by Lisa E Parry
“We also have to consider what we are going to do with the predicament in our own world.” Clearly, he had been listening in. “We have traitors who may be rewriting witching law as we speak. We don’t even know who they could be.”
I squirmed under Cheri’s glare. “I told him, sorry.”
She sighed but then Cheri’s eyes and mine sought Stephanie out. She was sitting with the black-haired Ethan and they were deep in conversation. Dorian followed our gaze.
“I say we question her,” I whispered. “Is she strong enough to fend us all off?” I watched the two of them for their reactions.
Dorian’s was pensive. “She has a valid point. If she is connected to these events then she can give us some answers of what to expect on the other side.”
I smiled at him for his support and we both looked to Cheri for her opinion. “If Anarch finds out we know Stephanie works for him it will change the game play. He may act recklessly.”
“What’s up guys?” Oliver appeared and looked around the four of us. “Hey! Just like old times, huh?” I couldn’t help but smile at his boyish grin. His face turned sheepish. “Err, I couldn’t help but hear a little something of their conversation over there,” he nodded in Stephanie and Ethan’s direction.
Cheri’s face whipped around to his. “What did you hear?”
“Nick’s name was mentioned so I got a little closer. Someone is monitoring Nick’s progress at the palace, did you tell anyone to watch him?”
“No, I didn’t. Nobody should be shadowing Nick, he is working in secret.” Cheri looked cross now.
“Hang on a sec. Doesn’t this sort of confirm our suspicions?” I added and then paused. “Stephanie is involved.”
Both Dorian and Cheri sighed at the same time; it was testament to how long they had worked together before…well before I turned Dorian demonic.
“Then I fear we must question her,” Cheri turned to us. “The consequences could be swift coming so it’s time I informed the King fully of the situation before a decision is made.” She shook her head. “Why are we always running into unknown territory now? Things we haven’t seen or heard of - and now circumstances that should never occur. I can’t help but feel let down by rationality.”
“The world is changing and people are evolving, but there will always be someone striving for power, and that is something you can always count on. This is not a revelation and it shouldn’t surprise us anymore.” I had said it without thinking.
Cheri looked taken aback at my words and hell, I didn’t even know where they had come from. Let’s face it though, it was the truth no matter how hard we tried to cover it up and pretend it wasn’t there.
Cheri looked approvingly at me and Dorian bestowed one of those cute half smiles. Okay, I was beginning to feel uncomfortable now.
“Woah, Mel. That was deep.” Oliver broke the silence and I rolled my eyes.
We were given designated chambers to sleep in, some of them were cut into the cliff side, but most buildings were carved dramatically out of wood. I couldn’t help but think this place was a serious fire hazard. They must be doing something right to have been here god knows how long without it burning down.
They had put the girls in one room and our ‘warriors’ in an adjoining room. Our bags had been brought down to us from our horses. One thing I was ecstatic about were the baths. No one was currently using them so we went one at a time and boy did it feel good. I was so grubby and dirty, and my hair greasy that I felt lighter afterward. I still had bloodstains staining my skin from the cut on my arm, which had now healed but was a little sore. I was given strong smelling oils to wash in and I emerged from a naturally hot spring feeling refreshed.
There was a table of food in our room. My mouth fell into my stomach when the only items I recognised were apples and oranges. After trial and error, the other unknown dishes were good so I ate them anyway. I didn’t ask what they were. Ignorance is bliss…
Pale purple gossamer curtains surrounded each bed and they swayed slightly in a breeze that I couldn’t find the source of. Just watching them made me feel sleepy. Soon after I crawled into a nice comfy bed and fell straight into a disturbed sleep.
I knew where I was before I opened my eyes. I felt that familiar warmth on the wind as it brushed my hair from my face and the smell of flowers tinting the air. Birdsong surrounded me, I was barefoot with my toes partially buried in the soft moss beneath my feet. I didn’t want to open my eyes; I knew he was there.
My heart skipped a beat and I screamed in my head to wake up. I clenched my fists at my sides but I felt something tug on my very soul to keep me there. No!
“Oh, you’re not going anywhere. Not when your soul belongs to me.” That voice chilled me to the core and I finally opened my eyes. There stood Anarch, just as he always had during my tuition in my dreams. His green eyes drew me in. He made sense in this world. He didn’t look out of place; he looked like he had claimed it as his own already. His black hair, shot with grey, and long grey robes moved in the wind making him look eerily real. Now I knew which side he was on, he appeared all the more menacing.
“Tell me about this friend of yours,” he drawled in a conversational manner. Oliver appeared next to him with a blank expression. I hurried up to my friend and waved a hand in front of dull blue eyes.
I sighed with relief. “An illusion.” I looked defiantly back at Anarch. “I’ll tell you nothing.”
Anarch tut and tapped his chin with his finger. “Yes, he means a lot to you. It’s such a shame he is a ghost, I mean he would be so easy for me to manipulate being a spirit and all.” He began to pace in front of me. “What is it worth to you that I don’t snuff him out?” I flinched when he clicked his fingers on the word ‘snuff’.
The thought of Oliver being taken out of my life in a split second, because that’s all would it take for a necromancer, made my breath catch. “If you harm him in any way…”
“You’ll what? You can’t bring him back. I’m growing impatient waiting for your answer. It’s a little easier for me if you come willingly. Against your will is going to hurt.”
“What is it you want me to do?” I shouted angrily.
“On the next full moon I want control of you in mind, body and spirit.”
“No way! Why?”
Anarch breathed in slowly and then let out a long breath as though trying to control his anger. “You cannot bargain with me.” He snapped his fingers and Oliver disappeared. He stepped closer to me and I tried to step back but I couldn’t. Thunderclouds rolled in overhead obscuring the sky and rumbled ominously. “I see I am going to have to try another tactic with you.” He grabbed my head and I felt my body seize up. “What have we here? Dorian is still in there isn’t he? Oh yes, I see him.” He closed his eyes and I tried to move, I really did, I wanted to lash out at him, but my body wouldn’t listen. I tried to draw power in, but something was blocking me. I stared in horror at his face as I blindly searched for absent power. I began to panic when I knew I couldn’t even defend myself against him. There was nothing, no power to call on and so I was defenceless. I wanted to scream but a pathetic moan escaped me instead.
Anarch smiled and then opened his eyes. On releasing me I fell backwards to fall flat on my back. Someone else began screaming and I turned to see Dorian lying next to me, only he was thrashing and screaming out in pain. I tried to touch him to help but my hand went straight through. I looked at Anarch.
“Another illusion?” I whimpered.
“No. You see it as it is happening in the real world.”
“Stop it!” I yelled and tears streamed down my face as I clawed at the mossy floor. Dorian clutched at his head and let out an ear wrenching scream, “Stop it, stop it!”
“Why?” he asked looking curiously at me.
“I’ll do what you want, whatever, just stop!” I felt a pain sear through my head, but Dorian stopped thrashing and fell silent. The vision of him disappeared and I turned very slowly to look at Anarc
h. Anger rose up in me and I felt power flood through my body. I stood and rounded on Anarch throwing up a shield and gathered green necromantic fire into my hands. I could barely see through a green haze and I felt my control slipping when a spell from the book I had tried to forget floated to the forefront of my memory. I spun a curse at him, which unfortunately he deflected, and the next thing I knew I was pinned against a tree with branches scraping me. I was about four foot from the floor.
“Ha! Yes, you have not forgotten those fantastic spells! This is excellent news.” He said it with so much glee that I wanted to knock his head off with a fireball. “Oh well, back to reality. I’ll be popping in again. I’m glad we had this chat.” I fell as he released me and when I woke up it was with a start as unstoppable rage coursed through me.
***
“Cheri! Cheri wake up!” Dayna startled me, and I slowly came around. Dayna took my hand to pull me out of bed. “It’s Dorian!”
I ran with Dayna to the adjoining room to find everyone gathered around Dorian’s bed. My hand flew to my mouth when I saw him thrashing and yelling in pain. His eyes were closed and he clutched at his head.
“Move!” I shouted to everyone. They obeyed, which enabled me to get closer. I tried to reach for Dorian’s head, but he thrashed again and caught my eye with a fist. Neil grabbed my arm to pull me away. “No.” I approached Dorian at the head of the bed. I quickly placed my hands on his temples and an image of Anarch flew at me. An electric pulse sent me flying across the room.
“Melissa!” I heard Viola shout and some of the others ran to our room where I saw a green glow. Even from here I could hear her yell. It wasn’t of pain though, it sounded like a battle cry. Dorian had stopped flailing and screaming so I followed Adhelm into the girl’s room and I was stunned by what I saw. Scratches tugged at Melissa’s skin and opened to bleed and then the bed caught fire. Green flames emanated from her body and shortly after they engulfed the bed entirely.
Adhelm slammed his staff onto the floor and a shock wave radiated from it in waves. The fire began to subside but they didn’t disappear so he tried again, making a dent in the floor, and this time it helped but the room had already caught fire.
“Water!” I yelled, but people were already bringing in buckets of water. Dayna’s bed had now caught fire. Dayna joined in when she had gotten over the shock. I saw a shadow dive through the wall of flames that were Melissa’s gossamer curtains and emerge again with Melissa in his arms. It was Warwick and he laid her down in the middle of the floor. She was no longer asleep and the shock of the fire must have stopped her from self-combustion. Her clothes were charred and in tatters and what was left of them were steaming. I pulled a blanket off a bed and covered her with it. She was shaking, her eyes had changed to that haunting green. I waved a hand in front of her, but she just stared dead ahead and spoke a few eerie words.
“That’s it then. On the night of the next full moon, Anarch will have control of me in mind, body and spirit.”
“What are you talking about? What just happened?” I asked her delicately.
“We shall see to Melissa and Dorian and then I will need to speak with you all.” Adhelm said beside me. I looked up at him and then to Melissa, but she turned away from me. Adhelm looked serious and unsure.
The elves had been in, but they were more concerned with the welfare of our two companions. As Warwick lowered the girl onto another bed I couldn’t help but feel dread spread through my limbs. Every bone in my body felt heavy by the time I had seen to Dorian as well. Two elves remained with us; Tobius our guide watched over Dorian and a woman remained with Melissa.
After making sure that Melissa and Dorian were seen to we all gathered in the smouldering room Melissa had set fire to. I was the last to enter the silent room. Adhelm had waited for me. I searched the faces of those circled around him. Viola looked slightly terrified and Dayna wasn’t far behind. King Aidan looked braced for bad news but resolute at the same time. Warwick and Oliver, funnily enough, both sat on beds with their heads in their hands. The bodyguards had a similar look to King Aidan, but they betrayed the signs of being unsettled. Stephanie’s expression was hard to read but then again, she was more like me and had good control over her emotions. Had she seen this coming? Is she just as surprised? I tentatively touched my tender cheek.
I schooled my own expression to hide that I was ill at ease and sat beside Dayna on the floor. We waited for Adhelm to share his information. When he finally told us what he knew, we sat in disbelieving silence. How could she not tell me this?
I stood and began pacing. “What could have frightened her so much that she couldn’t confide in me?” I asked no one in particular.
“It was a burden she was given to bear and I believe she carried this with her as punishment on herself.” Adhelm declared.
“But I could have helped her.” I had to come up with a plan.
“No one can help her. The bond on her spirit it absolute. Only the one who cast it can remove it. If anyone tries to remove it then she will die. Therefore, she must see it through.”
“Why on earth did she make a deal with a necromancer?” Dayna asked.
“My dear, she thought she was going to die anyway at the hand of Henrik, so she made the deal in the hope she could get to Dorian before both of them died,” Adhelm answered. “Would you not do the same for the person you loved?”
Dayna briefly glanced at Owen but nodded solemnly. It was the King who gave a resounding, “Yes” to the question and we all looked at him.
Aidan stood. “Melissa has the need to help everyone, even when a King demands that she shouldn’t.” He placed his hands on his hips and shook his head. “There is no reasoning with her on that, I tried. And yes, I would have done the same in her situation so we cannot blame her for that. None of us can.”
“Saving others will be the death of her,” Oliver solemnly declared. Warwick nodded his agreement.
“Adhelm, is she sane enough to bear this?” I asked.
“I believe so. However, when her temper flares she loses reason. This is when the unhinged part of her mind plays a part and this cannot be undone.” Everyone fell silent and looked to the floor not knowing what to say.
“I fear I have more bad news.” We all looked worriedly back at Aidan. “After speaking with Oswyn I feel we have missed a lot of what is going on in the world around us during our travels. Anarch mounts an army to the North which lies in waiting for our arrival at his castle.” He paused for everyone to take this news in before going on. “After calculating the arrival of my army and that of the elves, we predicted they will arrive in seven days’ time.”
“I have the bad feeling that will be on the night of the full moon?” Dayna asked. Adhelm purposefully strode to a window and looked out. I saw his shoulders slump at what he saw before turning back to us.
“I believe you are correct in your assumption.”
“Damn it, he’ll have Melisa on his side!” Warwick spat.
“We don’t know if he wants her to fight yet,” Adhelm quickly added. “He will control her in mind, body and spirit. If he wants to channel her power then he will need her to be with him at all times - not on the battlefield.”
“So, if we just keep her away from him or getting kidnapped then he won’t get what he wants?” Warwick asked.
“No, she must fulfil the deal she has made with him.”
“Then what are we supposed to do? Let him? We can’t fight against her, I won’t even try!” The vampire snapped.
“That is something else that will work in his favour. He knows we will not fight against one of our own,” Aidan said. “With Melissa’s help my army won’t stand a chance.”
“Melissa once said to us that one life to save others is a small price to pay,” Viola said quietly.
“When she gets into that mind-set there is no changing her mind,” Warwick added.
“You think she will sacrifice herself?” Stephanie asked.
“Yes. Sh
e would rather die than hurt others,” Viola answered.
“But her spirit will still belong to Anarch. If she dies before she has fulfilled her obligation to him then he will own her spirit for eternity,” Stephanie argued.
My head whipped around to her. “How do you know that?” I asked suspiciously, I noticed Warwick and Oliver watch her carefully.
“It is common sense,” she answered.
“No one can know the conditions of a necromancer’s contract. I’m sure Melissa doesn’t even know the consequences.” I stepped towards her and to my surprise Aidan stepped in behind me, he was smart and had a keen mind, he grew suspicious of her now. I decided to take the chance. “Stephanie, are you working for Anarch?” Silence ensued.
“What an accusation! You cross a line, Cheri.” Stephanie tried pulling authority.
“Don’t lie to me! Your name was on that letter along with the members of the Council! Is it they who have betrayed us on the other side?” My voice rose higher and higher no matter how hard I tried to control it. Tonight’s events had taken their toll on me. By now Owen and Neil were flanking me as I stepped closer to her. Ethan appeared behind Stephanie with a hand braced on the pommel of his sword.
“I don’t know. I’m not working for him.”
The next thing that happened was so fast that my eyes didn’t follow. Warwick had grabbed Stephanie and had her pinned against a wall. Owen and Neil prevented Ethan from going to her aid.
“You are lying! If you harm her…” The vampires voice was fierce and barely understandable as his Italian heritage kicked in. I hurried over to the two and tried to pull Warwick’s arm away, but it was useless. I might as well try to pry open the fingers of a marble statue. Oliver appeared next to us.
“What do you have to do with Anarch?” The vampire asked and I had to do a double take. His voice was no longer harsh and threatening, but smooth like silk and his Italian accent was more pronounced making his voice seductive. He locked his gaze on Stephanie and she stopped struggling so he lowered his hand from her neck. I had to blink a few times to shake off the effect his voice had on me and I was glad I wasn’t on the receiving end.