The Grey Witch

by Ryo Mizuno

  The intense fire had turned the road black. There were eight fallen figures, five in Valis armor. Several horses had also fallen victim to the flames.

  Etoh crouched down and examined each corpse, his usually gentle face contorted in rage and pity. The charred skins of the corpses sloughed off at a touch, revealing red flesh underneath.

  May their killers be judged in Pharis’s name, his mind screamed.

  When he reached the last body, he was shocked to find that it was still warm.

  “He’s still alive!” Etoh shouted. He could faintly see the man’s chest moving up and down.

  Everyone ran up and crowded around Etoh and the man.

  “As long as he’s still breathing, I might be able to do something,” Etoh said, and glanced up at Parn, signaling with his eyes.

  “Everybody, step back,” Parn said. “Let Etoh work.”

  Deedlit looked dissatisfied, but Slayn reassured her. “Etoh uses Pharis’s magic.”

  Parn frowned. “We should bury these other poor souls. We can’t just leave them here.”

  Ghim nodded silently and unstrapped his axe. The side opposite from the blade had a sharp, hooked tip. He held the axe with that side down, chose a suitable spot, and swung it hard into the ground. The steel claw tore into the earth, breaking the packed soil apart. Meanwhile, Parn found a wooden board and started digging out the dirt. The small hole grew steadily.

  Slayn sat down with his back to the road so he wouldn’t have to see the horrible sight and stared instead out at the beautiful fields spread out before him. Questions swirled in his mind. The sorceress, of course, was foremost in his thoughts, but Ghim’s behavior was also bothering him. The dwarf had clearly been transfixed by the portrait in the abandoned house. How could he claim that he’d forgotten it now? For someone who showed little interest in anything but food, he was suddenly charging ahead like a man on a mission. Why would Ghim care so much about Marmo’s minions? There was also the fact that it was odd for a dwarf to go on a journey in the first place—they usually preferred to spend life underground, perfecting their crafts. When Ghim had first visited Slayn, however, he’d been doing research—looking through books of riddles and maps of Lodoss.

  Does Ghim have some purpose he’s not told us? Did he find a clue?

  Etoh’s chanting filled the air without pause while Ghim, Parn, and Deedlit dug graves. They carried the corpses with as much reverence as they could manage and thrust the knights’ swords into the ground as grave markers. A little distance away, they buried the bodies of the caravan guards. As their somber work continued, the sun started to set, and the blue sky faded into dusk.

  “This wizard cast a spell knowing it would kill her own soldiers?” Parn asked bitterly.

  “I don’t think so,” Deedlit responded. “I checked over the bodies, and the caravan warriors died from stab wounds. The spell was cast after their deaths. The parts of their bodies in contact with the ground weren’t burned.”

  “Still—even if they were already dead, I can’t believe she’d use magic on her own people.”

  “Magic shouldn’t be used for destruction at all,” Slayn said. “But what do we do now?”

  “We keep going, of course,” Parn declared with complete certainty. Next to him, Ghim nodded.

  “You want to fight this sorceress?” Slayn asked, just to make sure. “She’s powerful enough to slaughter multiple foes in one attack. I hate to say it, but don’t you think you’re in over your head?”

  “Maybe, I guess,” Parn said with a shrug. “But we can’t let her get away with this.”

  “Say we do defeat her,” Woodchuck said, unimpressed. “What do we get out of it? I’m not working for free.”

  “Your reward will come from within your own heart,” Etoh answered, coming up behind him.

  Woodchuck turned to face the priest. Etoh was clearly exhausted from the effort he’d put into his magic, but his work had paid off—behind him, shaky with pain but standing on his own two legs, was the surviving Valis knight.

  Parn beamed.

  “The King of Valis will reward you,” the knight said quietly.

  “Can you tell us what happened?” Parn asked.

  The man nodded. “I am a Valis Imperial Guard—my duty was to protect Princess Fianna.”

  “Princess Fianna, princess of Valis?!” Parn interrupted in surprise.

  “Let him finish,” Deedlit chided him.

  “Yes, exactly. Princess Fianna is King Fahn’s only daughter. This war had a profound effect on her. She wanted to encourage our men on the front lines. Everyone in the castle, the King included, was against the idea—but the princess insisted. She ran away…”

  The knight paused for a moment, so Deedlit prompted him. “So, you went to search for her?”

  “That’s right. We found out that a merchant had helped her sneak away. We discovered where they’d gone and caught up with them to take her back…and this is the result.”

  “We slew a few guards who attacked us as we approached. When we got close to the carriage, that woman came out—she chanted some strange words, and as soon as she finished there was a huge explosion. I was blown off my horse, and I’m ashamed to say that I passed out from the pain…”

  Woodchuck leaned in to peer at the man’s face.

  “Will there really be a reward?” he asked.

  “If you can rescue the princess, I promise you will receive whatever your heart desires.”

  Ten thousand gold coins. The words flashed through Woodchuck’s mind—the payment he needed to become an executive of the Thieves’ Guild. I’ll just have to hope it all works out, he thought to himself, and went to retrieve his pack. I guess I’m a sucker, too.

  The group took a few moments to talk. Parn and Etoh had already decided to help, of course—reward or no. Ghim and Deedlit had no objections, and mention of the reward had obviously brought Woodchuck around. Slayn was still worried, but he’d made his decision—he’d do what had to be done to take that sorceress down.

  Parn went to the knight and represented the entire group to formally offer their help.

  “Thank you,” the knight said with a deep bow. When he raised his head, he glared in the direction the carriage had gone with rage in his eyes, like his glare could somehow reach the woman through the darkness.

  Parn’s anger also burned, though not as fiercely as the knight’s. Deedlit stared at him in wonder. How was he able to take someone else’s anger as his own? How could he risk his life for another person’s cause?

  The night was dark, only lit by weak starlight—Deedlit was sure the humans would have a tough time. She cast an elemental spell, intoning, “Shining things that live in light, gather here and show yourselves…” A small ball of light floated above her in response, growing steadily brighter.

  It was Will-o’-wisp, the light elemental.

  Slayn recited his own spell, and a magical light glowed from the tip of his staff. Thus guided by their magical illuminations, they left the burning stench of the battleground behind—though their trepidation remained as they started east down the road to Kanon, accompanied by the Valis knight they’d rescued.

  3

  It was late at night when they came upon the carriage parked in front of an old mansion—a solid two-story building surrounded by a fence. The knight told them that all the Valis citizens in this area had evacuated to the city of Adan to escape the war, and the carriage’s occupant probably knew that this building would therefore be empty when choosing a place to stop. The horses were sleeping in the straw under the eaves.

  “We’re lucky—they don’t expect us,” Slayn whispered. He muttered a phrase to extinguish his magical light. Deedlit released her light elemental, which flickered a few times and disappeared into the night.

  “What should we do now, Sir Knight?” Parn asked, quietly drawing his sword as he threw with a sideways glance at the Holy Knight.

  “No need for tricks. If we rush in and surprise them while th
ey’re asleep, we have a good chance of victory.”

  The knight squared up, staring at the entrance, and tried to get his breathing under control.

  It was eerily quiet, with no sound but the faint clink of their armor. A shaft of light shone through a crack in the door—it seemed there was a lookout just inside.

  The knight advanced cautiously, followed closely by Parn, Ghim, and Deedlit. The other three trailed further behind.

  “Be careful,” Slayn whispered. His palms were damp with sweat…and who could blame him? They were about to challenge a wizard far more powerful than he.

  Once they were close to the door, the knight brandished his sword and broke into a run. The sound woke the horses, and they startled with a shrill whinny.

  The knight didn’t hesitate—he used his momentum to kick down the door and leapt inside. Parn and Deedlit followed, and Ghim jumped through a moment behind.

  The two lookouts clearly weren’t expecting an attack—they stared blankly at their attackers for a moment, then scrambled for their swords.

  “Deed and I will take these two—you and Ghim go upstairs!” Parn shouted as he readied his shield. He measured up the lookout on the left and provoked him with a flourish of his sword. Deedlit circled to the right and thrust her rapier toward the other man. By the time they crossed swords, the Valis knight and Ghim were already running up the stairs.

  The second floor was a gallery corridor jutting out along the wall above the large first floor room. There were five doors lined up on the right.

  One of those doors opened, and a woman in nightclothes swayed out.

  Karla snapped awake to the sound of the horses whinnying. She hadn’t expected an attack, but she wasn’t unprepared.

  Valis soldiers?

  She tossed her blanket aside and grasped the ivory gown she had laid out to wear over her sleep clothes. She heard thundering footsteps approaching before she even managed to tie the sash.

  Karla opened the door and stepped out into the hallway, glad she’d left the lights on. One of the Valis knights from earlier that day had somehow survived and was charging up the stairs toward her. A dwarf with a battle axe followed close at his heels. She knew she had to stay calm. The knight was likely the more formidable of the two, considering he’d survived what she was sure was a fatal attack. She had to be wary.

  I’ll use my most powerful magic to smite him. Karla raised both hands and waved them in a complex pattern, chanting in the ancient language.

  “Mana is the source of all. All is born from mana, all is connected through mana, all returns to mana!” Her spell complete, she flung her hands toward the knight.

  Blinding light shot from her hands and struck him right in the chest. His body shone with iridescent brilliance, then burst into a sparkling mist. When it dissipated, his body—as well as his armor and sword—had all faded into nothingness.

  Ghim’s eyes widened in shock, but he didn’t flinch. He didn’t give her enough time to cast another spell—he swung at her head with the flat of his axe.

  But she anticipated his attack—she deftly jumped backwards, pulled herself together, and started another spell. While she was chanting, Ghim prepared to leap at her, glaring as he aimed carefully, knowing he could attack before she completed her spell.

  However, when he looked at her face, he froze, mouth agape.

  She looks just like her…

  The sorceress completed her spell, and a white mist rose around Ghim, surrounding him. He instantly slumped forward, unconscious.

  “Ghim!” Slayn yelled from where he stood on the first floor. He knew it was futile but rushed to cast Sleep Cloud nevertheless.

  Karla’s attention was drawn to the wizard downstairs, who seemed to be trying to cast a spell on her—a lower class version of the narcosis spell she’d just used. The two mercenaries she’d stationed downstairs as lookouts had already been defeated—a young warrior and an elf maiden were heading upstairs. Down below, she could see some kind of priest giving them assistance, as well as a thief who seemed to be looking for a place to hide.

  She decided she didn’t need to kill these intruders—instead, she cast the same spell she’d already used on the dwarf. White mist arose again, spreading down the stairs and across the first floor.

  Etoh knew a spell had been cast upon him, so he asked for Pharis’s divine protection under his breath and willed himself to stay conscious. The magic swirled, and he heard Parn and Deedlit collapse at the top of the stairs, while Slayn fell in a heap. Woodchuck didn’t fall, as he’d already huddled in a hiding place, but Etoh had to assume he was asleep, too.

  Etoh felt his body grow heavy. He staggered to his knees and crumpled from there. He summoned every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep his consciousness from descending into darkness.

  His vision was blurry, and he couldn’t feel his fingers. It was like his senses had fragmented. There was no pain, but he prayed to Pharis that this loss of sensation wouldn’t overwhelm him.

  He won the battle—he managed to stay awake, though he pretended the spell had worked. If he and his companions weren’t going to be killed, better to stay still and feign sleep.

  Karla looked down at the fallen intruders as she slowly descended the stairs. Two mercenaries emerged from the furthest door with their weapons drawn; their breaths caught at the sight before them.

  “Wh-what happened, Lady Karla?” one of them asked.

  “I’m sure you can guess,” she replied. “If you truly call yourselves mercenaries, you should always be prepared for battle. You would’ve ended up like these two if I’d been slow to awaken.” Karla then gestured to the attackers. “We can’t leave them here—the effects of my spell won’t last forever. Lock them upstairs, in any room but the girl’s. And be sure to take all of their weapons and put them in a separate chamber.”

  That would take care of the intruders. They wouldn’t be able to escape a room locked with magic.

  But what was she to do next? She was down to two mercenary guards, and she doubted she could take the princess through Valis’s front lines with so few. She’d brought mercenaries from Marmo because she’d been sure it would take sacrifices to get this far, but now she was concerned. It seemed best to return to Kanon and bring her own subordinates.

  At the same time, she wondered if these intruders could be swayed to her side. They’d impressed her with their finesse, and an elf and a wizard would make formidable companions. If they were simple adventurers, she was sure she’d be able to persuade them with a few well-chosen words—promise a big enough reward, and they’d gladly become her allies. If they were sensible and ambitious, perhaps they’d understand and even join her cause. Those were her most useful allies—she had many of them spread throughout Lodoss, carrying out missions on her behalf.

  She’d failed to assassinate the King of Alania, but this time her goal was almost within reach. Once Princess Fianna was held captive by the Marmo army, perhaps the tide would turn their way. King Fahn of Valis was not the type to throw his kingdom away for his daughter—he would not hesitate to sacrifice her life in the name of justice. But having their princess taken hostage, perhaps executed, would destroy the morale of Valis’s soldiers and knights. The war was at a stalemate right now, both forces equal in military might. A severe drop in morale could be all it took to tip the scales toward Marmo.

  Karla made her decision—her top priority had to be summoning her subordinates for help. She went upstairs to check on the mercenaries, who had just dragged the last intruder into the room.

  “That’s it,” one of them said. “So, er… What now?”

  “Continuing as we have been would be too dangerous—the fort by the border is one of the Valis army’s major strongholds, and it’s possible that they’ve been warned about us via messenger. We need more manpower to push through. I will return to Kanon and bring back reinforcements.”

  “I get that we need more people, but what should we do until you get back?” The me
rcenaries looked uneasy—they’d known this would be a dangerous job, but they hadn’t expected so many of their number to die. They’d known about the sorceress’s fearsome powers and trusted her to use them. Now, they couldn’t shake the suspicion that they were being abandoned.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll return soon. For now, stay here and keep watch over the girl and the intruders. I’ll summon a magical guard for their room, so you won’t need to interact with them at all. Just be careful that nothing happens to the girl.” She gazed at them steadily as she gave her instructions. “If you’re attacked by Valis soldiers, you may escape or surrender. I won’t blame you, and I promise to rescue you from prison. However, if you leave this place for any other reason…” She continued to stare at them both, face serious. “No matter where you go,” she said, “I will find you, and your lives will be forfeit.”

  Both men gulped and quickly told her that they understood.

  “Good,” Karla said with a smile. “I need a moment to prepare, but then I will depart at once. I hope to return as quickly as I can.” She turned then to the door. “Just in case,” she said, “I will tell you how to open the lock on the intruders’ door. Say the word ‘Lasta,’ and the door will open—without it, even trying to destroy the door itself will not work. Magic will make it as strong as iron and seal it as tight as solid rock.”

  Next, Karla began casting spells. As she finished the first, the doors closed slowly. As she completed the second, she took a dragon fang from her hair and tossed it onto the floor of the hallway. It shattered, and a white mass grew from it—the mass became an armed skeleton, frozen in position with a sword held limply in its hand.

  The mercenaries recoiled in horror. “Wh-what is that?!” one of them stammered.

  She gave the Spartoi a command in the ancient language, then said, “Don’t worry—though this skeleton warrior’s entire purpose is to fight, it won’t attack you—only your enemies. It is both more skilled and more staunch than you, for it knows no fear and will thus neither falter nor run away.”