Bellator: An Anthology of Warriors of Space & Magic

by A. L Butcher

  Being able to keep away invaders from their village, ownership of the forest, gifting her family anything they might need, indulging the whims of her lovely little sister...all these things appealed to her.

  Kill the old man… Diana would sweat and thrash her head about, her hand seeking the hilt of her knife. She was a deft assassin. It would be nothing to take him in his sleep. She even imagined the feel of her knife deep in flesh and organs, the smells that came following death.

  She sat up with a grunt, chest heaving, covered in sweat. She looked down at her knife and leaned back in relief that it was clean.

  Every morning, Master Aaron would be before her and would hand her his own knife. “Do you wish to fulfill what they say to you?”

  Diana would look into his eyes and say, “No.” Then, there was silence as he led her outside. His stature reminded her of the tall trees outside his home.

  A horrible cawing came to her ears and she saw an unnaturally large black bird. Diana instantly covered her ears, pressing more of her straw colored hair over them to silence the noise.

  “They hide in animals too,” Master Aaron said, matter of factly. “Kill it. Not with your bow, or knife. But your hands.”

  Diana looked at him in amazement. “I cannot fly.”

  “Of course not. So you had better learn to be even more silent before it flies away. And it has a keen sense of you, as does the demon living in it.”

  It took two days to catch the bird. Two nights of hissing and nightmares. She stalked through the forest, climbed trees. It always flew away, it always came back. Diana stayed in the same spot for hours. Just watching the ebony bird, listening to its horrid noise. It landed at a stream. Diana could even see the bugs crawling in its feathers. When it dipped its beak into the waters, she had it in her grasp and twisted its neck. It was as though the sound of a thousand snakes was unleashed into the air.

  Instinct brought her to place her hands on the bird. The heat dove through her blood and the feathers, skin, scaly legs and talons shriveled and became dust on the air. It was as though the creature never existed.

  Again, Master Aaron stood near her, having made no sound of his approach. Diana swallowed and remained on her knees. “Will the voices stop now?” she asked, and turned to him.

  “They might go away for some time. But they always come back.” She sighed. “Always. They prey on those who would seek them, whose minds they can get inside. Their victims range from the desperate to the greedy, even creatures with cruel natures. But they will always try to win a champion.”

  “Do they talk to you, Master Aaron?”

  “Yes.”

  “How do you fight it?” Diana asked, fearing when she would be tempted again.

  “I will not accept a world that embraces evil, as such I will never embrace wickedness, nor weakness.”

  Frederick (Present)

  As Frederick watched the dust blow away, he could faintly hear a mourning noise he knew was not of this world. He knew the sound on the wind was the essence of sorrow, a soul forever lost. When the noise was no more, he thought of the last time he’d seen his sister.

  The look on Master Aaron’s face when Diana had escaped their family table had answered any questions he had about the man’s intentions. He was not a disappointed older suitor. Aaron had exchanged a meaningful glance with their father and politely excused himself.

  His parents nodded at each other.

  “It is best for her. People would begin to talk, about the things she could do,” their mother had said.

  Mina stood up and cleared away, wiping the tears from her eyes, unable to speak.

  “I told you,” Marcus said, still not humbled despite his swollen eye and split lip.

  “How is your head, brother?” Frederick had said, looking into Marcus’s eyes. The moment he said that, he felt rather than saw his mother’s sorrow. Still he’d continued, “Can you not even remember our sister nearly killing you? She must have done more damage than I’d thought.”

  “Well, you are not the only one impressed by our sister’s fighting skills. By the way, she attacked me after you knocked me down. Anyway, it is she who Master Aaron is mentoring, not you.”

  Their father stood up tall. Though age had caught up with him, he held an air of authority and power. He’d often reminded Frederick of a bear.

  “Marcus, you will watch your tongue if you wish to keep a place in this family.”

  Everyone was silent. He saw tears come to his mother’s eyes and her hand went over her mouth, but she remained silent.

  Then their father continued, ‘Frederick, I will see you trained by myself and the king’s commanders. It is time you proved your worth amongst other young men.”

  “What about me, Father?” Marcus had said.

  At this, their father turned to him with hardened features and said, “Your mother loves you. If you truly love her in return, you will obey us and remain under this roof until I release you.”

  Frederick knew then, as he knew now, that their father did not wish to have one of his own blood join their armed forces who would bring shame. Marcus would have only served as a source of internal poison. Their father wished to have Marcus at home as long as possible.

  Frederick recalled all of this as he stood looking up at his sister. It was like seeing a ghost. He had been one of two protectors awake. In truth, he often found it difficult to rest, and after many years, he’d wondered where his older sister had gone. Now, he knew.

  It had not been luck that Frederick had taken leave to visit his family when Marcus sought to sacrifice Mina. Marcus was the one, he was the sorcerer. He’d always longed for prestige and power. A simple man’s life would never be good enough for him. And being born into a family of two strong warriors and one nurturer/healer made him stand out.

  “Sir?”

  “Yes?”

  “There’s been word of another group of warriors having been slain in the night.”

  Frederick nodded and said, “I am going to go out, have a look around.”

  “Would you like me to send some men with you?”

  “No, this I must do alone. We will travel in one hour.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Frederick had a word with his men, and made his way deeper into the forest. The sky seemed to grey before he was under the towering branches. The air cooled, and Frederick experienced the heaviness of duty. They couldn’t yet lay hands on their enemy.

  In a split second, a sound hit his ears and all his senses sharpened. He didn’t even blink when the noise whizzed past his head. A knife was embedded in the bark next to him.

  “I wondered when I would see you again, sister.” He turned and smiled at her. Diana had grown more slender. She still kept her hair plaited, and wore a plain tunic with her wide belt. He could not hear her as she stepped towards him.

  “I am happy to see you as well.” She came forward and embraced him. Her arms were cool, like the chilled grey air ran through her veins instead of blood. Yet there was a warmth in her eyes at the sight of her kin. He wondered how long it had been since she’d gazed upon another human with anything like happiness.

  “You could have killed me, had I moved,” Frederick tested her.

  She spoke plainly. “I never accidentally kill anyone. I only use my knife in close quarters.”

  He smiled at her again and slapped her shoulder, the way he would one of the men he trained. Diana equaled him in height. There was no give in her posture. He couldn’t hold back his curiosity any longer.

  “How long have you been in the woods? Where is Master Aaron? Have you not thought of going to see Mother? At least Mina?”

  “Aaron taught me all he could. I could have been burned as a witch, Frederick. This way, I can hunt the evil brewing in our world without being noticed.” He watched her swallow before she continued. It was the only vulnerable gesture she made. “I assume you know you have predators?”

  “You are making them disappear, turning them
to dust.” He was proud, but saddened when he though of the lost souls.

  “It isn’t easy to kill the possessed ones. And someone is conjuring, making more of them, calling them.”

  “It is a tragedy, Diana! There are men and women who are not in a position to resist, they wish to have a voice and this is the most alluring way. Only the purest of heart are immune. But they inevitably will become victims of the followers.”

  “You have done well for yourself, brother. You are so young, yet you already lead men. Father knew you would do so. I saw it as well. You were meant to. But what of our family? Have you ensured the safety of our parents and Mina… Marcus?” She whispered the last name.

  “Diana, there is something you should know. Marcus left over a year ago. He had been doing more animal sacrifices. I used to discover him, I would find the blood. He was calling…talking to them.” He saw Diana’s jaw clench while he explained, “He’s called the Netherworld King. He invited him. Mother did what she could, but one day, Mina was alone.”

  At these words, Diana’s flesh went white. “She’s not dead,’ she said. It was a statement. If one of their own had died, she would know. She would feel it in her blood.

  “No, but…she is not herself. Part of Mina’s mind is…missing. I don’t know if you’ve ever had them inside you. But, Diana, they come and talk directly to your soul, your heart. They know you, everything you desire. I fear the day they come and talk to me again. Mina is pure of heart, she only wanted love and family. Marcus saw her as a lamb or fawn he could sacrifice, but of such high quality. I stopped him before he could complete the deed. He meant to come for me as well, but Mina was too tempting. When he had her blood on his hands, he had changed. He disappeared. Our brother is dead to us.”

  It hurt him to say those words. Frederick could recall Marcus as a sensitive child. His mother always knelt before him, her hands on either side of his face. Only then would Marcus’s eyes soften. The memory of that lost goodness tugged at his chest. Their mother had fought a silent battle for years to save her boy from the dark forces he was naturally drawn to.

  But more awful was the death of their sister’s sanity. She was at home, confused. The wound on her neck still caused her pain. Frederick had stopped Marcus just in time, before it turned fatal.

  “How dare he!” Diana said. “How dare he defile our family so, cause our family such shame. Mina…”

  “Marcus conjures,” Frederick continued, “though they hide in the shadows, only slithering out… We have not managed to kill one. Only you can kill the demons inside. When you dispose of the remains. It’s like Marcus places a sleeping spell over the encampments, toys with our senses. Some of the best warriors I’ve trained with have wandered out, like zombies. He calls the entities to bewitch them.”

  Diana interrupted him. He didn’t even notice when she had removed the knife from the tree beside him. It was back in its sheath.

  “Harden your heart, brother. We will be tested in more ways that we cannot yet understand. In order to be in control of the strongest part of ourselves, we must be in control of the weakest part. I am with you, even when you do not realize.”

  Frederick looked at the ground. She was right. Focus was essential to defeat this enemy. Focus did not include mourning for what had not, or no longer existed. Their little sister, lovely and sweet, had been cursed with an existence of sickening for what she could not have, knowing not what it was. Their mother lived with a broken heart over her lost children. And their father, with his bear-like stature, suffered for all of them.

  Diana spoke, again interrupting his thoughts.

  “Master Aaron told me that magic will play a part in this. But it is the strength of hearts that will win it. What is your greatest desire, brother? Do you wish for more power? Can you imagine yourself satisfied with the dreams you would share? Because if you are not, if you crave for more than what is right… We are all doomed. All the spells in the world could not save us.”

  With that, Frederick was alone. He did not hear her go. His sister was on his side, as she always had been. And this offered him a small comfort in the cold forest. He turned to go back to the camp, thinking, ‘I am with you too, sister.’

  ‘That I do not doubt. You would not be alive now otherwise.’ Her silvery voice echoed in the trees.

  It wasn’t as though he didn’t know she was a witch before. But now, Diana was like a creature not of this world. As he left the consultation with her, the sun shone on his shoulders, reminding him of the many other things in this world worth fighting for.

  Marcus

  Mina’s blood had indeed proved worth taking. He was willing to take her life, but in the end it was crueler to make her live as she now did. More greatness would follow. It was another moment of triumph when the warrior from his brother’s own camp came out to meet him. No one stopped him, for most were asleep and those who were on guard were glazed over with dark magic.

  Come to us, friend. Show us your heart. And I will find use for you.

  The huge, bald man knelt before Marcus. Marcus’s eyes widened and with his inhale, he became ecstatic. To look inside someone’s soul was a privilege no ordinary human would know. This broad-shouldered slayer was his. He sought to advance in rank. He hoped to receive riches one day. Women would flock to him. No more would they turn from him due to the scar slashed across his face.

  He would be desired, not only feared. There was no doubt in his fierceness in a fight, but he was not as clever as the likes of Frederick. Marcus smirked as he watched the brute smile. His eyes glazed with images of the prettiest ladies sat upon his knee. He presented them with gifts and they smiled and lay their heads upon his shoulder. They squeezed him and lavished him with compliments, promised him pleasure. Now, they would swoon at the sight of him.

  Marcus spoke, “In the pit of your heart, that is what you desire most?” Marcus laughed at the beastly man in the hands of the demons, and the hissing increased. One of Frederick’s prize warriors had been overcome by his own fantasies of being a great lover.

  “What is your name?” Marcus asked.

  “Benedict,” the man replied, his eyes lost to the visions and the unnatural bliss jolting up and down his spine. Plus the whispers of more.

  He was a savage sort, this one, with his scars and massive limbs. The axe was his chosen weapon, and despite his bulk, he was swift and could kill two or three at a time.

  “You will be blessed indeed, my friend. Slay your brethren, and countless beauties will throw themselves at your feet.”

  Then, Marcus received the sounds in his own head. He will be a useful vessel. But he will still be vulnerable to your sister. She is the witch with the knife who hides in the wood. She can kill my spirits, once she destroys their vessel.

  “My lord, we will be invincible. Once we destroy our enemies from within, they will be unable to fight. Then when those whom they have defeated in the past are offered your powers, such ease we will have in ruling.”

  Ease is not what a truly mighty one desires. Ease will never satisfy those that prevail. Always, you seek to crush. And in order to crush, challenges must be met. That Frederick is able to keep his protectors willing to fight an undefeated, unknown force is impressive. That he leads the initiative to reassure villages of their warriors’ valor and integrity is extraordinary. We could crush him with great ease, yes, but he has a silent alliance with the witch.

  “I shall drive them apart, my king.”

  Your own flesh and blood, your own countrymen?

  “I would use their bones to build your kingdom, so long as you would endow me with the right to rule it.” With these words, Marcus felt the ground beneath his feet tremble. Ecstasy went up his back and his head tilted to the sky.

  So be it. She is near…

  As the sky dimmed and the temperature dropped, Marcus began to call his sister.

  Diana

  She was outnumbered. Diana could scent them in the woods, around the mountain. The rogue
murderers who had surrendered to evil. Touching the hilt of her knife, her legs set off. Before she knew it, she was nearing the encampment closest to her home village, where Frederick now was.

  The vulnerability of this was a great risk. Secrecy was her greatest weapon. To have those she protected know nothing of her existence. Her nose twitched and she was close to an enemy. Worse, the enemy was close to her own home. Sickness rose in her throat and suddenly the ground smacked her on the back, her long legs up in the air.

  “Enemy huntress!” Two massive warriors with hazy eyes and the tell-tale odor of wickedness.

  She was back on her feet in a second, knife drawn. The large bald one rushed towards her with an axe. Diana ducked and the weapon embedded in a fallen trunk instead of her skull. He roared and pulled it out. The devils inside the two men hissed at her. They wanted to fight.

  Fantasies of being able to go to Mina, looking into her eyes and bringing her mind back to life came, alongside the rolling up and down her spine. “Lies. My sister is lost,” Diana said to the devils.

  Join your brother, the demons wheezed at her. At this point, the two killers’ eyes were almost white. They looked like corpses, and the scent was enough to cause Diana to retch. She covered her mouth and fell to her knees.

  Having recovered his axe, the beastly, scarred one went for her again. Diana’s body swooped back as the axe went inches from her face. While shifting to avoid either of them being behind her, the other one grabbed her, his wretched mouth right at her ear.

  “I will watch as he splits you in two,” the spirit rasped at her. Her stomach turned and she spit. With her arms in the vice grips of the killing machine, Diana wacked her head back into his nose. He did not release her arms but his hold loosened enough so she could free herself.

  As she turned, she noticed the black blood spilling down onto his lip. And she could feel the wetness of it in her hair. She was no match for their strength, but anger roared inside of her. The first hit of violence made heat course through her. Despite the coolness all around, fire built in her core.