I run until I collapse, Liander and I had ranged far from our tribe for this hunt. It had taken us three days of walking until we had seen the gelid, even after all this running I’m probably no more than halfway home. I lay there in the snow, panting, watching the snow blow away in little eddies. My ears prick up at a noise, something faint in the distance. Please, let this nightmare end. A wailing, the sound of someone in unbelievable pain. No, no, no! The screaming is getting closer, louder, the crunch of dirt and snow beneath something’s feet is growing louder as well.
Panic wells up, the burning in my body washed away in a flood of cold terror. I force myself up on shaking legs and keep running. Overhead the sky has turned blood red, devoid of clouds, sun or moon. That’s not right. That’s not what happens! The strange thoughts return in full force and the world spins as a sense of déjà vu slams into me.
The screaming continues to grow louder, so loud it feels like it’s in my head. I fall to the cold ground, my vision swimming uncontrollably. What is happening to me? Everything is wrong! Where is my father? Somehow, I know that my clan should be here, my father and his warriors are out looking for us. A freezing talon pushing up on my chin ends my train of thought, the iron reek of blood pulls me back to the present. The elf looks down at me, its face hauntingly familiar.
“Hello Kearika, have you missed me?” It asks with a manic grin, dried and crusted blood splattered all over it.
“Come now, don’t you want to stab me like you did before? With that puny knife of yours?” It hisses, eyes boring into mine. Scraps of meat and fur peek out between its teeth as it grins.
“Before? I’ve never met a monster like you in my life!” I say, my vision doubling the elf’s face as it becomes my brother’s, my father’s and Caius’s. I have to wake up! Something red hot forces its way into my head, burning its way through my skull. I can feel the elf’s face close to mine, pressing its forehead against me. It’s rough, scraping my skin as it moves until its eyes are level with mine.
“I told you that your fate was sealed. Know this, I will hunt you for the rest of your days. Devouring you one morsel at a time.” I whisper, the edges of its mouth draw back, revealing a terrible toothy darkness.
“Slowly, just like I promised.” It says.
“How are you here, in my memories?” I ask, trying to focus my mind to resist. My confusion has finally gone away, my memories returning to me in a rush. I must still be unconscious after the fight at the bar.
“I told you foolish girl, I will consume you piece by piece. Starting with your memories, I will strip you of all that gave you joy. I will take what gave you sadness, what made you. I will leave only emptiness, only fear. I will break you inside and outside, until there is nothing left but a shell.” The elf murmurs, its eyes tinged red by the sky.
“Kearika!” Echoes faintly from the clouds overhead. Caius?
“Your master calls for you whelp. What will you do when I release you? Will you tell him of your fear, what if he never trusts you to protect him again. Or will you keep it inside, letting it gnaw away at you?” The elf asks, dropping me in the snow. The stench of rotten meat fills the air, its teeth scything through the air as it laughs.
The first thing I see is my hands strangling the blanket, desperately wringing the life out of it. Sweat mattes my hair, the room reeks with its stench. I glance over and see Caius pressed up as far as he can go against the wall. His eyes as wide as I’ve ever seen them. Amazing that he hasn’t fainted if he’s this scared. I take a ragged breath, when I try to speak all I do is wince instead. My throat feels like I’ve been gargling razors.
“What did you do to me Caius?” I say after forcing myself to breathe.
When he doesn’t respond I just sit there, trying to breathe. It still feels like I’m being choked, it’s so hard to breathe it feels like I’m suffocating. I glance over to my left and freeze in shock. What is HE doing here? That huge man is lying in bed next to me, breathing shallowly. I look around, frantically trying to find my armor so I can get it on before he wakes. In case he wants to finish what he started.
A sudden gust whips the tree outside into a frenzy, the branches skittering off the glass. I jump in surprise, head whipping around to the source of the noise. For a moment leaves are slanted eyes, branches are sharp claws and teeth skitter on glass. I close my eyes and shake my head, trying to drive the sight away. Get a hold of yourself! I open them slowly, mercifully the tree is just a tree again. Caius is still pushed against the wall beneath the windowsill, his eyes wide and clearly not seeing anything.
I slip off the side of the bed and pad over to Caius’s pack, hoping to find something of mine in it. It rests in a corner by the door, with a long staff next to it that I’ve never seen before. That’ll do nicely.
It’s a beautiful piece of wood, jagged dark lines spiral along its entire length and a thick steel cap is on one end. The wood reflects the light with a warm, burnished glow. It’s smooth as silk as I pick it up and give it a few experimental twirls. Lighter than my halberd but with a nice heft to it. It slides smoothly in my hands and my confidence surges now that I’m armed again. I glance over again at Caius, hoping to see some spark of life returning to him.
He’s still in shock, fantastic. The large man is still sleeping, so I take the time to look around Caius’s room a bit longer. Besides the plush leather chair by the window, the room is spartan in its accoutrements. A modest desk and oil lamp rests to the side, with a knife sticking up out of the wood.
Wait, a knife?
Pinned to the desk with it is a scroll of parchment, bound tightly in black thread. I pluck the knife out of the wood and hold it up to the light. It's almost as long as my forearm and a strange pattern along the entire blade. This almost looks like the writings for a spell.
The edge is extremely sharp, as my nicked thumb can now attest to. A small drop of blood wanders across the surface before being absorbed by it. The whole pattern begins to change colors from silver to light pink and finally to a dark crimson. Well, time to wake Caius up. Holding the knife by my side I walk back over to Caius, the staff in my other hand. I sit on the edge of the bed in front of him, leaning the staff against the wall next to him.
“Caius, come back to me. I need your help.” I coo, giving him my softest look. “I need you to help me with something and I can’t do it without you.”
His eyes flicker from straight ahead to meet mine, then go back. With a sigh I sink down off the bed and onto the floor next to him. He must have used his body magic to get us back here. That would explain why he’s not tracking well right now.
“Come on Caius, I know you’re in there.” I say softly, wrapping an arm around him as I do so. I pull him in closely, resting my head on his. Of course, the one time I get to hug him and he’s in a coma. We sit there for a few minutes, until finally he stirs slightly.
“I am sorry Kearika. I did not mean to hurt you. I was just trying to help.” He murmurs.
“I know Caius, I’m not mad. Thank you for dragging me all the way here and thank you for patching me up” I say, painfully aware of how quickly this could spiral out of control.
Given half a chance Caius would shut himself off and go back to brooding. “I found this sticking out of your desk, I take it that it’s not yours?” I hold out the knife in front of us, the pattern is still fresh and wet looking despite the intervening time.
“Someone left that in my desk?” He asks, he takes the blade from me and holds it closer to his face. “This looks like the symbol for unmaking, but it is unfinished.” He says, voice becoming firmer as we switch to a more comfortable topic. He swipes his sleeve across the blade, removing the color from the symbols.
“Interesting, it definitely has silver inlaid into it, but why? Was there anything else on my desk, or just this knife?” He asks, glancing over at me.
I hand him the parchment. “I haven’t read it yet, I was waiting for you to come back to the world of the living.” He gives me a pa
ined look before taking the roll of paper from me, which I trade for the knife. I toy with it as I sit there idly flipping, rolling and tossing it around while I wait. I like the balance of it, I wonder if the Tower will let me keep it after they’re done with it?
“Caius, are my things here?” I ask, hoping to feel the comforting weight of my armor.
“I was a bit busy dragging you and your friend all the back to the hotel.” He replies in a distracted tone. His brow furrows as his eyes skitter across the note.
“Are we going to have company then?” I ask, calming myself down and trying to clear my mind. Have to stay focused for this next part, I don’t really have the concentration for it. I murmur a prayer to my ancestors before starting to chant the words Caius taught me. The air grows warmer as it dances and swirls around me. Concentrate, picture my armor on me. See my halberd in my hand.
My skin tingles and my palms feel like they’re burning. As I finish the summoning chant, the burning sensation growing more intense every second. I glare at Caius as he tries to stifle his laughter.
“What’s so funny?” I ask peevishly, struggling to keep my image of how the spell should finish in my head.
“Nothing, it is just that you always make the same serious face when you call your things. It is endearing.” He says, turning a little pink before burrowing back into the note.
He thinks this the way I look is cute? Great, now I know I’m going crazy. With a sound like a cork from a bottle, my armor appears on me at last. Finally. My halberd, however, is not in hand. It’s buried point first in the floor between Caius’s legs, humming softly as it vibrates. Caius gives me a wan look, and gets a huff from me in reply. I pull my weapon from the floor, letting it pass a little too close to his face. Now it’s my turn to give him a huge grin as I sit down on the edge of the bed.
“Whoops.” I say innocently.
“So, what did your secret admirer say? Flowers, candles and purple prose at sundown?” I ask, idly watching the flickering lamplight shining on the strange knife. A thick arm wraps around my neck and a meaty paw crushes my fingers against the knife handle. I didn’t even feel him wake up!
My head swims, all the air is being cut off by that huge arm. The knife inches closer and closer to my eye, its wicked edge glinting in the light. It’s all I can do to just slow him. He’s too strong, I’m going to have to get him even the odds. I slam my elbow into his ribs as hard as I can, but a small grunt is his only response. I struggle to keep the blade away from my eye, hammering him repeatedly with my elbow.
“Stop.” Caius says coldly, devoid of any emotion.
Instantly I stop hitting the man, looking at Caius with confusion. The dagger shakes violently, still inches away from my eye. I’ve never heard him like that before. Caius’s face is as pale as the moon, but a foreign coldness is in his eyes. I shiver when I lock eyes with him, this is so unlike the Caius I know.
“I said, stop.” This time his voice carries a ring of command to it, the arm around my throat slackens by the smallest amount and that wicked edge stops getting closer to my eye.
“You...you won’t hold me for long mage.” A strained voice says next to my ear, more hate loaded into that last word then I’d ever heard before.
“You will listen to me Alaric Ferrierson. You will listen to me and have no say in the matter.” Caius replies, his voice taking on a strangely lilt. Alaric is shaking, his breathing growing ragged as he tries to force his body to respond. His arm doesn’t move forward an inch, the knife stays where it is vibrating violently.
“Release her, and then put the knife down on the bed, then sit there quietly.” Caius voice grows melodic as he speaks, his eyes never leaving Alaric’s.
With a strained grunt Alaric’s arm releases the pressure on my throat, haltingly moving down to his side. So does the hand with the knife and I roll off the bed, lunging for my halberd. Whirling around as I grab hold of the shaft, I raise it above my head for a blow that will take Alaric’s head from his shoulders. He looks terrible. His entire body is shaking, and his clothes are soaked with sweat. His head turns fractionally until he’s glaring at me with teeth bared.
“Do it slave. Cut me down for that abomination you follow.” He grinds out through gritted teeth.
“There is no need for violence. We are going to let you go.” Caius says, glancing down at the note again.
“What?” Alaric and I exclaim at the same time.
“This note promises free passage out of the city in exchange for you alive Alaric. While I don’t doubt that Kearika could cut us a path out of here, I do not want it to come to that.” Caius raps a finger against the paper as he continues “I think that the lives of everyone in this town are a fair trade for a Seneschal, and your people certainly seem to think so. The question is, do you?” Seneschal? I don’t know the term, what’s going on in this crazy town.
I lower my halberd until it rests gently against the floor. First there’s that psychotic elf, and now someone trying to assassinate Caius. What’s next?
“Fine, I agree to the offer my subordinates have given you. I swear on my honor as Seneschal of the Zauberei that we will allow you and your Protector free passage from our city.” Alaric says with a sigh.
“Thank you, Seneschal. We never wished to harm you.” Caius says with a small smile.
I glance at Caius “Is he still bound by whatever it is you’re doing to him?” I ask. Caius nods, his eyes never leaving Alaric’s. Good, I want some revenge. I let go of my halberd, pull my arm back and punch Alaric as hard as I can, enjoying the feeling of his head rocking backwards.
“You tried to kill me! For no reason at all!” I shout as I smash an elbow into his cheek, the force of it twisting his head around.
“Kearika! Stop this at once!” Caius shouts, and I shake him off as he tries to restrain me.
Another elbow knocks Alaric onto his back and I lunge forward hands outstretched. He’s not shaking anymore. The thought flashes through my mind, just before his feet smash into my stomach. My padded armor absorbs most of the brutal kick, but it stills throws me off the bed, across the room and flat onto my back. A handspring gets me back on my feet, scooping my halberd up as I do so. Alaric launches himself at me from the foot of the bed, arms outstretched.
Not this time. I bat his temple with the steel capped end of my halberd, knocking him away and down into the floor. I press the blade of it against the back of his neck, drawing a thin red line as it slices his skin.
“I want answers, and I want them now.” I growl, applying more pressure to his neck. “Why did you try to kill me? What are these Zauberei that you’re talking about?”
“We Zauberei are mage slayers. We specialize in hunting down his kind and bringing them to justice.” Alaric replies with a grunt, letting his knife drop with a small thud.
“Justice for what? Mages who break the Tower’s laws are brought before the masters to be tried. You have no right to do so.” I retort. Though it’s not like that route works all that often.
“Of course, I forgot that being a mage makes one immune to being tried fairly for their crimes. You do know that only another mage has the right to bring a claim to the Tower, yes? If no mage is willing to stand up for us, the system doesn’t work. Something has to be done, someone has to stand up for the common man!” Alaric says with a fiery conviction in his voice.
“The Zauberei are that justice. We go where the laws can’t, where the common people have no rights. We level the playing the field. As for why I tried to kill you? I am here to hunt down a mage, and you just happened to come to the bar we were staying at. Your death would have been a happy coincidence, that’s all.” He finishes in a growl.
“If it isn’t Caius and I, who are you after then?” I ask. Probably Mendalde.
“Why should I tell you, you’re just going to tip her off.” He replies, glaring daggers at Caius from the floor. Definitely Mendalde.
“Leave him out of this, and no we won’t tell her. If she
really has committed a crime, I’m sure Caius will raise the issue with the Tower.” I apply pressure with my blade, slicing deeper into the back of his neck. He gives another small grunt and flattens back against the floor.
“Caius how are we going to give him back to his people?” I ask, glancing over at my erstwhile master. Hopefully in pieces.
“We are going to leave him here for them to find.” Caius replies offhandedly, busy shoving his things into his pack.
“Kearika, take his blade. It may prove useful later.” Keeping my halberd against Alaric’s neck, I pull his knife over with my foot. His blades slips nicely into an empty leg sheath, and I make sure to keep Alaric pinned while I do so.
“We’re just going to leave him? Isn’t that foolish?” I ask, looking at Caius quizzically.
“It is a little foolhardy, but making him walk with us is not an option. We are not going to kill him either.” Caius says with a shrug. Pity.
“Get up.” I say gruffly to Alaric, motioning for him to go back over to the bed. I keep my halberd levelled at his spine as he rises, ready to run him through if he tries anything. He takes in the room, eyes sweeping across the whole thing.
“You’d better run quickly little mage. I’ll finish with business here and then I’ll be coming for you.” He begins to laugh “One of these days you won’t be so lucky. One of these days I’ll be the last thing you ever see!”
Thok!
Alaric’s head makes a rather hollow sound as I smash the end of my halberd into his ear. His eyes roll up into his head as he falls limply onto the bed.
“What? He had it coming!” I say to Caius, who gives me a small grin.
“We will have to travel quickly, but I think we can make it back within a few weeks. The Tower must hear of these Zauberei.” He says as I shoulder my pack.
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