White Devil

by Janina Franck

  The soldier shrugged.

  “Probably because a warrior fights for the things he worries about. I don’t know.”

  That might be it. Then the Anomaly truly is a warrior. I wonder if she was made to be.

  The Quintz army retreated. They weren’t beaten, they drew back for tactical reasons, Balthasar was sure, though he could not tell what those were. Although the Pbec army cheered, Balthasar frowned. It couldn’t be over just yet. Not that easily.

  The Pbec soldiers chased them for a little while, but they stopped a short way past Myara Hill.

  Balthasar kept watching the running soldiers. Something wasn’t right about this.

  Lady Xelma straightened herself up, let her magic fade, and smiled victoriously. She was quite beautiful in her own way, he had to admit. But that didn’t make her any less of a threat, based on what he knew about her. Balthasar almost chuckled to himself at the thought. Who was he to judge? Their entire crew consisted of dangerous people. But he still prided himself in at least thinking things through more carefully than that woman.

  Suddenly he noticed movement in the sky. He looked up, a cheer already gathering in his throat, expecting to see Ayalon, and Zero, bringing back the girls. It wasn’t. Instead it was a legion of large, human-sized birds, blocking the sunlight as they swooped down from the Western side of the mountains. Balthasar gulped. This was the trick Quintz had been holding back. And it was effective.

  As the Pbec soldiers realized their perilous position, they tried to run, but it resulted only in chaos. Some of the birds, birds of prey – eagles, hawks, condors and similar, dived down to grab some of the soldiers, flew up high and let them drop. It was gruesome, even by Balthasar’s standards. The soldiers screamed as they were being lifted into their air, wriggling to their fullest extent, their legs still moving as if they were trying to run and then, when they hit the ground, made an ugly crunching sound.

  Some of the birds had decided to fight on foot and had turned into carnivores like wolves, lions and crocodiles as soon as they had touched the ground. They were joined by more of them racing down the hills.

  Shapeshifters. An army of shapeshifters.

  Humans, born with the ability to shape their bodies around them into other creatures. In Jianlah it had been thought of as some kind of genetic defect, but not much was really known about it because it happened rarely, and they weren’t allowed to roam freely. As far as Balthasar knew, no two shapeshifters were fully alike in their ability and he shivered at the possibilities. Frowning with concern, Balthasar wondered how Quintz had gotten their hands on so many. Surely they couldn’t be more numerous down here on the continent?

  No matter whether it was true or not, fact was, there were far more skilled and capable shapeshifters than the Pbec army could handle.

  Lady Xelma wasn’t spared either. Several shapeshifters tried to attack her at the same time. She raised her arms to cover her head, as if she was just an ordinary woman and not a powerful mage, just in time some sort of force field appeared around her to shield her from the attack.

  Colm was protecting his old rival. Of course he was.

  Balthasar took a quick look at the villagers who were hiding in the trees of a small forest behind him. A lot of them covered their eyes from the ghastly spectacle, some cried freely for the poor souls who had to endure that fate. Balthasar was just glad that the shapeshifters had either decided not to attack the villagers or had specific orders not to.

  Balthasar briefly wondered if Zero might have infiltrated Quintz and was now one of those many large cats, bears, wolves or birds advancing quickly and attacking. Perhaps he was one of the few who were holding back, just waiting to turn the tables. But even as he thought it, he knew it was unrealistic. Zero was with Selene. If he was here, then the others would be, too, and there might not be a need for this slaughter. While he himself had also killed many people in the past, he had never participated in a slaughter like this. He considered himself to have a certain amount of honor, and this was not honorable in the least.

  It disgusted Balthasar to watch, yet he could not look away. It was horribly hypnotizing in a way. He noticed Colm kneeling next to Xelma, who had fallen unconscious.

  Balthasar gulped. If this was to continue, they would not stand a chance. He shuddered. They needed a miracle.

  As he thought those things, an emerald dragon and a giant eagle whisked over their heads, catching his eye. Something fell, or jumped, off the dragon’s back and raced straight down toward the battlefield, glowing blue, as long white wings appeared.

  A miracle they got.

  Lilith was furious. She did not want more to die for useless reasons. She did not want war.

  As she fell to the ground, spreading her wings so that all could see and fear her wrath, she used that righteous anger and summoned the Hellfire Naginata into her hand. It was already humming with anticipation. She closed her eyes and used a fraction of its power.

  She was shrouded in blue fire when she landed in the heart of the battle. The animalistic creatures had stopped what they were doing for a moment, startled by her sudden and unexpected appearance. Now they were backing away into each other and the human soldiers, no matter whether friend or foe, just to get away from the fuming girl, who was engulfed in fire, blue flames licking at her skin, and those monstrous white wings of hers which all of them had heard about.

  With her mere presence, the battle instantly ceased. They all feared her more than they feared a stab in the back. All eyes were on her as she slowly turned in a circle to face them all grimly. She narrowed her eyes and wondered what the rumors had said about her. No doubt they had been pushed to the limit, making her sound like something that deserved the nickname she now heard whispered all around her.

  White Devil.

  This war was disrupting the peace of her beloved home. It made people who had nothing at all to do with it kill each other ruthlessly. It was destroying the land, the soil from which so much life should rise, and watered young plants with blood and tears. It caused nothing but grief.

  She would not accept it.

  She noticed some birds were trying to fly away, ignoring the fact it would make them deserters faced with severe punishment, just to get further away from her. With a single flick of her wrist, Lilith created a hemisphere of blue fire surrounding them all.

  None of them even so much as attempted to jump through the fire, undoubtedly paying heed to the stories that had already been spread about her demonic power.

  Humans and animals – no, shapeshifters – alike stared at her in fear. None of them knew what she was going to do next.

  “How dare you?” Lilith hissed eventually. All of them flinched at her cutting words. “I demand you all cease fighting at once! I want all of you to go back home to your families, to be with them and to comfort those who have lost someone today. How dare you spill blood on this land. You!”

  She pointed at a polar bear who tried to back away but landed on his backside instead.

  “Turn back into your human shape,” Lilith ordered. He did. He was young, perhaps a few years younger than Ryo.

  “All of you, turn back!”

  Nobody dared to disobey. They all stood around her now, some shaking and shivering, like the young man in front of Lilith. She tried to smile at him, but in her anger, it probably resembled a frightening grimace.

  “What is your name?”

  His eyes darted from her to his companions. He was unable to utter a word. Lilith sighed.

  “Why are you doing this? Why are you fighting this battle? Killing these people?”

  He looked to the ground, his body still tense.

  “I’ve been trained for this since I started to shift. It’s my only purpose,” he muttered quietly, frightened.

  His words burned in Lilith’s mind.

  “Nonsense,” she grunted angrily. He looked up surprised. “No one’s purpose lies in fighting for things they do not
believe in! Go home! Go home and be a normal person!”

  He raised his hands to the sky. “I can’t be a normal person,” he almost yelled. “I’m a shifter!”

  Lilith slapped him. Then she turned to all of the fighters around her.

  “Take a hard look at yourselves! Is this,” she gestured at the corpses spread around, “what you want out of your lives? You are fighting because someone told you that you have to. Your leaders want you to take over or keep the Highlands for them. Well I have got news for you. The Highlands belong to no one but those who live here. You can tell that to your masters when you return to them. I do not want to hurt anyone. But I will not hesitate if anyone poses a threat to my home or my family. Do you understand me?”

  There was hesitant nodding all around her. Lilith felt accomplished.

  “Now then,” she said more gently, calmer. The flames around her vanished, as did the Hellfire Naginata and the dome of fire. “Go home and be with your families, all of you. And remember one thing – whatever you are, be it human, shifter, hybrid or dragon, do not ever let anyone make you feel like a lesser being. You deserve to choose your own path and to be happy.”

  With that she walked away, toward Myara Hill, where she saw her friends waiting. What she didn’t see were the four soldiers behind her, trying to sneak up on her as she walked away, until Amethyst was darting past her and a knife was flying past her ear. As she turned around surprised, there were three dead soldiers, two from Quintz and one from Pbecrah. One of them had a knife stuck in his eye, one had been viciously attacked by Amethyst, one was running away, and the other one had been knocked over the head by Ryo, who was standing behind them, grinning at Lilith.

  “We’ve got your back,” he said.

  There was a lot of work for Death. It was good that she was the Enforcer, otherwise it might have been too much. It had been a long time since she had to work this much at once. She felt out of practice.

  Perhaps it is time.

  It was hard to focus on other things when there was so much to do, but even so, Death had seen what needed to be done now. The balance needed to be returned. The meddling needed to be undone.

  Somehow, it had worked. After her big entrance, Lilith had been so exhausted that she stumbled rather than walked toward her friends.

  Ryo had to help her on the last stretch. Balthasar watched it all, smiling and shaking his head. Taking charge, he made sure that all of the soldiers from both sides really did leave. They would spread the word about Lilith, he was certain of it. None of the soldiers dared to show any kind of resistance when they were shooed to their respective sides of the Highlands.

  Still, the most satisfying thing to watch was when Colm finally stood before Lilith.

  After one single moment of quiet, fatherly dignity, he stumbled forward and embraced her as if he wanted to squeeze the life out of her. There were even tears in his eyes.

  “My little girl,” he cried. “I’m so glad to have you back.”

  Balthasar himself remained calmer when Selene jumped off Ayalon’s back. A quick pat on the shoulder and asking if she was alright was all. But then again, Selene was a case of her own.

  “I’m adopting you, and I won’t take no for an answer.” Balthasar heard Colm say to Lilith, joyful tears still streaming from the mage’s eyes. Lilith nodded and beamed, and Balthasar was sure that her eyes became a little more moist as well.

  Then, Milly was running toward them as well, her pigtails flying through the air as she bounded toward Lilith and leapt at her just as Colm was letting go. Like a barnacle stuck to a ship, Milly was clinging onto her surprised friend’s torso, Lilith gently patting her head.

  The villagers all came by gradually, thanking Colm, Milly, the pirates, and most of all, Lilith. They returned to their homes, thankful for having someone who could, and would, protect them. Despite having seen Lilith’s tremendous power, none of them showed any signs of fear. They had known her before her quest and they saw that innocent girl before them, not the girl who had acquired what was probably the most dangerous artifact on the continent. Balthasar was glad for it.

  “What happened with the lady mage?” Milly asked, tugging at Colm’s shirt. He smiled at her.

  “They took her back to Tsoaluo to recover. It’s best this way, believe me. But I think we should visit her soon to make our intentions clear and official.”

  All Balthasar could wonder was how much clearer than a giant flaming dome he intended to get.

  “For now, I think I really need some tea. Would anyone care to join me?”

  They all did. While Balthasar had never really cared for tea before, it was growing on him now. It made him feel… at home? But now that the battle was over, it was time to make the Bat fit to fly. And then they would only be waiting for Selene’s order to set sail and get back out into this unfamiliar world.

  He sighed. He found himself wishing they were able to stay. He could ask Selene of course; there wouldn’t be any real problem with letting him stay behind here, but he could never leave his girl to sail on without him. It was just that he had grown a friendship with Colm, he would miss the cakes and company at Cliodhna’s Corner, and he had found himself liking the quirkiness of the villagers and the place itself.

  They had a feast that night. Some of the villagers came and brought food and beer, which wasn’t quite as good as rum, but you couldn’t be picky with presents. Some of them played music and danced. Ryo was the center of attention, playing along on several different instruments throughout the night, only taking a break from dancing to drink and let his leg rest.

  His crewmates astonished Balthasar over and over again. He could spend years living in close quarters with them and yet there were still things that would surprise him about them.

  The time passed by them almost unnoticed. Eventually, the atmosphere had calmed down, and they were left pondering their own thoughts while listening to Ryo playing the flute.

  Some people were still chatting. Milly was already asleep somewhere. Next to Balthasar, Selene leaned back in her seat to gaze up to the stars.

  “You know,” she mused. “I think it’s time we had a home port. Somewhere to come back to.”

  He listened quietly. He didn’t need to say anything.

  “What do you say we make it here, Balthasar? After all, we are welcome here. We’ve helped them keep their land from being overrun and we know them. I think… we could even be something like their army. Their guards. It might be better than being mercenaries.”

  He smiled to himself.

  “I think ye’re right ‘bout dat.”

  Ayalon brought Colm, Milly and Lilith to Tsoaluo. Amethyst had of course insisted on coming along anywhere Lilith was going, so he was nesting in her lap.

  “I announced that we’re coming. There shouldn’t be any difficulties; this is official business after all,” Colm explained.

  Despite his words, Lilith kept to hiding her wings. Her reputation probably wasn’t the best.

  Milly was excited. It was her first time going to Tsoaluo and she bounced around, rejoicing that she was finally getting to see something else of the world as well. As they got off the dragon’s back outside the city, Ayalon nudged Lilith and asked, “Are you sure you’ll be alright?”

  She nodded.

  “I think so. A lot of things could go wrong, but we are not defenseless after all. Thank you for your concern.”

  Gently, she put her hand on his muzzle, before turning toward the city together with her father and Milly. She gulped. Last time she had been here, it hadn’t ended well.

  Colm confidently led the two girls right up the front entrance of the castle and inside. The guards evidently had orders to let him and his companions through without hassle. One of them led them to where they were supposed to meet Lady Xelma.

  As they walked, Lilith looked all around herself. This place looked a lot nicer and more welcoming in the light of day. The high windows now
flooded the long halls with warm sunlight. The guard leading them probably hadn’t been in the Highlands a few weeks ago, otherwise Lilith supposed he would have recognized her and acted differently. But instead, the man actually seemed kind of bored.

  He halted in front of a grand gateway and motioned for them to go in. Colm opened it and stepped through first. Milly followed quickly, and Lilith went through last, with Amethyst on her shoulder.

  They found themselves in a large parlor room. It was a little smaller than the one in which Lilith had confronted Xelma last time, but equally impressive and beautiful. The ceiling was covered in a huge painting depicting the night sky with all three moons visible. It was stunning.

  Xelma was sitting on a chaise – reading, it seemed. But as soon as she noticed Colm entering, she jumped up and whisked to his side.

  “Colm, my dear! I am so glad you decided to pay me a visit! You have no idea how much grief that student of yours has caused me,” she said, gesturing wildly, her cape fluttering in an invisible wind while she glared at Lilith.

  “I didn’t do anything,” Milly said quietly, her eyes big as apples. “Did I?”

  Colm sighed.

  “For the last time, Phyenor. Lilith is not my student. She’s my daughter, as of yesterday.”

  He smiled and winked at Lilith. She responded in kind, warmth flooding through her body.

  “This here,” he put his hand on Milly’s shoulder. “Is Mildred. I taught her how to use her magic sensibly. Lilith is… well, you could call her the opposite of a mage.”

  Xelma’s eyes narrowed.

  “But she made fire appear, she must at least be an elementary fire mage,” she argued.

  Colm sighed again and shook his head.

  “I know it doesn’t make much sense, but listen, that’s not what I came here for. This is official business,” he said.

  “But she told me you were dead,” Xelma yelled, pointing with shaking finger at Lilith. “And she threatened me! She made me believe that I had-” The words failed her.