She froze. It had been quiet, but she had definitely heard it. It hadn't been from the training room; Rasul was, as far as she knew, asleep in the guest room. This knock came from the dining chamber.
She didn't respond, listening in the silence of the bath chamber, when the knock came again, quiet and subtle; three soft raps against the wooden door.
She drew energy into herself preparing to fight back if she needed to. Slowly, she approached the door and pulled it open a crack, keeping her magic at the ready to send a stone spear through any threat on the other side of the door.
Malkavius, the Master of Chaos, stood at the door. Shocked, she stepped back, clutching her towel to herself. “Master Malkavius, what are you doing here?”
He looked around, furrowing his brow as if he were honestly thinking about the question. “I think I came here to talk to you.”
“You... think?” Amethyst said, confused and nervous.
“Yes,” he said, looking around and patting his pockets robes as if he were looking for something. “I was supposed to give you a thing, and I seem to have forgotten it.”
Amethyst held the towel to her chest with crossed arms, her hair dripping down her back. She had never spoken directly to Malkavius before, though his apprentice had been kind once she had gotten to know him a little.
Malkavius snapped, a delighted look coming over his face. He reached into his robe and pulled out a rolled piece of parchment, sealed with wax. On the wax was the symbol of Chaos – a circle with points that alternated between pointing inward and pointing outward. He held it out to her.
“I believe I wrote that,” he said, tapping the scroll with one finger. “I am certain it contains useful information.”
She looked at the scroll. “What is in it?”
The Master of Chaos shrugged. “I don't know. I don't think I should read it, though, it isn't for me. It's very impolite to read things that aren't meant for you.” He tapped his chin. “Though you often learn things that you wouldn't otherwise learn. A bit of a trade-off – manners exchanged for knowledge.”
She took it from him. “How did you get in here?”
“Oh, I'm sure there's a way,” he said. “There's always a way. It's just that sometimes the way is a little out of the way.” Malkavius paused for a minute, frowning. “It stops being a real word after you say it enough times in a row. Way. Way. Way.”
Amethyst blinked at the Master, confused beyond words. The man was absolutely mad. “I... will read this at my earliest convenience, Master Malkavius, thank you.”
“Oh, you're absolutely welcome!” He reached out and enthusiastically shook her hand, smiling broadly. “Well, if you don't mind, it is getting late, and I really must be going. Have a wonderful evening!” He stepped back and closed the door as if he were bidding guests farewell.
Amethyst stared at the door, bewildered. She set her hand on the handle and pulled it open to reveal the empty dining chamber. Malkavius had vanished.
She looked down at the scroll in her hand. She considered opening the scroll in Giriraj's study, but something told her it would be better to read in private, so she took it to her old quarters, where she had stored some of her things that she didn't need every day.
Taking a seat on her old straw mattress, Amethyst broke the seal on the scroll to discover that it was two sheets of parchment, not one. She unrolled them in her lap, and read over the ornate, flowing handwriting that covered the pages. It was not written in the hand of the Northmen or of Lonwick, but instead used the beautiful script of the dark elves of the Burning Sands.
To Amethyst, the Apprentice of Earth,
I am writing this to you in a moment of complete lucidity. I am aware that my actions may seem strange and cryptic, and for that, I apologize. It is the nature of my office and who I am that makes me at times difficult to understand, and you have my regrets.
However, let me cut to the chase, as it were. As I am sure you have noticed, our world is rife with dangers and fraught with perils, not the least of which come from within our own order. While each of us has our role to play in the balance of energies that preserves the world of Erde, there are those amongst us that play their roles too well. They have become the personifications of their elements, being controlled by them instead of controlling them.
Make no mistake, Apprentice, that there are some who have aspirations that reach far beyond this mortal coil of ours. They will stop at nothing for the advancement of their power. One of these people is in a city under a mountain, and I trust that you will meet with them eventually. Stay close to your master, learn everything that you can in the meantime, and keep your wits about you.
Look to the Abyss, and stay wary of the influences of its agents. The threat in your homeland of the invading orcs, ogres, and trolls is of exceptional importance; if it is possible for your father to crush these beasts before they are able to mass themselves in numbers beyond control, then it is imperative that he do so. Left to their own devices, the dark creatures are fragmentary and diffuse, but when united under a single powerful leader, they represent a force that can wipe populations off the face of Erde. Unfortunately, they have found that leader.
Trust nobody in the Council, until they have proven to you their agenda. We like to pretend that we are the highest authorities of power in the land, but even in the Citadel, there are strings that dangle from the fingers of a puppeteer, waiting to ensnare the unwitting – and often unwilling – into a game of much greater scope.
I look forward to one day referring to you as Master.
Malkavius
Amethyst set the pages aside and held her chin in her hands. The words on the page were much more coherent than the Master of Chaos had been, and while they seemed to warn her, there wasn't much in the way of information to tell her what – or who – that threat would be.
So now she had a choice. She could tell her father about the revolution coming in the Northlands, or she could keep it to herself and let it work itself out without Lonwick potentially getting involved. She could tell him about the massing beasts in the south and have the chance of Lonwick mobilizing its military to deal with the southern threat, leaving its northern border unprotected. With the potential shift in power coming, that could open Lonwick up to attacks from the Northlands, if the lords decided to ignore the treaties that had been forged between the nations.
Or she could tell Alberic about both situations, and let him make his own decision.
Amethyst scowled. All of this because the queen of the Northlands couldn't decide between her husband or her Master. Rolling up the pages, she stowed them in her pack, well out of sight, and returned to the study. Tomorrow, she and Rasul would gather up the crystals and await Giriraj's arrival.
She walked into Giriraj's bedchamber and flopped down on the mattress. She had no idea how she was going to handle him. He had been without her for a week, so she knew he was going to insist on her company that night.
Rolling onto her back, she pulled the blanket over the top of her, looking over the slightly disordered room and sighing.
She'd need to clean it before Giriraj arrived. She hated cleaning.
~~~
7th Waning Planting Moon, Year 4368
Amethyst slipped into the cavity under the boulders near Steinhalt, her muscles protesting. After the thrashing she had taken the day before, not to mention the work of retrieving the crystals, she was exhausted.
Rasul passed her the leather wrap they were using to store the crystals. It was similar to the roll of leather that they had used while setting up the devices, but they had brought several of them, one for each set of crystals.
It was just the work of a moment to pull the quartz points out of their holders and slip them into their respective pockets. She rolled the leather around the crystals and passed it back up to Rasul, also handing him the selenite sphere. Pulling the silver device off the wooden stake, she passed it up as well, then climbed out of the hole.
She res
ted on the boulder, slumping slightly. “Thank the gods that was the last one.”
Rasul packed the items away, huffing. “I'm going to sleep well tonight.”
Amethyst groaned. “I wish I could. I feel like I could sleep for a whole season.”
“Well, we'd best be on our way. Maybe you can take your rest before our master arrives.”
“Maybe,” she grumbled, pushing herself back to her feet. “Hopefully he's tired as well, and the ritual goes quickly.”
They made their way back to the clearing near the road. The quarry was empty this time, with no stonework going on in the gravel pit. No soldiers left the city, and no patrolling guards interrupted their travel. Rasul used the heel of his boot to scratch the travel diagram into the ground, and once the pile of herbs was ablaze, they hurtled through the ether to Mount Stromgard.
When they arrived, Amethyst saw that the dining table was present and set for three, with a feast laid out upon it. Roasted turkey, ham, and beef were on three separate platters, with different sliced breads and sweet rolls amongst candied fruits in syrup. Carafes of wine were distributed between bowls of fresh salad, with all of the dishes in easy reach.
“Welcome back, Amethyst,” said Giriraj from the head of the table. “Come, sit, eat. You can take your bath when you are done.”
He wore his brown robes, the ones that were the same design as hers. Obediently, she took a seat, Rasul sitting across from her, while Giriraj sat at the head of the table between them.
“So, I assume the crystals have all been gathered?” he asked.
“Yes, Master Giriraj,” said Rasul. “All seven sets are in Amethyst's backpack.”
“Excellent. I will review them tomorrow. In the meantime, I want you both to tell me about the happenings around here over the last week.”
Though they had already related most of the information to Giriraj via the crystal, they went over the soldier movements, weather patterns, and activities from the week prior. The Master of Earth asked many questions, pressing them for details, which they answered to the best of their abilities. When he got to the matter of Amethyst's training, Rasul told Giriraj of the drills they had worked on and gave his opinion on how well Amethyst had taken to them.
“She is incredibly skilled in manipulating the raw stone,” he said, holding his hand out to Amethyst. “It is as if she was born with the knowledge and just had to remember how to do it. However, no matter how hard we try, she cannot seem to focus the energy into its purest form and project it, like you or I can.”
Giriraj frowned and looked at Amethyst. “What seems to be the problem?”
She shook her head. “I do not know. I do everything as I am shown and told, but the energy just doesn't leave me, it dissipates back into the stone instead of hurtling forward.”
“We shall have to work on that. That is your most efficient defense against other wizards. Most of them have protections in place to guard them against physical attack. You must hammer them with your magic if you are to prevail.”
She nodded her head. “Yes, Master.”
They finished their meal, and Giriraj stood. “Rasul, you may retire to the guest room. Amethyst, I wish to have a bath.”
She nodded, standing as well. “Yes, Master. I will fetch your oils.”
He held up his hand. “No oils or creams for me today. Just the towel. If you wish to use them, then you may, but I just want to be clean for the ritual tonight. This will be the night that I bind your energies directly to the mountain.”
She swallowed hard. “Yes, Master. Immediately.”
She excused herself from the dining room and went to Giriraj's bedchamber to fetch the scented oils that she normally used for Giriraj. She took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. Since he had started being intimate with the golem, he had been much more liberal with his affections towards her. She couldn't have the golem give him his bath or participate in the ritual, so she would have to navigate those situations herself.
She returned to the bath chamber and set the oils near the water. Giriraj was already there, so she helped him undress, folding his clothing and placing them on the rack nearby. Once he was sitting in the water, she started washing him with a soft cloth.
“Why do you stay dressed?” he asked her, furrowing his brow. “Usually, you at least take off your robes. Is something the matter?”
She took a breath, and inspiration suddenly struck. “My apologies, Master. I... I started my cycle today.”
Giriraj stiffened slightly. “Ah. I see. Well... that is unfortunate.”
She bowed her head, gently washing his chest. “I am sorry, Giriraj.”
“It is a natural thing,” he said. “Nothing to apologize for. I will ask, though, that for the duration you bathe with a pail, instead of in this bath. It lasts for one moon cycle with elves, yes?”
She nodded. “It does.”
He huffed a sigh. “Then after this, until the seventh day of the waning Flower moon, I will take care of my own bathing.” He glanced over at her. “Are your pains severe?”
She shook her head, uncomfortable with the candid discussion her ruse was getting her. The goal had been to avoid this level of attention. “No. I will drink some willow tea later, but I am alright now.”
“If you need some poppy tea, then I do have some poppy.”
“I will keep that in mind. Thank you.”
She quickly finished washing him, and stepped aside, holding his towel. He turned to her, wrapping the towel around his waist.
“Take a pail to your chamber and bathe yourself, and prepare for the ritual. I will wait for you in the ritual chamber when I am ready.”
She nodded. “Yes, Master. I will be there soon.”
Once he left, she let out her breath. It had worked. She, of course, was not on her cycle; that wasn't due for another two months. However, it seemed to be a decent deterrent, as she had expected it would be. She quickly took a pail of bathwater to her room and washed, dressing in clean robes, before going to the ritual chamber off the library.
Giriraj was already waiting for her, dressed in his similar robes. He sat on the edge of the cushioned platform, his feet bare on the cold stone. He gestured for her to join him, so she slipped out of her shoes and sat next to him.
“Now, this ritual,” he said, lighting some incense with a candle, “is, as I have mentioned, designed to connect your life force, your energy, directly to the mountain. I have done this, and so have my previous apprentices. Most of the Masters have their energies tied into one nexus or another... they are unimaginable founts of power.”
Amethyst nodded. She was familiar with the idea of an elemental nexus – places in the world where the balance was always skewed in favor of one element or another. It would take an act of unimaginable power to tip the balance away from those elements, such as something a god might be capable of, but not a mere mortal, not even a Master.
“This process takes an extreme amount of power, so I will be doing it for you. I will not lie to you... it is going to hurt.”
She furrowed her brow. “Why will it hurt?”
Giriraj held his hands out before him as if he were presenting his thought as he explained. “What I am going to do is restrain you, because otherwise you may fall or break away, and that could be fatal. If I initiate the connection, and you break it, the energy flowing through your body may be enough to kill you. I have seen you channeling energy before, and I have seen your reaction to it. You have reached the point of physical ecstasy while working with relatively large amounts of energy.”
He shook his head. “This is going to be a level that, frankly, you have never experienced before, and may never experience again.” He looked down at her. “Are you ready?”
She took a shaky breath and nodded. She was as ready as she could be. While she did not want to be restrained, at this point, she was committed.
“Very well.” He extended his hand, and the stone flowed up into a tall, wide slab in front of the large cl
uster of crystals that dominated the dais, leaning slightly away from them. “Stand against that, with your back pressed against it. Keep your hands open, with the backs pressed against the stone, over your head.”
Amethyst's heart pounded as she did what he said, stepping towards the slab and leaning against it. She bent her elbow, putting her hands over her head, and Giriraj approached. The stone by her hands flowed over her palms, forming round handles that were the right size for her to grip.
“Now, hold on to those,” he said.
She squeezed down on the handles. The stone spread over her fists, trapping her hands in place. Giriraj pushed her feet to be shoulder width apart, and rock flowed over them as well, pinning them to the ground. She was, as he said, quite restrained.
“Now, I could have lessened your pain,” he said to her, rubbing his hands quickly together, “but unfortunately, you are at a time where to couple with you would be both uncomfortable and unclean, so I cannot channel the energy through myself and into you. You must bear it all.”
She nodded, the adrenaline rush making her feel light headed. The stone was not comfortable against her back. “I understand.”
Gently, Giriraj undid the front of her robes. “Are you ready?” he asked her again, lifting up her chemise and setting his hands on either side of her chest, under her breasts.
She flinched slightly at his touch, though his hands were warm from rubbing them together. “I am.”
A surge of energy flowed through her almost without warning. At first, all she felt was a slight tingle, as though she had been shocked, but it increased in intensity until she could feel it flowing over her skin and through her body, from her feet up to her hands and out. She could feel her limbs tighten and tense up, goosebumps forming over every inch of her skin and she caught her breath, inhaling sharply. Trails of electrical sensation rippled through her like lightning bolts.
“If you need to cry out, cry out,” said Giriraj, and bowed his head, pressing down on her ribs and squeezing her almost painfully. His fingertips dug into her skin as another surge of energy flowed through her.
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