“Wonderful, my darling.” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply.
Chapter Seventeen
“The difference between false memories and true ones is the same as for jewels: it is always the false ones that look the most real, the most brilliant.”
-Salvador Dalí
August, 2004
Rugby, North Dakota
Sally wandered through Wolfgang’s castle. She felt a little lost and disconnected without the love of her life beside her. He was busy preparing the next batch of conscripts. He had explained to her how he was bringing peace to the troubled lands beyond his borders, a mile at a time. His forces worked very hard to keep from killing the innocents from the enemy army. Instead, they fought to capture them and bring them to the sanctity of the castle, where Wolfgang labored to free them from their conditioning and make them free-thinking individuals willing to fight for his cause.
The enemy had been camped outside the castle for as long as she could remember. Wolfgang was constantly reminding her of the dangers they presented, with their guns and jets and tanks and missiles. He was careful to fight them with weapons of old, using troops he’d pulled from the very bones of the earth itself. The conscripts he brought into his fold were more than happy to lay down their previous masters’ weapons of war in favor of the swords and bows that Wolfgang preferred.
Her love had spent a day carefully measuring her for a suit of armor that would protect her when she led her first assault on the enemy host. She had thrilled to feel his hands on her skin, and wished desperately he had time for more attentions. Unfortunately, his duties often called him away before she could do much more than buss him across the lips. And it was his manservant Seth who came to remind him of those duties, usually giving her an evil glare as he passed her.
She didn’t like Seth; and she knew he hated her with a passion she didn’t understand.
The clock in the great hall chimed and she knew it was time to eat. She walked through the corridors toward the dining room atop the tall central tower of the castle. Her thoughts seemed very cloudy these days. She found it difficult to recall details of the past. As far as she knew, she’d always been part of the Archmage’s entourage. Or perhaps she was one of the converted, a soldier from the barbarian army beyond Wolfgang’s magical wards. Perhaps he’d freed her from her slavery. Unbidden, images of brightly-colored floating spheres filled her mind. This happened frequently, and the illusions were real enough that more than once she found herself reaching out to touch them even though they weren’t present.
She didn’t understand why she kept seeing them. They certainly weren’t anything she’d seen in the castle, or from the army beyond. Wolfgang hadn’t cast any spells that showed her such things. Deep in her mind, in the part that occasionally screamed wordlessly at her and gave her the nightmares, she knew there was something very important about those floating spheres. And yet, she was loath to mention them to Wolfgang. She didn’t want him to think there was something, well, wrong with her. She strove to be perfect for him, because she loved him so much.
Every so often, it seemed that the world around her stopped moving altogether, and she found herself wandering through a castle populated by statues instead of people. When this happened, she would run from room to room, searching for her love in the hope he could help her regain her sensibility. Once she’d found him and he was just as frozen as everyone else, and it terrified her. Seth eventually found her, huddled in a corner of a disused chamber, moaning and crying since she thought she’d somehow lost everything. It was like the nightmares that tormented her constantly. Every night she ran in great terror from beings that sought to murder her; a dog-faced man, a bolt of lightning shaped like a woman, a walking pillar of strength, a vicious clawed harpy, and the Musician
The Musician was her greatest fear, but he was also Wolfgang’s obsession. He was training her for the mission to bring the Musician back into the castle. The Musician directed the enemy army’s attacks on the castle, and Wolfgang explained to her that his capture would result in the end of the war. She nodded as she brushed away tears she didn’t know had escaped her eyes, and smiled at him.
Lunch was, as always, a repast worthy of kings and emperors. Wolfgang sat down wearily at the head of the table. Seth moved to his side quickly and gave him a vial of a cordial to help his strength return. Sally knew her position was to wait until Wolfgang had been served and began eating before seeking her own nourishment. The food smelled wonderful, and looked incredibly delicious, but somehow her appetite had waned of late and she could barely stomach even a crust of bread.
Wolfgang loaded up a plate with meat, potatoes, cheeses, and succulent vegetables, and filled a great flagon with his favorite spicy wine. He looked down the long table at Sally and smiled. “You look as fantastic as ever, my dear.”
“Thank you, my love.” Her heart swelled with joy as feelings welled up inside her to push aside even the constant images of balloons.
“I have good news,” said Wolfgang. “I’ve completed your armor. You’ll be able to lead the troops tomorrow.”
Sally’s breath caught in her throat. Was she really going to be able to prove her love for the Archmage at last? “Oh, Wolfgang!” she cried. “That’s wonderful!”
He allowed himself a condescending smile. “Yes, it is rather special, isn’t it?”
“Might I try it on tonight before bed?”
“Of course. We should make sure everything fits.”
“And perhaps later… I could join you in your chambers?” Sally asked hopefully. She had yet to be allowed in to spend any time with Wolfgang without his retainers present. She wasn’t sure why, but it was certainly for her own good.
A new, unholy glint appeared in the Archmage’s eyes. “Yes, I think that would be satisfactory.”
Seth sidled up next to Wolfgang. “I don’t think that’s wise, my Lord. Let her prove herself to you first before you risk being alone with her.”
Sally glared at Wolfgang’s aide. How dare he?
The Archmage sighed and drained his cup of wine. “Yes, you’re right, I suppose. I can always trust you to have my best interests at heart, can’t I, Seth?”
Seth lowered his eyes. “I exist to serve you, my Lord.” Sally heard a slight cynicism in the man’s voice, but it was apparently lost on Wolfgang.
They finished eating in silence, Wolfgang lost in his thoughts and Sally daydreaming of herself in his armor.
Soon the meal was finished and the servants began clearing the table. Wolfgang wiped his mouth fastidiously with a napkin and stood. “Come, Salena.” He held out his hand to her.
She was by his side in a flash and tucked her eager arm inside his. He led her through the castle to his workshop. She caught occasional glimpses of Seth behind them in the shadows. His quiet stalking made her a little nervous, as if he awaited an opportunity to slip a dagger in between her ribs. She swore to herself resolutely that he’d never get the chance.
The workshop was brightly lit by torches along the walls. Her suit of armor floated without any apparent means of support over a raised platform in the middle of the workshop. Her breath caught in her throat as she took in the beautiful creation.
The necessity of her freedom of movement and speed had guided the armor’s design. She wouldn’t be overly restricted by the overlapping plates of cerulean blue armor trimmed by ebony chain mail. “Oh, Wolfgang!” she said. “It’s beautiful!”
He smiled at her. “I would be honored if you would try it on, Lady Salena. I’ll give you some privacy while you dress.”
Sally was going to say she didn’t mind, but before she could, Seth drew Wolfgang away into an adjoining chamber. The dark look he shot her made her spine tingle. She tried to put her nervousness about her true love’s majordomo out of her mind as she shucked out of her gown. She stared at the armor for a minute, because it floated several inches above the floor, as if it was some kind of strange balloon, and she forgot her
anxiety and smiled. The only problem, she thought suddenly, was that it was the wrong color.
It ought to have been red, not blue.
Her feet slipped into soft leather ankle boots with straps that crisscrossed up her legs. Plates of steel protected the tops of her feet and the thick, soft soles would give her plenty of purchase. Her legs remained bare to allow freedom of movement. A leather belt fastened around her midriff and a soft thong creased her buttocks. A skirt of flexible chain hung around her waist, connecting to a large ring that centered over her navel. I should get that pierced, he’d love that, she thought. The unwarranted thought was immediately followed by strong guilt as she suspected the he in question wasn’t Wolfgang, which made no sense to her. Her breasts were sheathed in a leather bikini with a chain mail overlay. It also connected to the ring at her navel. Blued steel guards covered her shoulders, and bracers wrapped around her upper arms. A thin steel helmet lined with cotton and topped with bright peacock feathers perched atop her head.
Sally stared at herself in the mirror. She looked amazing and yet, part of her mind kept screaming it was completely wrong in every possible way. A powerful wave of mixed emotion rolled over her and she felt like laughing and crying at the same time. A single tear wound its way down her cheek. She wiped it away quickly with a flash of anger at her lack of control.
“Wolfgang? I’m finished.”
The door creaked open and he stood in the hallway and regarded her with open-mouthed awe.
“You look fantastic.”
She spun around gaily and flipped her hair like a flag. “Why thank you!”
He stepped into the room, followed by a slinking Seth. The older man drifted off to a shadowed spot along one wall and seemed to fold himself into a ball of hatred and distrust. Sally glanced in his direction before Wolfgang drew up to her and gently grasped her arms. He bent down to place a kiss on her forehead.
“I’m ready to lead your armies, my love,” she said with pride.
“Not quite yet. I’d be amiss if I sent you into battle with naught but the armor on your shoulders.”
He raised his hand, palm toward the ceiling and fingers curling up and around. A bluish glow filled his hand, and then lengthened into a long haft of finely-grained wood inlaid with silver tracings. A tuft of silky fur dangled from one end, and from it sprouted a wickedly barbed point which shimmered like water in the sunlight.
A spear, thought Sally. That’s not right. Nevertheless, she reached up to take the offered weapon in spite of the wrongness of its shape and size.
“Go on, try it out,” said Wolfgang.
Seth stiffened noticeably from where he lurked. Sally ignored him. She stepped back from Wolfgang to give herself enough room to operate.
She whipped the spear around experimentally to get a feel for it. It was incredibly light, and she made it whistle around her as she twirled it like a quarterstaff. She brought it around behind her smartly and then snapped it butt-first down to the floor with a sound like thunder. Cracks radiated outward through the stone floor from the point of impact. Sally’s chest heaved, not so much from exertion, but from the excitement of using the weapon that seemed to meld itself into every move she made. She grinned at Wolfgang, who applauded.
“Brilliant, my dear. You’re a natural.” She swelled with pride to hear his words. His smile turned dangerous. “Perhaps we should test you under more adverse conditions.”
He snapped his fingers and suddenly they were in the courtyard. Sally noticed he hadn’t transported Seth along with them and that knowledge gave her a secret thrill. Wolfgang trusted her at last. It was a turning point. Sally knew it was only a matter of time before she’d be allowed to share everything of herself with Wolfgang.
The Archmage waved his hand at the cobblestones and a group of spectral minions rose up from the ground. They looked oddly familiar to Sally, but she couldn’t imagine where she might have seen such strange people before except perhaps in her dreams: two huge, hulking men, one black as night and the other with a dog’s face; a cackling harpy with talons and feathered wings; a living bolt of lightning in female form; a laughing rascal of a demon; an amorphous blob with stringy tentacles which reached hungrily for her head.
And amid them all was a shadowy representation of the Musician.
“They displease me,” said Wolfgang. “Destroy them for me, Salena. Prove yourself worthy of the gifts you have received.”
Sally didn’t hesitate. Swinging the spear fluidly, she waded in among them. The harpy screamed at her and threw knives from both hands. Sally dodged them easily, batting them out of the air with the haft of her spear. As the living lightning bolt cast itself at her, she spun the tip of the spear around and spitted the glowing specter neatly through its chest. The creature disappeared in a flash of ectoplasmic residue. Sally reversed the spear and swung it hard to cut through the harpy’s wings. The monster fell to the ground, still screaming, and Sally pinned it through its chest. With her spear firmly planted, she leaped up and kicked out at the leering demon, smashing its face in. It vanished in a puff of smoke. Tendrils wrapped around her head suddenly, blinding and suffocating her. She lashed out, spinning the spear in a wide arc. The tendrils vanished as quickly as they had formed, leaving her only to face the two monstrous men and the Musician. With one mighty blow of the magically-sharp spearhead, she cleaved the black creature in half and it vanished in a puff of smoke. The dog-faced demon wrapped her up in a bear hug, but wasn’t fast enough to entrap her arms. She reversed the spear and thrust it behind her just past her hip. As it gored into the spectral being behind her, she gasped from a feeling like she’d done something horribly wrong. But she couldn’t dwell on that now; she still had the Musician to face.
But before she could move against the Musician, Wolfgang dismissed him with a desultory wave of his hand. The spirit vanished off to whatever realm it called home and left the two of them alone in the courtyard once more.
“Wonderful,” said Wolfgang. “I know now that you will be successful. I am proud to make you the leader of my army. Tomorrow morning we move against the Musician, and by tomorrow night we celebrate his defeat.”
“But tonight you should rest, my Lord,” wheedled Seth from the tower entrance. “You’ll need all your strength tomorrow. All your strength.”
Wolfgang sighed. “I suppose you’re right, old friend.” He turned to Sally. “One more night apart, my dear. Tomorrow night you shall join me in my chambers and I will make you my queen.”
Sally felt herself quiver with repressed desire and frustration. It seemed like she’d never be able to quell the ache deep inside her. She sighed. “One more night, my darling. I look forward to finally sharing your bed.”
The look of pure hatred that Seth shot her almost made her regret her words. In that moment she knew she would have to kill him.
Chapter Eighteen
“War, war is still the cry, ‘War even to the knife!’”
-Lord Byron
August, 2004
Rugby, North Dakota
Sally couldn’t sleep.
The excitement of the approaching battle made her toss and turn in her bedchamber in the castle’s south tower. She wished for a moment she had a clock so she’d know what time it was. Then she laughed at herself for such a ridiculous thought. The sun peeking through her window would be clock enough for her.
She got out of her bed and wrapped a blanket around herself against the chill of the night. She’d asked the Archmage about the unusually cool weather considering it was the middle of summer. He’d explained that the Musician’s powers were altering weather patterns and that he’d be able to restore the natural balance once their opponent had been vanquished once and for all. The fire in her hearth had died down to a soft glow. She could have thrown another piece of wood on it, but it was hard enough to sleep without flickering firelight on the rounded walls of her chamber. She stepped over to the window to look out across the darkened lands far below.
&nbs
p; The lights of the enemy burned with their unnaturally steady glow as they made constant circles around Wolfgang’s lands both in the sky and on the ground. They constantly tested his defenses day and night, but she saw no battles being fought at the moment. The enemy troops seemed content to wait in their encampments. Nearer to the base of the mountain, she could see Wolfgang’s own armies, their camps lit by cheerful fires and lanterns. She could see the remains of a few vehicles burning away the last of their flammable parts, grim testaments to the power of her love’s soldiers.
Tomorrow she would be leading those very soldiers into battle.
She sighed happily and thought perhaps she was getting a little drowsy after all and should go back to bed. She closed her eyes and imagined the thrill of combat in her love’s name. Her mind filled with the images of floating balloons the color of fresh blood and she shook her head angrily. Why did those visions keep tormenting her?
She heard the slightest of clicks from the latch of her chamber door, and time seemed to stop around her.
Her heart pounded in fear as she threw off the blanket. The blanket hung in midair, not yet affected by the pull of gravity. She hurried over to her bed and thrust a couple of pillows underneath the sheets. It didn’t really look like someone asleep, but perhaps in the darkened room it would be enough to give her a momentary advantage. She ran lightly to the hearth and grabbed the poker; it was the only weapon she had readily available to her. She moved to stand in the slight alcove by the door with the poker raised in preparation.
The blanket she’d dropped settled to the floor.
The latch turned quietly and the door swung open. The corridor beyond would normally be lit by torches, but now it was dark. A figured swathed in black slipped into the room. The dim light glinted off the naked blade of a dagger clutched in his hand. Even in the near-darkness, there was no mistaking that look of disdain. Seth had come to kill her in her sleep.
Just Cause Universe 2: The Archmage Page 22