Zaconis - Guardian of Magic

by MJ Schutte

  ‘There it is,’ he said as he pointed out a building roughly fifty paces away.

  ‘Are you sure this is the place?’ Lilian asked.

  ‘Yes, mistress. Let’s find a place to rest and observe first. I would like to see who enters this place before we go there,’ Goralt said.

  The pair sat down on a bench at the side of the road and waited.

  ‘I wonder how many patrons a place like this will have during the day,’ Lilian mused.

  ‘Why?’ Goralt frowned.

  ‘It just seems to me that men would rather visit this place at night,’ Lilian shrugged.

  ‘Mistress, when a man has the hunger in his loins for the pleasures of the female body, he does not care what time of day it is,’ Goralt smiled.

  ‘Yes, I suppose that is true, but still, I wonder if we should rather go there now while it seems to be quiet. I don’t wish to wait until dark when the place will most likely be fuller,’ Lilian answered.

  ‘I think it is best to wait,’ Goralt cautioned, but Lilian had already risen.

  ‘Wait here,’ she said to the elf.

  Goralt frowned at the idea, but he did not want to argue with the mistress of the elf forest either. He kept quiet, nervously running his fingers up and down the polished wood of his bow as he watched Lilian walk away.

  Lilian knocked on the door, but no one answered. She knocked again but still the door remained shut. Not knowing what to do next, she stepped back and tried to peer through some of the windows. All the curtains were drawn, she was unable to see anything, so she stepped closer to the door again. Slowly she stuck out her hand and pushed against it. Silently the door swung open.

  Goralt watched as Lilian entered the building. The door swung closed but almost immediately opened again. Goralt saw Lilian coming out, her hands held high, followed by a fierce looking man pressing his sword against her neck.

  The elf was up in a flash, his bow in his hands.

  ‘Don’t do anything foolish, or else she dies!’ the man shouted at Goralt.

  The elf knocked an arrow and took aim.

  ‘No, Goralt, don’t shoot!’ Lilian shouted.

  With the bowstring still against his cheek, the elf watched as four more men and a woman came out of the building.

  The woman stepped forward and shouted, ‘Put down your bow or we will kill your friend!’

  Goralt knew that it would take a single thought from Lilian and all these people would be corpses, but since she had not tried to defend herself yet, he also knew she did not want anybody harmed.

  He decided to try and talk their way out of this.

  ‘I am an expert archer! At this distance I can put an arrow anywhere I want! In your heart, or in your eye, but I won’t! I will shoot this arrow into your throat and watch you drown in your own blood unless you release Mistress Lilian immediately!’ the elf threatened.

  ‘A bold claim! You do understand that she will die the moment that arrow leaves the bow,’ the woman shouted back.

  To give credibility to the threat, the man behind Lilian grabbed her and placed his sword against her throat. With his free hand, he pulled her close to him and ripped the top button off her shirt.

  ‘You’re a pretty one,’ he snarled in her ear as he pulled her shirt away and tried to catch a glimpse of her breasts.

  Lilian’s assailant was distracted for only a moment, but it was all Goralt needed. His arrow slammed into the man’s hand right next to Lilian’s face. The shocked man howled in pain as he dropped the sword and released Lilian from his grip. She spun around and landed a heavy kick right between his legs. As he crumbled into a whimpering heap on the ground, Lilian stepped back and faced her attackers, her hands held at shoulder height, palms forward.

  Goralt already had another arrow knocked and aimed straight for the woman’s throat as he slowly walked closer.

  ‘I may have underestimated your skills with a bow, but there are still five of us and only two of you! Don’t come closer!’ she shouted at him.

  Goralt ignored her and kept walking.

  ‘Tell your pet to remain where he is or I will kill you!’ the woman snarled at Lilian as she produced a small crossbow from under the folds of her dress and pointed it at Lilian.

  ‘You saw what happened the last time one of your people threatened me. Are you sure you want to do this?’ Lilian spat.

  For a moment the two women stood glaring at each other, but then Lilian dropped her hands and said, ‘I do not wish you any harm.’

  She turned around and motioned to Goralt to lower his weapon.

  Reluctantly the elf obeyed.

  One of the men took a threatening step towards Lilian, the sword in his hand swinging up.

  ‘Stop! Go inside and take this idiot with you!’ the woman stopped him, pointing at the man on the ground.

  ‘But Madam Jenneve, that man shot…’ he tried.

  ‘Shut up! He deserves that arrow in his hand for always thinking with the small brain in his pants! Now do as I said!’ Jenneve growled.

  She lowered her crossbow and unhooked the string.

  The men helped their fallen comrade up and disappeared into the building, leaving Jenneve and Lilian standing alone in the street.

  Lilian looked around and waved Goralt forward. The elf jogged up to them and took up position behind Lilian.

  ‘Perhaps we should start with names. I am Madam Jenneve, owner of this establishment,’ Jenneve smiled at Lilian.

  ‘Lilian and Goralt,’ Lilian replied, gesturing at the elf as she said his name.

  ‘Welcome to Madam Jenneve’s house of Ladies. Please come in and share some refreshments with me,’ Jenneve said pleasantly.

  Lilian frowned at Jenneve’s sudden change in attitude.

  ‘A few moments ago you had a crossbow pointed at my chest and now you are inviting us inside for refreshments? No, thank you, we will stay out here. I’m sure you will understand,’ Lilian said slowly.

  ‘Yes, I do. Please, forgive my inhospitality. I have many enemies in this city, most of them female. When you entered the building, I assumed you were another jealous wife coming to drag her husband out of here by his genitals,’ Jenneve replied.

  ‘My husband would never visit a place like this!’ Lilian said heatedly.

  ‘Yes, I believe that. You are exceptionally beautiful. I am not surprised Johnny wanted to take a look inside your shirt. You look incredible for someone who is more than two hundred years old,’ Jenneve smiled as she dropped her gaze.

  ‘How did you know?’ Lilian stammered.

  Jenneve’s eyes snapped up.

  ‘It can’t be,’ she whispered.

  ‘How do you know who I am?’ Lilian demanded.

  Jenneve’s mind was a mess of confusing thoughts.

  ‘Please, you must come inside immediately,’ she urged Lilian, looking up and down the street nervously.

  ‘First tell me how you knew how old I was,’ Lilian said.

  ‘Yes, yes, I will tell you everything, but not here. Now please, come inside,’ Jenneve said as she grabbed Lilian’s hand and pulled her towards the door.

  Goralt stepped forward, but Lilian shook her head at him.

  ‘Fine, we will go inside,’ she agreed.

  Jenneve hurriedly led them through the entrance into a large lounge. There were no tables or chairs, but rather cushions scattered everywhere. A few half naked girls lying on the cushions immediately got up and approached, but Jenneve waved them off as she led Lilian and Goralt to her room.

  ‘Please, sit down. Would you like some wine?’ Jenneve asked.

  ‘No, we don’t want wine. What I want is for you to tell me how you know me,’ Lilian said impatiently as she sat down on one of the chairs. Goralt did not sit. He took up position at the door, his fingers stroking his bow.

  ‘I don’t know you,’ Jenneve said as she poured some wine for herself and took a sip.

  ‘Then why…’ Lilian frowned but Jenneve held up her hand.

  �
��I will tell you everything, but I need to start at the beginning or you will not understand,’ she said.

  Jenneve sat down and told Lilian and Goralt about her life. She was born in Celonis to a shoemaker and his wife, Phil and Olivia. When Jenneve was ten years old, Olivia was jailed for murdering a young woman. Jenneve never saw her mother again. Shortly after that, Phil vanished and she never saw him again either. It was only a few years later that Jenneve found out the young woman her mother had murdered was a prostitute. Olivia had found Phil and the prostitute in the bedroom together and in a fit of jealousy beat the girl to death with her bare fists. Jenneve was forced to live on the streets since she had no other family who was willing to take her in. In her seventeenth year, the winter was an exceptionally fierce one. Jenneve fell ill and would have died if not for the kindness of one man. Zaconis found her delirious with fever, wandering aimlessly in the streets. He took her to his room at the inn where he was staying and arranged with the inn keeper to take care of her until she was healthy again. She was overwhelmed with gratitude and instantly fell in love with the man. Her love was reciprocated and the two people spent three days together, never leaving the room. Although the law was clear on sexual relations with underage females, the two lovers did not care. On the morning of the forth day, Zaconis was gone. Jenneve waited patiently, but he never returned until after she had given birth to their son. She was ecstatic to see Zaconis, but he simply walked in, took the boy and asked what she had named him. Zaconis left with their son, Al’taish, and Jenneve never saw him again. Jenneve’s love for Zaconis turned to hate and she vowed that one day she will have her son back. She knew she had to become powerful to do this, so she opened a business, The House of Ladies. Over the years, her power and wealth had grown to the point where she was one of the wealthiest people in Celonis, but the yearning to see her son again never went away. Jenneve knew that openly declaring war on Zaconis would be a mistake, so instead she positioned herself as one of his allies, making him believe that she still loved him even after he took her son from her. The night Zaconis took her son, she cried herself hoarse. When sleep finally came, it was restless and filled with dreams. In one of the dreams, she saw Zaconis being destroyed by a wizard and his wife, a powerful witch. The pair had lived for more than two hundred years. The same dream kept haunting her until she decided to search out the wizard and witch, but her efforts were fruitless since she had no idea where to find them. One day, when the wife of one of her customers came to The House of Ladies to see if her husband was there, Jenneve got into an argument with the woman. When the woman claimed that she was far prettier than Jenneve or any of the working girls and could not understand why her husband frequented The House of Ladies, Jenneve sarcastically remarked that she looked good for someone who was more than two hundred years old. As soon as the words left her mouth, the vision of Zaconis being destroyed by the wizard popped into her head again. She instantly knew that she simply had to find a man or woman who was older than two hundred years and she would have her revenge on Zaconis. Since that day, she jokingly said to everyone she met that they looked good for someone who was over the age of two hundred.

  ‘So, you did not know who I was? It was simply a joke?’ Lilian gasped when Jenneve stopped talking.

  ‘Yes, but your reaction gave you away. You are the witch and Goralt is the wizard I have been searching for,’ Jenneve smiled.

  ‘Goralt is my protector, not my husband, and I am not a witch,’ Lilian replied.

  ‘Yes you are. When we were outside and your life was in danger, you did not reach for that magnificent sword you carry. You have another way of protecting yourself, don’t you?’ Jenneve said.

  ‘As I said, Goralt is my protector. I trust in him,’ Lilian defended.

  Jenneve shook her head.

  ‘No, that is not the whole truth. I do believe he protects you, but somehow I think you don’t really need it. There was something about the way you were standing when you were facing us. There was no fear in your face, but rather the confidence that not one of us would ever be able to harm you, even if we tried. You are the witch and he is the wizard,’ Jenneve argued.

  ‘No, he is not!’ Lilian said. She got up, turned away from Jenneve and buried her face in her hands as the tears streamed down her cheeks.

  Jenneve frowned at Lilian’s reaction, and also noticed that Goralt remained motionless at the door.

  ‘I see. Goralt is not your husband, otherwise he would have been consoling you. Tell me, where is your husband?’ she asked.

  ‘Zaconis took him,’ Lilian replied softly.

  Jenneve pensively tapped her finger against her lips as she said, ‘I see. Zaconis went on one of his trips to find magical beings and your husband was taken. It is obvious that you have magic of some sort. Why did he not take you?’

  ‘He tried to kill me,’ Lilian answered.

  Jenneve’s eyes went big.

  ‘Tried?’ she whispered.

  ‘Yes, but obviously he was not successful otherwise we would not be having this conversation,’ Lilian replied.

  ‘Zaconis does not try to kill someone. He does, or he does not. How come he failed?’ Jenneve asked.

  ‘I stopped him,’ Lilian shrugged.

  Thoughts tumbled into Jenneve’s mind. She suddenly understood why Zaconis was so insistent that Imlan must lay with one of her girls.

  Imlan was Lilian’s husband.

  ‘Lilian, I have some bad news for you. I know who your husband is, although I did not meet him personally,’ Jenneve said.

  Lilian sat down again as Jenneve told them about Zaconis’ way of handling new recruits and how he destroys their memories. She also told them about Zaconis’ insistence that Imlan must lay with a girl since it was the only way to destroy the last memory of his old life, his love for Lilian.

  ‘Two of my girls failed, but Desha, the third girl, returned this morning. She reported that she and Imlan were intimate,’ Jenneve said slowly.

  Lilian’s eyes filled with tears. She could not believe what she was hearing.

  ‘Is the girl here? I want to talk to her,’ Lilian whispered.

  ‘What will that accomplish?’ Jenneve asked tenderly.

  ‘Just bring her here!’ Lilian snapped.

  Jenneve slowly nodded.

  ‘Aiya!’ she called.

  The young girl immediately entered the room.

  ‘Fetch Desha,’ Jenneve instructed.

  ‘Madam Jenneve, Desha is with a client,’ Aiya protested.

  ‘I don’t care! Fetch her now,’ Jenneve retorted.

  The young girl ran from the room as fast as she could to carry out Jenneve’s instruction.

  A while later Desha entered the room clutching a blanket to her chest.

  ‘Yes, Madam Jenneve?’ she said hesitantly.

  ‘Desha, were you intimate with Imlan?’ Jenneve asked sternly.

  ‘Yes, Madam Jenneve,’ Desha answered in a small voice, stealing glances at Lilian.

  Turning to Lilian, Jenneve said, ‘There you have it. My girls won’t lie to me.’

  ‘Describe him,’ Lilian said softly.

  Jenneve gave Desha a nod.

  The young girl described Imlan as best she could. When she finished, Jenneve asked, ‘Well, is that your husband?’

  ‘Yes, it is him,’ Lilian choked out.

  ‘Thank you, Desha. You may go,’ Jenneve smiled at the young woman.

  ‘Wait! Tell me how it happened,’ Lilian said quickly.

  ‘Is there really any point to this? It will only serve to hurt you,’ Jenneve frowned.

  ‘Tell me!’ Lilian demanded.

  After another nod from Jenneve, Desha hesitantly told them what had happened between her and Imlan.

  She opened the blanket a little, careful to keep her back towards Goralt, and said, ‘He got very passionate so he grabbed my breasts hard. See, there are the marks.’

  Lilian inspected the bruising on Desha’s breasts.

  ‘He
also scratched my back,’ Desha offered.

  ‘Show us,’ Jenneve instructed.

  Desha shot a nervous look at Goralt, but the elf had already turned his back. She dropped the blanket and turned around so that Jenneve and Lilian could see the scratches.

  ‘Cover yourself,’ Lilian whispered.

  Desha pulled the blanket over her shoulders again.

  ‘You were not intimate with my husband,’ Lilian said slowly.

  Desha’s face was a mask of fear.

  ‘Madam Jenneve, I promise you…you just saw the proof,’ she stammered.

  Lilian shook her head.

  ‘Brighton is kind and gentle. He would never do this to a woman, not even in his most passionate moments. You were not intimate with my husband,’ she said.

  ‘He is not the man you knew. Remember that Zaconis destroyed his memories,’ Jenneve said carefully.

  Slowly Lilian got up and faced Desha.

  ‘Kindness and gentleness is in the spirit. It can not be destroyed. Even if a person can not remember who they are, they will remain kind. Tell the truth or I will cause you more pain that you can possibly imagine,’ she snarled as she lifted her hand, palm facing up.

  ‘No, I promise you, I…’ Desha tried.

  A small, pitch black energy ball jumped from Lilian’s palm and hung in midair. Slowly the black energy floated towards Desha. Tiny black lightning bolts jumped between the energy ball and Lilian’s hand.

  ‘If this touches you, it will drain you of your energy slowly. It is the most excruciating pain you can imagine. At first, you will be afraid of death, but as your life gets sucked little by little from your body, you will wish for death. Tell me the truth,’ Lilian demanded in a voice devoid of all emotion.

  Desha dropped to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

  ‘No…no…we…weren’t…he didn’t….want…to….’ she stammered through her tears.

  Jenneve finally found her voice again.

  ‘Lilian! Stop this!’ she screamed as she slammed her hands down on the table.

  When Desha looked up, the energy ball was gone.

  ‘Tell me,’ Lilian said softly.

  ‘He…did…not want to. I…bruised…my own breasts and…made him…scratch…my back,’ Desha said, trying to control her crying.