“Oh, Cage.” Bern gained his attention as he was climbing back down. He showed off his new favorite gift. “This bow is amazing. Even with real arrows. I’ve never used such an exquisite bow before. Thank you for giving it to me.”
Cage shook his head. “It’s a loan.” They were crestfallen till he grinned. “Just make sure you return it when you die one day.” Then his eyes snapped away and narrowed. The ranger’s went on full alert at the warlock’s sudden change. They were even more still when he put a finger over his lips and watched him climb down the tree like a spider and disappeared into the dark.
Bern and Gregory lifted their new bows and whispered nearly inaudibly, almost at the same time “Night Vision.” The oval crystal set in the grip, just above where their hands tightened, they saw through it to see the inky blackness glow with green and black colors. The crystal acted also as a spyglass to increase their natural vision for distance. They looked to where the warlock first glared and found what they hadn’t seen earlier.
A strange woman, twisted by magic, stalked like a jungle cat towards the group. She moved silently on all fours. Her body was covered in thin hair to repel water and a braid ran down behind her head. Her eyes were too large for her head and her nose and mouth were extended more like a short muzzle of a panther. She was hard to see in the dark as her hair was black as the night she stalked in. Clasped to her upper arms were leather armlets housing several crystals while at the small of her back was a rather large dagger.
Bern and Gregory drew arrows from the quivers strapped to their back, notched it to sturdy spider silk string and drew the longbows back, requiring inhuman strength they now had at their disposal. They held still as statues, barely moving the arrow from the target.
To their surprise they watched the woman coming ever closer also get stalked. Cage suddenly came in behind her without making a sound her modified ears could detect. They were both ready to shoot an arrow through her eyes if anything went wrong. Slowly they watched as he drew Ghosts Bane while matching her step for step, using the rain, thunder and her own movements through the brush to get closer. Bern and Gregory both knew she wouldn’t be able to detect their use of magic for another forty yards. The night vision ability used very little and their new strength made even less magic that could be sensed. Their scent was constantly being washed away by the rain and the minimal light given off by the crystal was near impossible to spot up in a tree, fat with heavy leaves. They were still in awe at how Cage stalked the stalker.
Then in the middle of a flash of lightning, one moment they saw him standing less than a foot away and after the light vanished he had the altered woman on her back, foot on her chest and his sword at her throat. “He’s taken her down at the perfect angle for us to shoot her.” Bern noticed how she was intentionally positioned. “I’ve got her. She isn’t going anywhere. Go give him a hand.”
Gregory didn’t respond with words, but action as he safely climbed down and came over with a drawn knife in one hand. It took a few moments to run through the brush and as he came within earshot he heard Cage say without looking “Gregory, take off her armlets with your gloves. There is a nasty spell should they be removed by anyone’s hands.” It appeared he stood on an invisible rock, but then he heard the animal-woman’s growl. He approached cautiously. “Oh, and no magic must touch you. I can’t do it.” He made a large fist to show his black diamonds set in the eyes of an etched skull. Gregory sat down his bow and the coin crystal in his forearm sheathe that held his dagger.
He came over and placed a boot on the invisible woman’s furry wrist and slipped the crystal set armlets down and off each arm and then she appeared when they no longer touched her fur. Cage had her under control as she held still while her nose bled from him using the flat of his blade to stun her for just a moment, plenty enough to get her on her back and keep her there. Gregory also grabbed for the buckle belted at her waist which held the long dagger that had its handle peeking out of the mud from her lower back. Cage then instructed him to remove her pants as they contained what he called a space altered pocket.
The woman growled “I will not be humiliated.” The sound inhuman with the short muzzle.
“You will do as I say, assassin!” Cage mercilessly pressed his foot down and Gregory heard a rib snap, even as she screamed. “And then you will die.”
“Assassin?” Gregory asked as Cage withdrew rope from one of his pockets once her pants were off and used to roll up the armlets and dagger.
Cage spoke as the ranger bound the woman’s wrists. “Oh, yeah. A damn good one too.” Ghosts Bane went back in its home as he grabbed the woman’s braid of long hair and drug her screaming form without aid though Gregory was assured to be able to pick up his weapon and crystal so long as her items remained safely tucked inside her pants. Her wrists and ankles were secure and by her looks, she tried using magic, but before a spark could form, a blackness overpowered it and made her submit.
Bern remained up in the tree, now more alert to the danger that nearly went unnoticed.
At the edge of the clearing stood nothing out of the ordinary till he took another step and then suddenly appeared everyone alert and serious. Warriors had their spears immediately trained on the woman while the dragon’s held back, ready to intervene only if necessary. Most of the women had been woken when he sent word on ahead of his new prize and if they saw a woman covered in black fur with a muzzle odd, they didn’t show any form of surprise, just hostility. Her yellow eyes glowed in the firelight, modified to see in near total darkness like a real cat. Everyone had weapons out and were deathly silent.
The warlock threw the woman down in front of Moril who crossed her arms while rain beat down upon her skin and made her appearance quite frightening in the current light setting. He then asked “Have our scouts been informed?”
The chief didn’t look away from the now truly frightened woman who knew what her fate was going to be. “Yes, but no further sightings have come.”
“Not surprising. This assassin gave me the impression she works alone… Oh, by all means, bite off your tongue.” Cage spoke to the woman as he saw how she was moving her jaw. “But you should know already that I’ll simply grow it right back. I’ve blocked your magic and even if you managed to get past me and my people… you still have them to deal with.” Deep growls made the earth tremble. “And as you can see, they hate empire assassins.”
She reconsidered her options and held still while five spears were still aimed near her throat and another three were aimed at her heart and torso.
Moril didn’t look away from the woman’s eyes, but spoke to Cage as she stoically came closer. “And how to you suspect she is an assassin?”
“First, she has cloaking magic far beyond her power as likely a second class witch. Her armlets have been touched by a dragon.” More growls came when they verified his findings when Gregory laid out her items. “If I hadn’t seen white magic swirling around her, I would have not noticed. The spells she was utilizing blocked her scent and ability to be detected in any conventional way. She was invisible to the naked eye, but I bet Gregory was able to find her with his bow.” The ranger nodded. “And I could not sense the usual tingle of magic being used until he took off her armlets. And here I thought such a spell was impossible, but she has it. Furthermore,” Cage lifted the belt containing the long dagger. “This blade is beyond lethal. It has been covered in concentrated Zeether venom. One tiny prick will kill even a dragon if not cut out before it hits the bloodstream. It is so concentrated not even a hundred of those snakes could make something so potent. And Granny has already promised no one in high authority has assassins that use Zeether venom other than out dear friends up in the Laqura Empire. Since I could see magic at work I could see her, but she could have killed us all, should our friends not have noticed her. Out in the forest she stuck out like a bonfire.”
The chieftain crossed her arms over her breasts. “Woman, you realize you are going to die for this. And we will
not allow you to die till we are satisfied you have no secrets. Make it easier on yourself and tell us everything. Your death will be far quicker than what Cage will do to you. Believe me.”
For once the cat-lady’s eyes bulged as she looked at him. “The warlock?” her body began to shake. “No… it’s impossible…” when he grinned she knew it was true. She showed her sharp teeth in a grimace. “I was lied to.”
“Where were you sent from?” Moril asked.
“I want to tell you, but I cannot.” The assassin stated. “Never has such a lie been embellished right to my face.”
“Tell us now.” Moril said a little forcefully. “Or should I force the truth spell on you?”
“Wait a second.” Cage knelt in front of the woman and stared at her black, soaked throat. His own magic felt out how it worked and his mind came to an understanding. “She really can’t talk about it, just like me when I try about topics learned in Twilight. This spell on her has a similar creation, but more painful. she cannot say in any way shape or form without choking almost to death, her eyes going blind and becomes temporarily deaf. She can’t even blink intentionally once for yes and twice for no, if we phrased questions in such a way. It is subtle, but this is not Twilight’s work. Grandpa and Granny’s spells are just like mine and if they are the same, why is hers so much more binding? The empire would want to make sure their assassins can’t do shit if caught. It’s powerful too… Xamii, if I overpower this spell, will I risk killing her?”
The gold dragon, most ancient of their entire group was silent for several moments. Then she said “Yes, if you or I stripped the spell it would destroy even her mind as well as body. The only way is to use a powerful two-leg sorceress, as it needs a female’s mana.”
“Do I have such power?” Brooke asked with her weapons out and ready. “Next to my man, my power is greatest.”
Five minutes passed until Xamii looked away from the prisoner. “It will be difficult, Brooke, but power you can wield might be capable of freeing this spell.”
“How should I do it?” Brooke asked.
“Words used for this creation elude me.” Xamii sighed for just a moment. “I will guide you on removing it safely. Stand before the secretive female assassin.” Brooke did just that and watched as hundreds of golden strands thinner than hair began glowing mostly around the furry woman’s neck and some around the head like an intricate net that would constrict and kill. Thankfully the rain slacked to a gentle drizzle. “This visibly represents what you cannot see. To break such a spell requires complete concentration if we wish to have her retain all memories of what we want known. One mistake will seal those memories from being spoken of, even in death as a spirit.” One tiny end began glowing brighter than the rest and she realized this task was much like what Cage had to do when he was first learning magic with the dragons, only now did she understand it was practice for removing spells safely. “Send mana to this small point as powerfully as you can manage.”
“Don’t worry about tiring, I’ll keep your strength up.” Cage promised as he laid a hand on her shoulder and felt her body warm as he gave some of himself to her. The warmth also came from her hunger for him.
Xamii seemed pleased. “And with that point of immense power, stretch it at a speed I set. The flow my eyes see need to be matched without error. Too fast will kill her and slow will result in just as much damage. Keep power constant, like flowing river without end.”
Brooke knelt so she could properly focus and everyone felt a sharp spike in magic from a highly powerful first class sorceress. Brooke sent raw power to the exact point Xamii showed. She kept her mind locked on the task, not worrying as she was supported by her man and Meeka a moment later. Tohka simply kept her whip at the ready since he power wasn’t quite up to the task of helping. Fierce brown eyes stayed locked on the golden thread of light, where it was brightest, sensing the complex pattern in her mind’s eye. The rain kept her cool as using a spell of such power for the first time was hard work.
It took three hours for Brooke to maintain and stretch out the power she released, following the golden guide. Then at last she felt in her mind, more than heard, a sizzle as something dissolved. The other woman’s bound hands went to her throat as her unnatural eyes were wide. Brooke fell back in her man’s half revealed chest and heard Xamii’s patient voice. “It is done.”
Moril nodded and immediately asked “How were you sent after us?”
The woman gulped and said with obvious hesitation “Orders stating from the empress herself, passed to me from my commander. My orders were to move to this area, from my position in Hideaway at just after nightfall and kill whoever caused a great disturbance in the air. I was told it was a first class sorcerer making a weapon to take out all…” her eyes bulged before capillaries in the whites blew, rolled up in her head and collapsed into a seizure.
Cage sent a sudden blast of power into the ground to throw everyone away from the assassin, himself and his mates included. Mud and grass rained from the sudden thrust to get away.
The ready soldier dragons saw the abrupt activation of magic too and reacted as if one mind and teleported her expanding form out to space where it blew like an atomic bomb.
“Is everyone alright?!”Cage yelled as he pulled himself off Brooke and Meeka, using his body as another shield, after activating his own and surrounding Tohka in his power too during the time she was thrust away in the air. A small crater is all that remained of the assassin after being teleported away.
“What just happened?!” Shania yelled first as she stood up and moved around with her spear, searching for another attack.
When it was clear no further opponents were near and only a few minor cuts were the result of his ground erupting reaction he said “I didn’t have a spare moment to get everyone away from her. I completely missed a secondary spell that set in motion the moment Brooke destroyed the primary spell. I didn’t see it till her eyes widened. Her body was about to release all its energy in one massive explosion.”
“He cannot be faulted.” Xamii defended him when he was stared at angrily by the entire crowd of warrior women. “Cage’s eyes were not only ones to be caught in deception. There was a hidden deadly spell that would have harmed more than fifty miles. I had not considered such a spell and in the two-leg’s final moment, neither did she.”
“Apparently.” The elder sighed away her tension.
To the soldier dragons Cage said “Good reaction. Where did you send her?” one explained and elicited a chuckle. “Even if it weren’t real, she wouldn’t have had time to save herself in the vacuum of space. And as a second class witch so modified, she couldn’t have survived a Jump.”
Moril rubbed a sore shoulder from landing the wrong way and commanded “Get some sleep. Any more spies we’ll simply kill… so long as it’s proven they were out to kill us. I’ll not have that happen again.”
“I’m going to keep this.” Cage said as he lifted the belted dagger swimming in Zeether venom. “Could come in handy.” He then stuffed it down into his pocket. “Come on, Loves, and let’s get some sleep. Brooke, you okay?”
“That was hard.” Is all she said before passing out in his arms. She came to a second later, but found herself carried in his strong arms and felt very loved. She simply smiled and drifted back off to sleep smelling his clean scent of man and warm sun.
They all got what was needed, but now the soldiers kept an eye out with the hunters in the event another skilled assassin came too close.
Chapter 4
Three weeks passed since the assassination attempt and the tour of Emroc was already complete and more than half of Vlara had been seen. In the daily flight the tribe was amazed to lay eyes upon Twilight for a few hours the day after. Megdline, Frill and general Barbav pointed out many interesting places all without setting foot in the city. They were quite interested in the assassination, but who wouldn’t be? Many of the dragon casters told their new partners where they once lived, and Rex Gralla pe
rmitted a one night stay. She especially wanted to spend time with Sean and Ollai to learn more about them and enter them in the dragon histories. The tribe stayed in the Blind Mountains overnight.
By morning the strong winds made them have great time making it to see Mirim Mines, a rather fortified mining town that dug through an enormous pit rich in raw iron and silver. Magic was at work there and Cage’s closer inspection revealed a hundred dragons hidden. One commander dragon explained that all of the five colonies were rapidly binding to humans in every village, town and city, using the most secretive of methods to bind as many as possible.
After finding Mirim Mines, they continued to the edge of Dead River the next day, later passing by the Stronghold. They didn’t have permission to land as mages from Twilight had yet to disarm all traps in the trenches surrounding the large crystal that looked like a glass flame. Still, they were able to get close enough to see where Cage finally escaped The Deep.
From there they traveled north. Mageus and Keyta were smaller towns than Kote with a population at less than a thousand. Along the Keyta River showed reclusive homes and even tinier villages. But on the western side showed wyrms, overgrown iguanas, hunting along the riverbanks. Thankfully they were afraid of crossing deep water, being unable to swim. Beytm was a rather moderately sized fishing town, but made mostly from rich granite. The port also acted as a lifeline to its southern cousins down in Keyta.
After seeing the place where Megdline killed wyrms an idiot in Beytm tried raising it as a pet to wind up being eaten, they crossed due east over Dalli, Inlet Port and Kidi before cutting back and headed past Dalaran.
Empress's Endgame (Book 5 and final of the Death Incanate Saga) Page 14