Galtrand coming to check on her, or to tell her he loved her. Either way, she wasn’t thrilled to see him.
“Busy?” Maik’s smooth, deep voice asked.
“Extremely,” Janessa whispered, glancing at him with a half-smile.
Maik stopped beside her. At first, he said nothing. He stood there and stared out across his kingdom. There was a small city in the distance. Janessa had thought it odd when first coming to the North Gardens Palace that there wasn’t a town around it. The Desert wasn’t like Cascade. The king and queen were very much part of a society. Here, the king was removed from everyone. She didn’t see how someone removed from his people could govern as Maik did.
“Would it be too awkward to ask what you were thinking about?”
Janessa shook her head, laughing lightly. “No. Not at all. I was thinking about Urian. I don’t understand how everything could have seemed so peaceful when it wasn’t. My question is who summoned him and why? Was it to just destroy Cascade? Was it to kill the Stones? There are so many questions.”
Maik stared at her. Janessa had a keen awareness of the look in his eyes. It was evident he thought she was beautiful and that he adored her. As of yet, he hadn’t been inappropriate or demanding of her. For that, she was grateful. She looked away from him, feeling a heat rise in her cheeks at the thought of what he might do.
“There’s nothing any of you could have done. You read the same scroll I did.”
“I know. That’s what’s so frustrating! Nothing we did could have helped. We would have had to have known about the attack beforehand. Mercea Stoneshield would have had to already be there. The only thing they had were wytches. It didn’t do any good. None of them knew how to bind a demon.” Janessa sighed. She looked to him, debating about telling him about the attack on her. She decided against it. She didn’t want any more guards following her.
“I believe Cascade was attacked the way it was because they didn’t want your father or brothers to interfere.”
Janessa closed her eyes. She stood there for several moments, controlling her breathing, trying not to cry again. “Have you gotten any further on figuring out how to summon Mercea?” she whispered.
“No.” Maik sighed heavily. In his eyes, she sensed he thought he had failed her and was about to fail his people. “I’ve been pouring through the library and have been unable to find anything. I’m sorry.”
“I know your library is a source of pride for you, but let me help. Two eyes are better than one. It’ll save us time. Besides, I could use the distraction.”
“I’ve thought about that as well. You’re more than welcome to the scrolls and books.” Silence settled between them again as his gaze once again found the distant town. “I’ve also wondered if the person who summoned Urian has any idea what the demon’s capable of. What if he or she is playing with something they don’t understand?”
“I think you’re just hoping there. The person probably knows exactly what they’re doing. Maybe their plan is destruction. Maybe it’s to make us look one way while they’re doing something else, somewhere far off.” She paused for several moments, staring out across the canvas of sand. “I’m scared.”
Maik wrapped his arm around her shoulders. Janessa gave a soft smile and leaned her head against his chest, taking comfort in him for a moment. As she moved away from him, planning to return to her room, she saw Galtrand standing in the doorway. An angry look had overcome him, but he said nothing. Instead, he gave a stiff bow and left.
Janessa watched Galtrand disappear from sight. She looked to Maik who gave her a small smile before turning back to the desert sands. The breeze ruffled his black hair.
“I’ll be in the library in a few hours. I’m certain lunch is waiting for me in my room,” she said, making an excuse to leave.
“You know,” Maik said, “you don’t have to eat there alone every day. I tend to eat in the dining hall with the others. You should join us. You are a welcomed guest here. Not a prisoner.”
Janessa hesitated. Whereas she knew she should be seen publicly as she was Queen now, she didn’t feel ready for it.
“Perhaps tomorrow.”
She left him. At the bottom of the stairs, Galtrand waited for her. A look of deep hurt rested on his face. He glanced at her once before focusing his stare over her head. His entire body was rigid.
“Your Majesty,” he stated, “I trust you have found a way to make Cascade stronger?”
Janessa’s eyes narrowed. “What precisely is that supposed to mean?” Galtrand lowered his gaze. Janessa sighed at him and went to pass him, but he grabbed her arm. “I suggest you release me, Galtrand. What I do with my time is my decision.”
Galtrand clenched his jaw, but he released her. “Do you not know?” He searched her eyes. “How can you not know I love you? After all these years, how?”
Janessa couldn’t look at him. Tears threatened to spill onto her cheeks. When she looked up, meeting his brown eyes, she knew she had to tell him.
“I know you love me. I’ve known for a long time now, but I don’t share the same feelings. I never wanted to tell you. I never wanted to hurt you. I’m sorry. I
should have ended it before it became… this.” She reached out to touch him, but he took a step back. “I’m sorry,” she said again.
She left him standing in the hall, staring after her. Tears slid down her cheeks as she made her way to her room and closed the door behind her.
Rosha
Days had passed since they’d seen any trace of King Barend’s men. She wondered what had happened to make them abandon their pursuit. She hoped the reason was they had caught the Servant, though she believed Mercea had more than likely killed them.
Rosha rested against a rock. She watched Trester pace back and forth. She found it amusing she had found the lost son of King Delane Stone. He was the son everyone had assumed was dead. Banishment at the age of fifteen as a volatile wytch wasn’t something anyone thought was survivable.
This man was the man she feared would ruin everything. They had searched for him for years. Still, she wasn’t certain why she was allowing him to live. Curiosity? Fear she wouldn’t succeed?
“I think it’s time to discuss some things,” Rosha said.
The thin man turned a dangerous look on her. “If you want to talk about my parents and who I am, forget it.”
“If your father is dead and your brothers are dead, it means you’re king. You can’t let Cascade go without a leader, not in a time like this. Step up and be their king.” Rosha watched him, wondering how far she could push him. She wanted to see just what he was capable of.
Trester said nothing. He sat there, drawing lines in the dirt with a stick. Rosha watched him for a time, wondering if he’d respond. When he met her eyes, Rosha smiled.
“Do you wish to return to Kenokel? I doubt King Barend’s men would look for us there.”
“What? No! You said yourself Kenokel was destroyed. It’d be reckless to go back.” Trester scowled at her. “What the hell were you thinking?”