Sighing, Sistina shook her head and gestured around her, raising an eyebrow. Desa was the one who tried to interpret next. “Holy ground?”
Sistina nodded, then pointed at the font of holy water near the altar and made another praying gesture before making a pouring gesture. This time Phynis put it together first, though. “Holy water! But didn’t you say it wouldn’t work on m—Lily?”
Sistina nodded twice, pointed at the brand, then pointed directly up. She slowly rotated her arm toward one side of the temple, then pointed at the other side and slowly brought it to go straight up again. Phynis frowned and nodded slowly, a foul sense of disappointment welling up inside her. “So it has to be done within a day of the branding?”
Nodding yet again, the dryad shrugged almost apologetically. Desa asked after a moment, her voice filled with mixed feelings, “Is there any other way to break it?”
As the dryad nodded, Desa’s face filled with hope for a moment, and then it darkened as she then tapped her temple and shook her head. Phynis sighed as she looked down. “You don’t remember how to break it.”
There was silence in the chamber for a minute, before Lily asked, “Is there any way to find out, without your memories?”
Sistina paused, considering, then nodded, shrugging as she spoke a single word again. “Library.”
Phynis was surprised, and considered the situation carefully this time before she asked anything. If it was easy, Sistina probably would have taken them there first. So she asked quietly, “Can we get to it?”
Shaking her head, the dryad led the way out of the temple again, pausing to bow to the statue again, then tapped the stone wall of the cavern, pointing as if through it. Desa nodded at that point. “It’s blocked off. This temple was too, though, so could you unearth it?”
Sistina considered a moment before nodding. She made the same gesture as before, and spoke a word in explanation. “Moon.”
“Ah, a full month? That is…” Phynis hesitated again, looking at her guard, and then sighed. “Let’s go back and talk to Captain Vendis about this. We can’t afford to wait that long, I don’t think our escape will have gone unnoticed, and I’m certain that Kelvanis will have dispatched soldiers after us by this point.”
Desa nodded, and smiled at Sistina as she bowed deeply. “Thank you, Sistina. Even that little information will help immensely.”
The dryad nodded, and began leading the way back to her cavern once more. Phynis couldn’t help but notice that the stone seemed slightly smoother than before.
Chapter 8
Phynis was sitting around a small campfire with Desa, Vendis, and Lieutenant Talphan, who was Vendis’ second in command. It was strange having a fire inside of a cave, even as massive as this one was, but the warm food had done quite a bit to raise the spirits of the escapees.
“At least we know that if we can get those who’ve been branded to holy ground fast enough, it can be removed,” Vendis spoke at last, letting out a soft sigh as she shook her head. “Getting them to holy ground or getting them holy water within a day, though… that will be difficult. Hopefully it’ll become standard issue in the army once we report in.”
“I definitely will recommend it to Her Majesty, and hope it works out. But every piece of information helps us come closer to a solution. If this saves even a handful of people, I think it was worth the delay,” Phynis replied with a slight, sad smile. “I can’t say I didn’t wish it could help me, but at least it’s something.”
“Which brings to mind the other two options you told us about,” Talphan spoke softly, seeming troubled as he rubbed at the back of his head. “The library, which isn’t guaranteed to have the information we need, and which won’t be available for a full lunar cycle, or her claiming the brands, freeing people of the control of the slavers, but rendering them potentially vulnerable to the dryad in turn.”
“We can’t wait long enough for the library. We simply can’t afford that much time.” Vendis refused, shaking her head. “As much as I want to find a solution, that long of a wait will give plenty of time for Kelvanis’ army to comb over the area and find us. Even if they manage to miss our trail, the chances of us getting away safely would drop dramatically as well.”
“Beyond that, if we wait too long, your superiors might think you were caught, and the escort on the other side of the mountains might leave,” Desa added firmly. “That would render us even more vulnerable when trying to get the princess back to the capital, and the army might risk sending additional forces into Kelvanis.”
“Unfortunately true,” Talphan agreed with the others reluctantly. “I don’t think we can afford to leave any soldiers here, either.”
“Mmm… I don’t like leaving without the information, but I understand why we can’t.” Phynis nodded unhappily. She frowned, debating before asking, “What about the other option? I find myself tempted. At least it would remove the chance of Kelvanis managing to control me at a later date.”
“That is… an immense risk.” Desa hesitated, then sighed. “Though I admit I feel much the same. The problem is that you are the heir, and that we have no idea how the influence of a genius loci has affected Lily. If we had time, I’d say we should get someone else that we could keep an eye on for a while before making a decision. As it is, I think we should instead ask for a volunteer whose behavior we can watch. If nothing else, we can always come back. In fact, I think we should come back with some researchers for the library at the least. There was so much knowledge lost in the Godsrage that even if they can’t find a way to break the brands, we might find another way to help protect ourselves.”
“I don’t know about that. The idea of being subject to any of their—” Phynis began to argue, feeling rather defensive about the idea of freeing herself from the slavers’ potential command, only to be interrupted by Desa again.
“No, Phynis! You’re the crown princess, and our charge! No matter how friendly Sistina may seem, and I admit she seems relatively benign, we can’t afford to have rescued you from the forces of Kelvanis, only to have you fall under the influence of someone else whose motivations are entirely unknown!” Desa’s voice was relentless, and almost harsh as she stopped, glaring at Phynis for a moment before relaxing slightly and sighing. “I know it isn’t what you want to hear, but it’s just too dangerous. At least right now, we can’t afford to risk it.”
“I agree. I don’t have as much authority on the matter as Captain Desa, but I’m still in charge of the rescue operation,” Vendis said a moment later, exchanging looks with Desa. “I just can’t allow you to do so without proof that it’ll be better than simply taking you back to the capital.”
“I… but…” Phynis began, hesitating as she looked between them. Their united front, though, made her sigh and nod. “Fine, then. But who do we ask to take the risk?”
“The selfish part of me wants to volunteer, because my magic is utterly useless locked away. But by the same token, I’m also the most dangerous person to have potentially go rogue.” Desa’s voice turned wry as she shook her head. “But we need someone we all know well, so maybe ask one of my subordinates?”
Phynis frowned to herself, humming as she thought about who would be best to ask. She didn’t know all of her guards that well. Desa had been with her for years, but it was true that Desa would be incredibly deadly if she somehow got turned against them. It didn’t make her any happier about being denied an opportunity to escape the full bindings of the brand, though.
“That seems reasonable. Are you certain that you’d be able to figure it out if one of them was influenced in some way? It won’t do us any good if we can’t tell that something’s wrong,” Vendis asked, holding her cup of tea in both hands as her thumb ran back and forth on the cup’s rim.
“Mmm… most likely. I’m not sure, really,” Desa admitted, shaking her head. “I’d like to think I could, especially if it’s someone I know well. Evrial would be the best in this case, if she agreed to give it a try. I know her t
he best of my subordinates.”
“If not her, then you do it, Desa,” Phynis finally interjected. At their looks of surprise, she shrugged and continued. “You’re the one who I know best. We’ve been together for what… fifteen years? Not a century or more, like my mother and her own guards, but a long enough time to get to know one another quite well.”
“I’m not certain on that, but a fair point,” Desa conceded. Looking at Talphan and Vendis, she quirked an eyebrow. “Your opinions? I mean, I’m not unbiased by any stretch of the imagination.”
“Umm…” Talphan seemed a little startled, then frowned for a moment. Finally, he shrugged and nodded. “It seems fair to me. If it works, we at least get back a member of the Royal Guard, and potentially one of the more powerful spellcasters of the kingdom. If it doesn’t work… well, I’m fairly sure we’d be able to notice in time.”
Vendis seemed indecisive for a minute, but finally she sighed and nodded. “I suppose I agree. I’m not happy with all of this, but that’s no fault of yours.”
“Alright. So… when should we leave?” Phynis asked, growing hesitant again as she shrugged. “I know I want to stay, but we need to get moving before pursuers get too close, correct?”
“Mmhmm. Probably tomorrow morning, honestly,” Vendis told them, frowning before she looked at Desa. “Sorry, Desa, but that means that you and your guards need to figure out who’ll be the volunteer rather quickly.”
“As you say. I’ll go speak to them now.” Desa sighed and got to her feet, smiling thinly. “I’ll be back in a bit.”
* * *
Sistina knew all about the discussion. She didn’t much care about it, save the faint notion that if she did claim some more of the brands, she likely would get a fair amount of mana from whomever she claimed. On the other hand, she didn’t know if that would continue to be the case if they left her domain. For all she knew, the flow of mana would slowly come to a stop when they’d been gone for very long. Lily had never gone far for long, so she had no way of knowing what effect leaving for a time would have on the link.
She also noticed when Desa’s discussion with Evrial led to the reluctant guard declining to volunteer, leaving Desa to approach Sistina. That amused Sistina in an odd way, and as the elven woman approached, she opened her eyes to look at her thoughtfully.
The dusk elf looked nervous, but Sistina simply tilted her head and patiently waited for the woman to speak to her. Certainly, she knew why Desa was here, but unless the woman asked, Sistina wouldn’t touch her. It was simple courtesy to let her make her own decision. Besides, she might even change her mind.
“Sistina, I…” Desa stopped, pausing, then ruefully laughed and shook her head, her voice turning to a soft murmur. “I wanted this, but now that I’m here, I’m not sure how to approach the subject.”
Sistina found it entertaining to watch Desa lose her composure. The guard was so reserved most of the time that Sistina had observed her that it was fascinating in its own way. So Sistina watched, and waited patiently for Desa to speak.
“You’re a genius loci, right? So you know why I’m here,” Desa finally asked. When Sistina nodded, Desa swallowed and looked down, putting a hand over her stomach, where the brand pulsed in Sistina’s senses. After a few moments, she spoke again. “Then… would you try to change my brand? Mine is different from Lily’s. It’s designed for mages. It seals my magic, and I can only cast spells if I’m given explicit permission to do so. I don’t know if you can undo any of that, but it would be wonderful if you could. It’s almost like I lost a limb.”
Sistina considered the entire statement, trying to figure out how to reply, and shrugged. Reaching down, she made a dot in the dirt, then indicated her tree. Then she drew a circle around it, as far as the roots allowed. Waggling her hand back and forth, she shrugged again.
“I’m guessing that was a maybe, within a certain area?” Desa ventured, and Sistina nodded. “But you’ll do it?”
Nodding, Sistina gestured the elven woman forward, then to sit down. Then she waited patiently for Desa to follow the directions. Gesturing, she indicated that the elf’s clothing needed to be moved out of the way. She wasn’t going to push Desa, so she waited while the elf hesitated for a moment, then finally eased up her shirt and pushed down her pants slightly. Sistina leaned forward in interest as the brand was revealed, showing a symbol that was rather different from the one Lily had borne.
Lily’s brand was fairly simple in overall design, and the magic didn’t reach too deeply into her body or spirit. The brand was simple and direct, but powerful despite that.
This brand had the same core design to it, but was more elegantly curved, like the sort of thing one would expect to see from a church or angelic organization. It was also inscribed in silver that contrasted well with Desa’s pale brown skin. And the depth didn’t stop there. Sistina could sense the multiple magical layers to the crest, delving deep into Desa’s body. Internally, she shook her head, considering the problem before her. This would be difficult, and it might not work right even if she could manage it. Still, it was worth the attempt.
Laying a finger at the very core of the crest, Sistina concentrated her mana and let it flow into the matrices of the brand. She ‘heard’ Desa gasp, but she didn’t respond as her mind instead focused on exploring the brand… and a faint sense of having done this before washed over her. This was different from Lily’s brand, and so familiar that Sistina ached to stop and examine the memories that this was stimulating. But she didn’t have the hours or days to spend contemplating the memories and trying to piece them together, so she regretfully let the sensation pass. Instead, she slowly mapped out the brand, and found that Desa had actually understated its power.
It was designed to negate spellcasting except if Desa was given specific orders to allow a given spell, trapping the magic in Desa’s body. And that magic was there, available to punish or harm Desa at an order, or even to allow others to draw on Desa’s mana reserves if they knew how to use the brand. But in spite of the complexity, the brand was just within her ability to claim, Sistina thought. But it would take more contemplation of the design before she was willing to believe that she could claim one easily.
But claim it she could, though it took a great deal of time. It took her nearly an hour to overwrite every bit of the brand, with Desa occasionally shifting slightly but not able to move due to the magic of the brand. And when she finished, Sistina felt a flood of mana surge through the link that the brand forged between her and Desa. Desa let out a soft whimper, followed by a sigh of relief as Sistina examined her work.
The brand was threaded with hints of gold and green this time, evidence that she hadn’t been able to simply overwhelm its structure like she had Lily’s. But it was done, and she nodded at Desa, willing the woman to be able to cast spells. She hoped it would be permanent, but she wasn’t certain that it would have any effect at all.
“Oh, Goddess above, that feels… oh…” Desa shuddered and smiled in ecstasy as she leaned backward. For a long minute, she didn’t do anything, and then finally grinned broadly, almost lunging forward to hug a very startled Sistina. Sistina didn’t know how to react as Desa hugged her tightly for a long minute, her voice ecstatic. “Thank you so much! I can feel my magic flowing again, instead of congealing inside me! If this works… I promise, I’ll do whatever I can to repay you for it.”
Bemused, Sistina shook her head and made a gesture to shoo the elf away. It was almost unfair to consider the woman owing her, when the mana she’d received was more than enough of a payment.
“No, I will owe you,” Desa promised, but got to her feet. “But as late as it is, I do need to sleep. I’m afraid we’re leaving in the morning, so I need the rest. Good night, Sistina. And thank you again.”
Sistina watched her go, then shook her head again. The experience had certainly given her more odd emotions and sensations to contemplate. And when they left, she would have plenty of time to think it over.
Chapter 9
“You know… it kind of makes me feel weird, the idea that there’s a forest under the mountainside,” Phynis huffed as she hiked up the side of the mountain the next morning. She glanced back once toward where they’d left Sistina’s cavern behind, but didn’t see any sign of Lily. She must have gone back inside after seeing them off.
Phynis was near the middle of the group as they hiked into the Godsrage Mountains once again. To the left of their route, the mountains pierced high into the sky, taller than any other mountain range in the world and jagged beyond belief. She’d heard that dragons, giants, and other strange creatures lived there, like a type of phoenix that were creatures of frost rather than flame. Fortunately, they were avoiding the heart of the mountain range, but even the areas they were delving into were dangerous.
“It’s definitely one of the stranger things I’ve seen,” Desa agreed, seeming much more like her cheerful self than she had been the previous few days. Phynis hadn’t realized just how hard the loss of her magic had hit Desa until she’d seen how incredibly happy she’d been that morning. She was still keeping an eye on her friend, but she wasn’t too worried about undue influence at this point. She doubted that Sistina would hurt them. Desa continued after a moment, “I actually hope we can come back at some point. For me, the possibility of learning some of the magic of Everium is extremely enticing, and there’s so much mana in the air down there that it makes spellcasting easier. I’m just hoping that Sistina was wrong, and that I don’t lose my ability to use magic when I’m far away from her territory.”
“Well, we’ll find out soon enough,” Phynis began, then took a moment to catch her breath as they wound their way up the mountainside. After a minute, she added, “I’m going to speak to… mother, and see what we can do. Even if we don’t send people… to do what you did, we need researchers there… and a garrison…”
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