The Three Swords (The Ways of Mages)

by Catherine Beery

  “I’m here.” She said in a soft, broken whisper. Joy at her response wrapped itself around her and she felt like a chick under her mother’s protective wing. Overcome she fell to her knees. No one noticed because all their focus was on the thing over Jewel. “How can I …?” She trailed off not knowing what to do.

  Peace filled her as the voice spoke again. “What you see before you is an evil thing. Take heart, because evil has already lost.”

  “But what about Jewel?” Terana asked “She is in trouble.”

  “She is a lost child, Terana. You have the gift I granted you. You can pull her back, can be my hand which I can use to save her from her enemy.”

  Hope rose sharp in Terana. “How?” She asked.

  She could feel the voice smile. “Hold out your hand…”

  Unaware of Terana, Grim closed in on the creature still whispering his prayer despite its anger. “Shut up, Knight. There will be no salvation here!” It declared. Grim didn’t stop, but kept coming and kept praying. The thing hissed at him “Halt, Knight.” It snarled. It raised its clawed hand toward the others who were preparing to strike at it again. “One more move and I will rip her heart out.” The creature said, claws ready to act out its threat rested on Jewel’s chest. Jewel gave a tortured cry.

  The companions froze unsure what their next move should be. The creature laughed at them. It was such a foul sound. It knelt down closer to Jewel a sick smile twisting its gleeful face. Suddenly a pressure brushed each companion’s neck as a potent flash of power lashed out and curled around the creature. The thing gasped in shocked pain as the light tore through its shadow and it vanished into nothing more than a bad dream.

  Surprised the companions turned to see Terana breathing hard with her hand held before her and tears trailing down her face. “Thank you.” She whispered before racing toward Jewel. Dropping to her knees beside the woman she hesitantly reached toward her. Grim clutched her wrist stopping her. Terana turned surprised silver veined blue eyes on him.

  “Wait.” He said looking at Jewel’s eyes. They were covered with a black film that made her skin even paler.

  “What the hell was that?” Milisda asked as she came closer.

  “A Dark Son.” Grim replied. Milisda’s brow furrowed.

  “This woman needs help.” Kadrean said kneeling on Jewel’s other side before Milisda could say anything more. “We can ask questions later.” He said taking command of the situation.

  “That is what I was trying to do.” Terana said still looking at Grim. “But I need to touch her to do that.”

  Grim trembled with fear for his niece but he forced himself to say it. “That could be a dangerous thing to do since she has been touched by a Dark Son.”

  Milisda reached for Terana’s other arm sensing the danger to her stubborn charge. “Come, my Lady. It is too dangerous for you.”

  Terana shook her head and pulled her wrists from the woman and from Grim. She rolled out of their restraining hands till she settled near Jewel’s head. “There is a way to save her, but I need someone who knows her well to help me.” She finished looking at Grim, her hands an inch from either side of Jewel’s head.

  “And how do you know how to help this woman? You have never been told how.” Milisda replied.

  The girl looked down at Jewel’s stricken face before looking back up. Her eyes glittered with determination. “I’ve been told that I have a gift that can help her. That I am the hand He can use to bring her back to the light.” A tear trailed down her cheek. “Yell at me later, we don’t have much time.” She turned to Grim. “Please help me.”

  Surprised at the girl’s words, Grim nodded and kissed the glowing cross in thanks. He set it down on Jewel’s chest. The shadows recoiled from the sign of his faith. “How can I help?” He asked.

  Terana sighed gratefully. “Talk to her. Remind her of everything she ever was and is.” She turned to Milisda, Tsoya, Razyan, Liam, and Kadrean, “If you are willing, can you share your strength with me?” Razyan looked between a beseeching Terana, a stewing Milisda, and a woman lost in the darkness. He met Terana’s gaze and nodded. Smiling Terana told him to touch her shoulder. Kadrean and Liam were quick to follow suit. Tsoya shrugged at Milisda and joined them. Milisda’s silver veined and gold flecked blue eyes flashed before she too harrumphed and joined them in assisting Terana.

  Terana took a deep breath, feeling surrounded by friends. With a quick thought she asked the voice to help her. She then nodded for Grim to begin talking. Terana then touched Jewel’s head with her fingers and gasped at the pain the other woman was in. It took Terana a second to null the pain and begin the search for the light that was Jewel. She instinctively followed Grim’s voice as it led her through the labyrinth of shadows.

  Chapter Eleven–A Demon’s Nightmare

  “Why does she want him? He is not as strong as I, not as cleaver. She should want me.” Envious Phrases, by Vynalken, The Lord of Envy

  “Hush! Stop fighting me, Jewel. You are mine and you know it. You gave yourself to me, don’t forget.”The voice that had always tortured her said. Jewel shuddered. She had no idea where she was anymore. She knew for a fact that she was no longer on the slope below the mountain road. In fact, she wasn’t entirely sure she was still in her body. She couldn’t feel anything. Nor see or smell or hear anything other than the voice. A chuckle sounded around her.“Poor little Jewel. I forget you created things are so needy. So weak.”he observed in a mocking tender tone.

  To Jewel’s surprise she could suddenly feel her body again. She was standing in some black room that she could somehow see despite the fact there was no light. Her torturer was a form holding her to his side. From what she could feel, he was humanoid and of average height. A long fingered hand, a hand one would expect an artist to have, coaxed her head to turn toward him. In the non-light around them she could see his cruel smile on a handsome face. Fear clutched her tighter when she met his fathomless black eyes. They were soulless wells. Whimpering softly Jewel forced her eyes away and latched them onto anything other than those empty, cruel pits. That something was his hair. But it wasn’t hair. Blinking she found herself unconsciously reaching out to touch the wickedly soft feathers. They were luxurious, and long enough to trail to his waist, and somehow she knew that they were not a solid black. There were other colors in them. They were almost beautiful. There was just something fundamentally wrong with them. Shaking, Jewel forced her hand away. Her tormentor chuckled with amusement.

  “My feathers are too beautiful for you, aren’t they, pet?”He said forcing her to look at him again. He shook his head and his feathery hair shifted and whispered about them. A few strands brushed against her skin causing her to shiver. He grinned and his black eyes seemed to flare from within. He bent closer and Jewel struggled to pull away. His long fingers tightened on her chin painfully. In a conspiratorial whisper that brushed against her ear he said“they are the embodiment of every fear and internal pain and feeling of guilt that creation hides from themselves. They attempt to bury them with good deeds and some false sense of what they think the world wants to see.”Jewel stiffened as he nibbled on her ear before he continued and she could hear his smile.“And then they sleep, pet. And I have my fun. I show them how foolish they are. How inadequate their best truly is.”

  Jewel shoved against him needing to get away. To put some distance between them. Terrified of what he would say or do next. There had been a time when she had wondered what he looked like. Now that she knew she wanted to forget. He was horrifically beautiful. Like a snake. Nothing seemed to happen as she pushed harder against him. The arm about her waist was an immovable band. He pulled his head back to raise an ebony brow at her. Panicked, she knew that he knew every one of her failures and fears. She shoved harder and with a cruel smirk he let her go. She hadn’t been expecting it and ended up sprawling on whatever the ground was in this unknown place. He laughed and it echoed around them.“Who are you?”Jewel demanded in a voice that, to her shame, sh
ook.

  He grinned down at her. Opening his arms in a grand gesture he said“I, my dear Jewel, am the Master of Nightmare. The Lord Savranious, one of the Thirteen.”

  Jewel felt her soul shudder in fear as everything clicked into place. He was a Dark Kin. One of the Lords of the Dark Council. And he had given her pain laced hope for nearly two thousand years. Flawless teeth were revealed in a wide grin.“Yes.”He said in a tone of fond remembrance.“You were so eager. Desperate, even hopeful. And every flavor was laced with so much pain.”He took a step closer to her and Jewel attempted to scramble away but her hands could find no purchase to leverage herself away with.“You were perfect. Even after the first night you kept begging for more. No matter what horrible fear of yours that I showed you, you still hoped. Still hungered.”By this point he had reached her. In a fast movement he grabbed her by her shirt and dragged her up. Her hands flew forward to keep herself from falling into his chest.

  “You liked hurting me.”She gritted out.

  Savranious laughed.“I loved it. And no matter what I did, you still wanted to see your precious beloved.”He paused to smile at her.“I need to keep my eyes open for more besotted fools.”And he kissed her forehead like some father who was pleased with a child. The Dark Kin had managed to make such a tender gesture and twist it into something ugly.

  Abruptly he dragged her under his shoulder once again and began dragging her in some direction. Jewel cried out and struggled. She even reached for her magic but couldn’t touch it.“Enough.”Savranious snarled.“You will see this, for I made it just for you.”

  “What?”She asked shocked and terrified. A Dark Kin’s gifts couldn’t be expected to be good.

  “My masterpiece that you woke up from last night.”He informed her, tightening his arm about her waist.

  “Ow! You are hurting me!”Jewel pled for some shred of decency from him.

  “Damn right I am.”He said looking at her with merciless black eyes.“Do you know how rude it is to walk out before the pièce de résistance?”He inquired. Before Jewel could respond the world changed. It rippled in such a way that she wanted to be ill so she could purge herself of the sensation. They went from a non-lit nothing to a flat and barren rocky…nothing. A searing sun washed out all color and set about cooking her alive.

  Jewel squinted her eyes to keep from being blinded. A strong part of her wanted to seek shelter under the nearest cover. She would have, but sadly, that was Savranious and she did not want to show that kind of weakness. Besides, she was pretty sure that he would just laugh and make it so she couldn’t protect her eyes.

  “What is this place?”She asked.

  “I thought you would never ask. This, my pet, this is the future.”Savranious said in a tone of deep satisfaction.

  “That isn’t possible.”Jewel denied.

  Savranious smirked at her.“Oh, but it is. Pet, did you honestly think that any of your companions had a chance? Creation is weak, broken. It can never stand on its own, though it tries. The light you hoped would save you is gone. Blown out.”

  Despair clawed through her veins like a poison. She tried to deny his words, but they held a hypnotic power. A part of her knew this couldn’t possibly be real, but she was in his domain. And in his domain his word was Reality. Each syllable added more helpless despair to smother what hope she had. “Why would you want this?”She cried.

  “Because it’s beautiful.”Nightmare replied.

  “But, there is nothing here!”Jewel pointed out.

  Savranious turned her head to look at him. He was disgustingly unbothered by the searing sun. “Stupid pet, of course there is something here. You are here.”Savranious began to move around her, his fingers still under her chin forced her to follow his progress.“Your filthy dragon mother is here too. In fact, every single created thing that had strong magic is here. Of course they are little more than servants to our many hungers…”Savranious released her chin and gestured in the air.

  The world scrambled for a moment till Jewel saw her mother, Kindra, The mother Jewel had only been reunited with for such a short time was naked save for the heavy chains linking a metal collar to cuffs attached to her wrists and ankles. Her mother’s lively emerald eyes were flat and dead. Her body was littered with scars. Several of her fingers were missing and when she turned her back to Jewel, her daughter could see the scars and hanging flesh that was the woman’s back. Tears burned in Jewel’s eyes as she watched her mother being dragged into the arms of a Dark Kin covered in black tattoos. The Dark Kin appeared to be tenderly kissing Kindra with a hand passionately tangled in her red hair. His other hand was yanking on the strips of hanging skin.

  “Troukalck has always had a thing for your mother.”Savranious breathed against Jewel’s ear from behind. She could feel his presence so close, but her pain at seeing her mother so hurt and used kept her from moving away.“I think,”Savranious was saying,“that it has something to do with her compassion. It drove him frigging nuts that something could be so caring when they could be cruel instead. Now he can have his way with her and teach her the proper way of things.”

  “Stop this. Stop him!”Jewel sobbed.

  Nightmare laughed.“Why should I deny a friend his fun? But we do not have to watch any more. In fact I’m bored. There is something much more interesting to show you.”He gestured again and Kindra’s tortured form disappeared. In her place appeared Gawin. He was suspended in the air much as Grim had been in her vision of him in Vandenburg after Altana had captured him.“Now this, this is the best part.”Savranious told her, holding her against him. His evil feathers poured around her as he rested his chin on her shoulder.“Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be possessed by me?” Jewel’s eyes widened as she felt him breath against her neck.“You see, I have. I've spent a long time, in fact, pondering all the various possibilities... As Nightmare I don’t have a physical body outside my domain. Could you imagine what it would be like to watch as I take over?”

  As he talked Jewel saw herself come into the room that held Gawin. Her husband saw her and hope filled his eyes until the other Jewel met his gaze and smiled. This other Jewel had Savranious’s cruel black eyes.“Hey there, lover. Miss me?”she said as she pulled some levers that cause Gawin to be pulled into a spread eagle position. He grunted as his limbs were pulled painfully.

  The Jewel in Savranious’s arms cried and turned her head away from the image of herself inflicting pain upon her beloved. Savranious snarled and wrenched her head back around. She tried to close her eyes, but she could no longer control her body.“What did I say about missing the pièce de résistance? Watch!”Nightmare demanded.“See how I will destroy him. And you will be the tool I use for his demise. You will see it. You will feelit. Hell! You will smell it too. And he will see his little long lost wife skinning him alive. Watch her dissect him while her magic sustains him until he is little more than a writhing mess of bits. And when he rues his love for you, then and only then, will I consider letting him die.”Savranious’s voice became softer and darker.“And then pet, you will no longer dream of him. You will dream of how you will please me. My pleasure will be your only reason for existing.”Savranious laughed dryly then and muttered softly to himself "Perhaps I am more like Vynalken then I thought..."

  Jewel shuddered and tried to block his words from her mind.“No use running, little Jewel.”His tone bitterly amused.“This will be your future. The Child of Darkness will soon be born and you and yours don’t have the Child of Light. Your mission will fail. After all, what can only one person do to save the world from itself?”

  Despair’s hopeless tears poured from Jewels eyes. This was all her fault. If she hadn’t opened the door to him, Nightmare wouldn’t be able to do this to her. And his intent couldn’t be any clearer. He would use her to destroy her loved ones…

  "You are such a bright girl. A daughter every man would wish to have." A very faint yet familiar voice said. Jewel blinked. She knew that voice. “So loving. You cared for
everyone. Anything, even the cats. Good Lord, and were there cats.”The voice, Grim’s voice said with amusement.

  Jewel felt Savranious tense. The blazing world dimmed into nothingness. There wasn’t even a non-light. It was just dark. The change of scenery didn’t stop the voice, though.

  Her father’s voice wove stories of her childhood. Love filled every single one. Even the ones that she knew he had not been too pleased about at the time. As Grim spoke, she began to see a light in the distance. The sight of it gave her hope.“Jewel, my girl, where are you?”Grim finally asked.

  “Here!”Jewel shouted.

  Savranious snarled and covered her mouth.“Shut up.”He hissed into her ear. Jewel ignored him and continued to call out. It was a bit muffled, but she still made noise.“If you don’t shut up I will tear out your throat.”

  Jewel stilled briefly feeling his fingers about her throat. His nails were pressed threateningly against her skin.“I’m useless to you dead.”She whispered to him.

  He chuckled dryly.“That may be, but you will be useless to them as well. If you are dead, one of the Three is dead, little Fulcrum.”

  Jewel’s eyes widened. She thought about the prophecy the Nirami’s Child had told her. The lines that interested her the most were“The Alpha and the Omega will meet face to face and the stronger will prevail. But their strength depends upon the Three of Three: The Fulcrum, the Star’s Sword, and the Catalyst.” If she was indeed the Fulcrum, then both sides needed her. Jewel glanced at Savranious out of the corner of her eye. She didn’t dare turn her head because of his grip.“You must think I am very stupid.”She whispered.“If I am indeed the Fulcrum, then killing me would be a foolish thing for you to do. For the Darkness to win, you need all Three as well.”His look of consternation was enough of a distraction.“I’m HERE!”She shouted to the light in the distance.