by Daisy Banks
Cassandra met him at the door.
“I need to speak with Nin. Is she inside?”
“No, I have sent all three girls to walk in the herb garden for a while. They have worked so hard.” Cassandra’s soft tone made him still, and he looked around to see all four of the injured youths slept.
“I must speak with Nin. I have found the source near here. I want her to help me deal with it.”
“Someone close to us is responsible?”
“Yes, it stems from the village beyond my tower. The village Nin came to me from.”
Cassandra’s gaze widened.
He nodded to her questioning look. “I know. I am stunned like you, but from today, it will cease. What do you want me to do with the individual responsible when I find them?”
“They must be brought here so we can discover whether this call to the creature was true malice at work or the stupidity of the ignorant.”
“Are you certain?” His anger simmered. The need for reckoning bit sharp, so much death and misery called for justice.
“Yes, I am sure. You do not wear these marks for nothing, Mage.” Cassandra laid cool fingers on his wrist. A gentle reminder of his vows, given the day he accepted the tattoos that marked him as one who fought for the light. “I know we have all suffered, and it is not over yet. But retribution is not our way. The gods bring their own discipline for evil, you know it.”
He sighed, for Cassandra spoke the truth. He had given way to vengeance once, with the slavers who tried to steal his Sparrow, and would face his own punishment for his act. Killing them had been a cold bloodied reprisal for their evil, cruelty, and greed, and he had enjoyed it. But this was different.
“Go and find Nin, and return here with whomever you take in the village.”
“As you wish, my lady, and later we will discuss a new journey to the realm of flame.” His voice cracked, for unsure of his motives for the ritual, he could not speak plainer.
“I know your choice, and when you return, I will prepare Nin. Your decision is the only one you could have made. Do not fear it, for if you do, how can I help the girl deal with it?”
He bowed to her and hurried to the herb garden to find Nin.
She walked with the others, the hood of her gray cloak up against the damp day. He slowed his stride as he approached, charmed by her graceful sway between the two girls. How beautiful he found her. The captivating loveliness didn’t disguise the power within her, though he felt it restrained like a banked fire in the cold blast of a northern wind.
For her to take on this task was unfair since she remained so untried. He had almost changed his mind, but he needed his Sparrow’s power to support him and could only pray, when the time came, Nin would understand.
She turned to him, her smile soft. “I know. Don’t worry, it will be all right.”
He swallowed hard.
Had he sent his thoughts unwittingly to her?
“No, Thabit, it’s just…” Bright rose shone from her cheeks. “I see it. You need me to come with you now, and you will need me later. Is it not so?”
“Yes, my love. I will need you every day of my life.”
Her eyes sparkled. She slipped her arms from those of Tab and Cecile, and he threw a fold of his cloak around her. They made their way down to the stable.
While they waited for a horse for him and her pony to be saddled, she lifted her hand to his cheek. “Soon, all this will be over. I am not afraid when I’m with you.”
“Good, there will be little to fear in the village, or so I believe. We must bring the one responsible for this misery back to the castle.”
“What will happen to them?”
“I’ll leave the decision to Cassandra and Lord Farel. I don’t think I could trust myself with their fate. Not knowing what it has meant and will mean.” He took her hand, brought it to his lips, and kissed her palm.
“Remember, Thabit, I do not fear when I am with you. It will always be that way.”
“Gods willing, I hope so.”
The stable lad brought out the horse and her pony. They mounted, then crossed the causeway to ride to the village and meet the evil hidden there.
Chapter 22
The forest dripped from the earlier rain, but a cold wind stung, and she could taste the snap in the air, a warning of snow to come. Thabit’s determination rolled through her, along with his love.
Since their journey to the darkness and flames, they had connected with a clarity unknown before, as though a thread of thought flashed between them and sensations were shared. Waves of his love and desire seeped through her like waters in the mountains carved a channel through rock. She loved the sensation. Today, the ripples of his love were warm, but his anger simmered.
As if some force had warned of their approach, the wooden gates in the village palisade stood closed when they arrived. Silence hung heavy about them, even the birds were still.
“Open.” Thabit’s command hammered at the gates. The weathered wooden boards creaked and groaned, splintered and fell. The gates had now become a pile of kindling,
When Thabit moved forward he announced to the cowering gatekeeper, “We have business here, stand aside.”
In the summer, she’d imagined she understood the full magnitude of the power Thabit could wield should he wish, but today proved otherwise. She hadn’t guessed the depth of his skill, and never had she seen his wrath this strong.
“The place we seek is toward the back of the village.”
His words sparked an unreasonable fear. Ice yanked his head against her tightened grip on the reins. All she longed to do was urge the pony into a gallop.
Why should she fear Thabit?
He led her into the deserted small market square, frightened faces peeping from doorways or half-closed shutters in the houses they passed. A lump of apprehension rolled around in her stomach and swelled inside. The sensation grew stronger as they moved through a narrow alleyway, and she recognized the house they neared.
They dismounted and Thabit murmured a command to the horse and pony.
She grabbed his arm before they approached the door. Never had he looked so grim. He gleamed hard like dragon scales. Tension tightened her muscles, but the fear was not her own. Her mouth grew dry and her heart thumped in her chest. “Not here, surely.”
“I discovered this building in my search. Everything—it all stems from here.” He reached out, wrapped his arm around, and pulled her close. “Do you know who lives in this house?”
She nodded. “How could I not? It is my friend’s home.”
“I’m sorry, but this must be done.”
She nodded, but fought to close out an overwhelming sense of dread. The swell of fright came from another, invaded her chest, churned her stomach, and it grew in intensity the closer they got to the house.
“This will be easier with you beside me, Sparrow. The guilty one will come willingly perhaps if they see you with me, though if they do not, the result is not in question.”
They stepped up to the door, and it opened before Thabit’s fist could hammer on the wood. The round, ashen face of the potter, Alicia’s father, met them.
She clutched at Thabit’s hand. Understanding came. The force behind her fear had a name. “Alicia!”
“Where is she?” Thabit demanded.
The potter bowed his head, and after a painful silence while Nin did her best to give the man peace, he pointed toward the back entrance.
Thabit strode through the room, and she followed past the racks of unglazed pots.
Their quarry crouched in a corner of the small, dark storehouse behind a fat tub of clay. Wide blue eyes peered up from the gloom. “You’ve come for me?”
Thabit reached down, grasped Alicia’s hand, and yanked her to standing. “Don’t doubt it. You will come with us, for you have much to explain.”
“Please, Thabit, be gentle. Look, her hand is injured.” Nin moved forward, took h
er friend’s trembling hand from his, and smoothed over the grubby bandage.
Alicia shook her bowed head. “No, it’s not hurt. When we are out of the village, I’ll show you.”
“Show me now what the bandage hides,” Thabit demanded.
Alicia nodded and Nin gently unwrapped the grimed cloth twined about Alicia’s palm.
“How long have you hidden this?” Thabit shouted.
Alicia shook, and Nin understood the terror, but could not save the girl from his anger.
“Thabit, don’t, she didn’t do it on purpose, I’m sure. She’s afraid, has been afraid for a long time. Please.” Nin glanced at Thabit in a plea for his understanding. There, carved into the pale skin of her friend’s palm lay a mark, like the one she had feared when it had appeared on her palm. “When did it come?” she asked.
Alicia didn’t answer and would not look at her.
“I know when it came,” Thabit said. “The mark became visible when the old crone discovered you, Nin, and they sent you from the village.” He turned to Alicia. “Did it not?”
Alicia’s chin edged up to give him a nod of affirmation.
“Why did you not come to us at the tower?”
Alicia backed off toward the wall until she could retreat from them no further. Words choked from between her clenched teeth. “How could I? There was no room for me. You were first. You wouldn’t have wanted me to spoil things between you. He didn’t come to get me, not like I thought he would. I had nowhere to go.”
The icy blue eyes were those of her friend, but Nin hardly recognized them. Guilt stirred through her. Had she let Alicia think it was so? Her apprehension grew for there was more to this tale than she, and perhaps even Thabit, guessed.
Currents of need, hunger, and energy skimmed about Alicia and hovered in the air. The forceful waves surged so powerful they grew to visible colors, and all were dark.
“Alicia,” Nin whispered.
“No, enough! I’ve seen quite enough.” Thabit’s voice grated like a north wind through the mountain passes. “So, instead of doing as you should, you decided to play your own game? You called up a few things to entertain yourself and got caught in your own web.” His glance smothered the smoky colors swirling around Alicia, and they faded.
Alicia sagged forward and shook her head. Her effort to answer broke into choked breaths, her words almost indistinguishable. “The voice called me—it was my friend—I had no other. I wanted to stop—I couldn’t—I had to go on. I have to!” Alicia’s voice rasped from the darkest corner where her form could scarce be seen.
Nin gasped as flames illuminated the small storeroom seeming to lick around Alicia’s body. Orange and blue swirls darted over the red gown. They encircled the hem of Alicia’s skirt and leaped up to make her a crimson doll.
Heat spun toward her and Thabit. The swift sting burned her cheeks and caused beads of sweat to dampen her brow. She could not pull Alicia from the grip of the flames. Her heart ached, and she could bear to watch no more. She sent a cool wave in an attempt to still the heat.
“You are too generous, my Sparrow.”
Tremors racked Alicia, who bowed her head while she breathed harsh and fast.
Her heart in her mouth, Nin stared at the relic of her childhood friend. “What happened to the girl I laughed with?” She turned to Thabit, confusion and pain consuming all her thoughts.
“This is only the beginning. You would not have recognized her had we found her later. She is riddled with unimaginable evil, and it grows.”
Thabit stood white-lipped. His rage hung in the air like a blade about to fall.
Nin turned from one to the other. “This is unbearable, dangerous.”
Thabit’s struggle to contain his wrath surged painful, each seething wave burnt through her as hot as the fires binding Alicia. Nin turned back to him, reaching for his hand. Such anger could harm him, harm her, and destroy Alicia.
Thabit moved beyond her toward Alicia. “Do you know the devastation you have created? The pain and suffering? And it continues still!”
Overcome by his ferocity, Alicia sank to the ground, hunched into a small ball. Broken, gasped words croaked from her. “I—couldn’t—stop it.”
Nin shivered as goose bumps ran over her flesh. A mixture of pity and compassion mingled for Alicia. Facing the power of such malevolence with no one to help or guide her, to protect her from any of its demands, Alicia was lucky to have survived the experience.
“You’re tainted with evil, ungovernable, and beyond hope. If Cassandra follows the law, she’ll lock you in a cell for the rest of your days.”
“Thabit, no!” Nin spun around to face him.
His green eyes blazed. “She is indefensible and do not say any other to me, for you do not know. You are only half-aware of what she has done, and it is not over yet. We go to the castle.” He grasped Alicia’s arm and led her through the house.
Though his words sounded bitter, Nin was relieved that he had controlled his desire for vengeance. She followed, ignoring the open-mouthed stares of Alicia’s father and the heavy sobs of Alicia’s mother drifting down from the loft where the family slept. She spotted the familiar dark brown cloak she knew to be Alicia’s and took it from the hook to give to her friend.
Outside, beyond the potter’s workshop, tension swelled through the village, the throb of it beat loud as a drum. Thabit propelled Alicia toward the horses. “Girl, mount the pony.” He glanced back. “Sparrow, you ride with me.”
Alicia scrambled onto Ice, who snorted and stamped. He shook his head and snapped at Alicia’s pale leg. Thabit crossed to the pony, took Ice’s head in his hands, and murmured phrases to soothe the horse. Ice pawed at the ground before he calmed.
While Ice had baulked, Alicia clung on and uttered no sound. She hid her face with her hood.
Thabit mounted the horse and extended his hand to pull Nin up before him. She settled into his embrace, and struggled to block the bitterness from her friend.
“What will happen to me?” Alicia’s voice wavered in the chill of the afternoon.
Thabit remained silent as they rode. Snow fell. The first flakes, fat and soft, drifted down.
“I don’t know, Alicia. Be quiet now,” she called back to the hunched figure on the pony.
Thabit clutched her close. His fury simmered and snatched at her as it moved in her mind. Strange so much of his rage was connected to her.
Their journey to the castle dragged on. Thabit’s anger lessened the farther they went from the village. “You bring me peace when I need it most. I will find some way to thank you when all this is done. I hope you will accept my thanks.”
“Of course, I will.” Nin laid her head back on his shoulder to enjoy his body next to hers. Something tortured him, and he did not share the cause with her. He kept his council. He blocked part of his thoughts from her mind.
The afternoon light dimmed, but they rode on, and try as she might, Nin couldn’t fathom how his anger with Alicia linked to her.
Now, with the key to the evil found, they would be able to take the next step. Until they could stop the swathe of destruction, the demon would only grow stronger. She swallowed down the bitter understanding of what it would mean to journey back to the plane of fire.
“Yes, my Sparrow, and the fire is only part of it.” His thought told her there was yet more to understand in all this.
He tightened his arms around her so much she could scarce breathe. Alicia’s sorrowful moan broke the silence. Ice snorted, stamped, and bucked. Thabit dismounted to try again to calm the pony.
When he rejoined her, he flicked the snow off her hood. “Not much farther, Sparrow.”
Snow, now falling fast, carpeted the castle grounds, covering the many tents at the forest’s edge. The dark winter grass had disappeared beneath white. Few people moved in the last light of the short afternoon. Nin glanced back.
Alicia crouched, hunched over on Ice’s back.
Only visible was the dark brown cloak and a limp pale hand on the reins. Ice did not arch his neck with pride as he so often did when he trotted over the drawbridge, but looked as unforgiving as Thabit.
Nin sighed. Alicia had fallen into evil and caused torment. Her spirit was lost, so far away she may never return.
They entered the castle grounds and dismounted at the stables. Thabit strode in front through the snow, a hand on Alicia’s arm, so she scurried to keep up with his long-legged strides.
Nin followed them into the entrance and through to the huge doors of the great hall. They opened on silent hinges at Thabit’s approach.
The great hall engulfed them in stillness. So hushed, their footsteps echoed on the stone as they passed the guards. Cassandra sat on her state chair next to the one occupied by Lord Farel, who tapped his fingers on the armrest of his seat. Cecile and Tab sat away from the dais, and for once, the flash of their smiles failed to greet her.
Thabit bowed. “Lord Farel, Lady Cassandra, this girl is the catalyst for all we have so far suffered, and the rest we will endure. I bring her before you for justice.”
Nin winced at his announcement, and as she pushed back the hood of her cloak, he left Alicia standing alone. He came across to her with a grim face and slipped her arm through his to lead her over to where Cecile and Tab sat. Nin clutched his arm tight, for she could not still the tremors rippling through her, each one stronger than the last. The need to scream with fear grew so strong she battled to still it.
“You must block her thoughts, Sparrow. If you do not, you will be in danger.”
She struggled to do as he said, and he kissed her cheek.
“Permit me help you.”
A sigh of relief passed over her as all became quiet in her mind, and she basked in his tenderness. They took their seats, and Alicia’s wide blue gaze settled on Nin. The bitterness in her eyes filled Nin with despair. The physical expression of envy was obvious, and all Alicia had done stemmed from the emotion that had robbed her of any kindness.