by Phil Stern
“Well, close enough.” Leaning forward, Claire’s stone gave a brief, ruby glow. “How does that feel, Tiffany? To be cast aside like a piece of garbage? After all you’ve done for them?”
Clearly, Claire thought her to be absolutely powerless. Good. All Tiffany needed to do was keep the conversation going a little longer. “You wanted Sharra to be killed.” Casually dropping a hand to her lap, she managed to loosen the Coven Stick a little more. “That’s why you told us about the midate in Mobile.”
“Very true,” the slim brunette sighed. “Sharra was becoming a bit…unruly, shall we say? I knew she had no intention of giving me the midate. Instead, Sharra was going to use it to unseat me.”
“So you waited until a young witch strong enough to kill her came to interrogate you in Rasten, then gave me enough information to intercept Sharra in Mobile.”
“You see? I know how to get things gone.” Holding up a knowing finger, Claire smiled once more. “But now I need a new Deputy Coven Leader, my overall number two for operations around the universe. You, obviously, would be the perfect choice.”
Somehow, the Haven sorceress choked back her surprise. “So you’re asking me to join you?” She tried not to stare at her earth stone, so tantalizing close, yet still out of reach. “And if I do, I get my power back?”
“That’s the deal, yes,” she confirmed. “But why wouldn’t you want to join us? Your Coven is obviously in decline. Or haven’t you noticed how out of touch your Coven Council now is?”
“I don’t think so.”
“Really? All those old women, clucking and criticizing all the time?” The young Coven Leader laughed. “Talking about the good old days while getting fat in Haven? Telling you not to live with the man you love, and then demanding you act like some inter-dimensional whore?”
Though outwardly remaining calm, Tiffany’s back teeth ground together. “I trust my Coven-mates.”
“Oh, the same Coven-mates who’ve abandoned you now?” Tilting her head to one side, Claire deliberately frowned. “The Coven-mates who ordered you to kill our Prefect on Tethra, without explaining why or who he really was?”
“Listen, I don’t think…”
“The Coven-mates who didn’t tell you about your abandoned sister on Dytha? They’re the ones you trust so much?”
Tiffany rolled her eyes. “Please! They obviously didn’t know about Valensa.” This was getting ridiculous. With the utmost care, she continued mentally probing her Coven Stick. In another minute…
“Yes they did!” Slapping the desk for emphasis, Claire leaned forward. “That’s how we found Valensa in the first place! We were following your own Deputy Coven Leader around on Dytha, and she visited Valensa. In jail!”
“Barbara?” Somehow, this had the ring of truth to it. Everything else momentarily forgotten, Tiffany could only stare at her. “You’re saying that Barbara was aware Valensa existed? That she knew of her power?”
“Yes!”
“And she just left…”
“She left her to rot in jail, Tiffany! Your own sister, thrown out with the rest of the inter-dimensional garbage!”
Despite herself, pure anger surged throughout Tiffany’s being. Why, that was precisely what Barbara would do upon discovering a renegade sorceress! Just stand by and watch. Oh well, we missed another one! What a shame…
“And here you thought they were being straight with you?” Amid the radioactive fallout of her emotional bomb, Claire laughed. “Please!”
Briefly, Tiffany tried to rally. “Listen, we don’t know the whole story…”
“Yes, we do!” Boring in on her victim, Claire’s eyes turned a full ruby red. “Your own people thought that maybe they’d luck out, and Tiffany Smith’s pathetic younger sister would get killed in some prison fight! Or perhaps just hang herself out of frustration! Whatever was more tidy. Am I on track here, Tiff? After all, you know them better than I do!”
Bitterly, the Haven enchantress clenched both fists. By the stone, why didn’t Barbara just let her know? She would have personally broken Valensa out of jail, escaping Dytha entirely…
“They must have missed Valensa entirely the first time around, when you and Mommy were snatched away!” Like some insufferable weight, Claire’s voice continued pressing in. “And instead of admitting their own mistake later on, they just covered it up! How does that make you feel?”
Horribly, dreadfully guilty, was Tiffany’s silent reply. In truth, she’d spent precious little time in her home dimension, thinking of Dytha as her “old” life. Perhaps it would have been wise to do a little digging at some point, see exactly what her family had been up to all those years? Then again, maybe she didn’t really want to know.
Emotionally reeling, her hardened, inner equilibrium in tatters, Tiffany suffered a sharp bolt of almost physical pain. A split-second later her mind punched through once more, again forming a tenuous connection with the Coven Stick’s power source.
Instantly focusing, the brunette beauty took a deep breath, calmly looking at the witch sitting opposite her. Yes, there was plenty of blame to go around, but she’d have to sort through all of that a little later. “So what happens now?”
“With you? Well, like I said…”
“No. With Valensa.”
“Oh, I see.” Sighing, Claire inspected a nail. “So it’s that obvious, huh?”
“She’s pretty high strung.”
“That’s one way of putting it,” the ruby magician said. “Actually, I was hoping you’d kill her. Your first job as my new deputy. It might be kindest coming from you.”
“Kill her?” Pausing, Tiffany stared in shock at the Zarth leader. “Are you mad? Why would I do such a thing?”
“Valensa is downright unstable,” Claire carefully explained. “After all, we saved her very late in life. Sixteen is very old for a first introduction to active magic, and I’m afraid she’s never fully adjusted to it.”
“Of course she’s never fully adjusted!” For some reason, Tiffany felt enraged anew on her sister’s behalf. “Valensa was created by our magic, not yours! Our essence was passed on to her, through my father, after an encounter with a Haven witch!” Angrily, the sorceress waved a vague hand about. “All this ruby magic is foreign to her system!”
“Tell me something I don’t know.” Clearly, Claire was bemused by Tiffany’s reaction. “You’re entirely correct. Valensa is a half-breed in every way. She’s an alien in Zarth, trying to fully adjust to what is, in essence, a conflicting form of magic. Even the psychotropic aspects of our ruby stones are failing to fully integrate her.”
“Excuse me?” Tiffany paused. “Are you saying ruby stones are like a drug?”
“For some, yes.
“So everyone here is actually addicted to them? That’s why they get all edgy and weird?”
“Indeed.”
“What about you?” Distastefully, Tiffany indicated Claire’s ruby stone. “Are you addicted as well?”
“No.” Claire shook her head. “I’m personally immune to the mind-altering aspects of our magic. I can use the stone’s power, without all the negative side-effects.”
“How is that possible?”
“I’m from a different part of Zarth. Vanington, to be exact.”
“Yeah, you don’t look like you’re from around here.”
“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Smiling, the Coven Leader tipped her head. “The women who grew up in the Zarth Confederacy, where we are now, were raised on actual narcotics. They’re mandated by the government in all children, as a means of controlling the populace. I’ve actually liberated my Confederate witches from that by substituting the ruby stones.”
“But their systems have simply exchanged one addiction for another.” Leaning back, Tiffany idly pulled out her belt a little more. “Whereas you, growing up in Vanington, never had an addiction to be replaced.”
“That’s correct.” Again, Claire held up a finger. “Keep in mind, this is only one of my ruby
chapters. I have others on Zarth, and around the universe, that operate in different ways.”
“Which means, that when it comes to the Confederate women, you’ve simply taken advantage of their miserable upbringing to magically enslave them.” Tiffany beamed. “How noble!”
“Trust me, they’re better off now. And it does make them excellent soldiers.”
“And you need soldiers in order to seize power here on Zarth?”
“That’s correct.”
“Along with mercenaries and weapons from other dimensions that you intend to ship through Earth!” Tiffany snapped. “Worlds like Tethra, where you actively encourage despots to wield abusive power!”
“Indeed.” Eyes narrowing, the ruby leader held herself very still. “Though that’s a temporary measure. Eventually, I want to grab total control in those worlds as well.”
“Violently, you mean?”
“When necessary, yes.” Claire said it simply, as if a matter of little import. “But once my coven controls everything, there will be no more abuse. Everyone will live rationally, as we dictate.”
“As you dictate?”
“Yes. There will be complete balance and utter harmony.”
“Really?” Tiffany breathed. “And the first step in achieving this harmony is to kill my sister? A girl that you’ve manipulated through lies and magical forces that she couldn’t possibly understand?”
“What other option do I have?” Impervious to Tiffany’s scorn, Claire’s gaze never wavered. “Should I instead just give her the bigger stone promised for capturing you? And then in a month deal with an even more powerful, less stable witch? One who will never fully adjust to ruby magic?”
“The only reason Valensa is addicted to the ruby stones at all, is because she was apparently doing drugs on Dytha!” Despite herself, Tiffany found herself becoming emotional. “So she’s suffered the same addictive effects as the girls raised here in the Zarth Confederacy!”
“Of course,” Claire said. “But what’s your point?”
“My point!” Forcing herself to calm down, Tiffany briefly looked up at the ceiling. “By the stone, there’s another way!”
The rival sorceress merely frowned, idly studying a nail.
“Look, I understand things need to change here in Zarth,” Tiffany began. “But you can gain power and influence here without actually waging wars!”
“Not interested.”
“We can help,” the Haven enchantress persisted. “Why, I bet if you just talked to my leadership…”
“We tried approaching Barbara several months ago, ” the ruby leader sighed. “She was in some rustic village in Peth. The poor woman said she’d get back to us and just ran off. Probably dove right back across the Boundary! We never heard anything else from them.”
“Maybe they were just…”
“That’s when I decided to turn myself into them as a supposed traitor to my own coven. It was surprisingly easy. You’re quite a gullible bunch.”
“You have to understand, my Coven leadership had no idea you even existed! But now…”
“Oh, stop making excuses for them!” Claire almost groaned. “Haven is led by old, tired women! They can’t help us, and they won’t even try.”
Several moments went by. Off to one side, on a dusty bookcase, could be heard the faint tick of an old clock.
“I can also get Valensa the assistance she needs.” Shifting around in her seat, Tiffany gauged the exact distance between herself and the earth stone, still at Claire’s elbow. “You’re right, I saw how she was without her ruby stone. But even in a few minutes she was starting to recover!”
“Tiffany…”
“We’d just have to figure out how to manage her full withdrawal from ruby magic.” Biting her lip, Tiffany nodded. “But Valensa doesn’t have to die! She just needs help, that’s all.”
“No.” Now it was Claire’s turn to uneasily shift about, her ruby stone again starting to glow. “That’s not how it works here in Zarth.”
“I really think…”
“Here are your only options.” Brusquely sitting up, Claire put a closed fist on the desk. “Either you swear fealty to me, and then prove it by killing Valensa, or I’ll destroy your earth stone right now. You’d be powerless, forever.”
In the silence that followed, Tiffany listened to a sudden gust of wind hitting the building. The window behind Claire rattled softly, a few bits of trash blown into the wall around it. Almost by reflex, she undid her belt buckle entirely.
“Listen, you owe them nothing. The lies, the control. Who needs it?” Oblivious to what Tiffany was doing, Claire warmed to her theme. “Why put up with any of that? Here, you would be a figure of authority, free to be whomever you want. To love anyone you want. No one would criticize your choice in men or lifestyle! In fact, no one would criticize anything.”
“Maybe so,” Tiffany softly conceded. “But do you really think that I would kill my own sister?”
“Why not? Look what she’s done to you.”
“You really don’t understand me at all.”
“Well look, here’s what I understand.” Though still smiling, Claire’s gaze noticeably narrowed. “It’s either kill your sister, or die with her.”
“Even without me, my Coven will oppose you.” Tiffany replied. “There’s no way around that.”
Claire rolled her eyes. “Don’t forget all the midate I’m collecting. With a few more pieces, I’ll be magically invincible. Then they’ll either play ball, or face the consequences.”
Gathering herself for action, Tiffany then deliberately took a deep breath, looking down almost in despair. Drawn in by this deception, the ruby witch leaned forward, sensing victory.
“So what will it be?” Pressing her presumed advantage, Claire’s voice took on a peremptory tone. “Join me and help rationalize the entire universe? Or die? Tell me!”
Now Tiffany slowly pulled the Coven Stick from her hips, twisting it miserably before her.
Thinking her goal nearly achieved, Claire relaxed her guard even more. “What an ugly belt,” she commented, nodding at the still-inert Coven Stick. “It doesn’t do much for your figure.”
“Oh, I think you’re right.” Distastefully, Tiffany held it out before her, forcefully imagining the Larian snow cat once more. “But why don’t you take a closer look, just to be sure?” And so saying, Tiffany tossed the belt at Claire’s head.
Instantly bursting to life, the Coven Stick morphed into a full-sized snow cat. Almost as surprised as Claire, the powerful animal crashed down on the desk, promptly crushing it. Kicked in the shoulder by an inadvertent back paw, Tiffany was launched back across the office into an old couch. Awkwardly catapulting over the top of the ratty furniture, she hit the floor hard.
Yet Claire had it much worse. Already accustomed to viewing ruby magic as hostile, the cat first swatted her back into the wall, then lunged for Claire’s throat. Desperately grabbing her stone, the Coven Leader managed to send out a pulse of power at the last possible second. Roaring, the pure white cat was blown at an angle up into the ceiling, then crunched back down to the floor, now midway between Tiffany and Claire.
But the Coven Stick was just getting started. Shaking its huge, shaggy head, the cat rose and charged at Claire. Though able to erect a ruby shield about her body, she had no chance of evading the rushing animal. With a scream, the ruby leader took the full force of the charging cat right on the chest.
Both snow cat and woman violently crashed through the back wall, punching through the structure entirely with a tremendous crack of wood and glass. Large chunks of ceiling cascaded down onto the already smashed desk, covering the entire area with debris.
Which, unfortunately, was exactly where Tiffany had last seen her earth stone. Somehow having the presence of mind to first run back and bolt the door leading out into the hallway, the sorceress then sprinted over to the wrecked side of the office. Desperately casting through the rubble, she couldn’t find her magical t
alisman amidst the broken wood, plaster, books, and other nicknacks. Nearly panicking, Tiffany found herself at a momentary loss.
Outside, on the stony plain behind the building, she could hear both the sharp crackle of ruby magic and the near continuous roar of the snow cat. Well, the element of surprise had granted the Coven Stick a momentary advantage, but it probably wouldn’t be able to hold off Claire forever. Impervious to the cuts and bruises she was inflicting on her own hands and arms, the Haven enchantress almost manically swept through the rubble, desperately trying to find her lost power source.
Someone began pounding on the bolted door, shouting curses and threats. As Tiffany had hoped, the mass of mentally-dulled ruby witches on the other side of the building were loath to break down Claire’s door, even in an obvious emergency. Still, time was fast running out.
Fervently jamming her hands in and among the debris, casting stuff off to either side, Tiffany had yet to be rewarded with any sign of her missing earth stone. From outside the snow cat now gave a cry of pain, the ruby magic gaining in intensity. Though still quite a battle, the fight was clearly swinging in Claire’s favor. At this rate Tiffany would soon be assailed from two directions, powerless and alone.
Perhaps she was looking in the wrong place? After all, the stone could have been kicked away from the desk entirely. Resisting her own mounting terror, Tiffany forced herself to sit up and look about. Instantly, she was rewarded by a flash of silver underneath a fallen bookcase by the wall.
Lunging across the room, the young brunette tripped and tumbled down to the rubble-strewn carpet, smashing a knee on some ludicrous iron statue. Racked in pain, Tiffany grimly continued crawling towards her goal. Desperately shoving a hand underneath the broken bookcase, Tiffany’s finger barely grazed the mounting of her earth stone.
For a split second nothing happened. Then, with an intensity that surprised even Tiffany herself, earth fire surged from the stone directly into the sorceress. Gasping, her body and power merging once more, green energy again saturated Tiffany’s very soul. Flinging more broken wood aside, she fully grabbed the earth stone, staring into its glowing, surging essence in renewed wonder. Hugging the talisman with bloody, scraped hands, tears streaming down her face, Tiffany’s relief was utterly indescribable.