Mortal Banshee

by Jonathon Magnus

  Chapter 33

  Obsession

  Rapture dropped her jaw in shock. “What! She changed clothes in front of you?”

  “No!” Visor said, “She morphed. She just changed suddenly.”

  “I know. I'm just kidding.” Rapture pulled him to the edge of the bed and sat down. She hung her wrists on his shoulders and looked into his eyes. “Would you like it if she changed in front of you?”

  “I don't know. She's not really my type—kind of distant … not real. And you know, older.”

  “But she's still pretty, right?” Rapture untied her dress straps.

  “In a way, I suppose. She’s fit for her age, anyway—perky.”

  Rapture loosened her top. “What would you do if she did change in front of you?”

  “Let her, I guess.”

  Rapture pushed down her dress. “What would you do to her? I mean if nothing were stopping you.” She grabbed and positioned his hands. “Would you do this?”

  “I might.”

  Rapture lay back, stroking his arms. “What else?”

  Visor put one knee on the bed and leaned over Rapture. She had applied a flower perfume to her neck. He said, “I should tell you that I think she sees and hears everything that goes on in the tower.”

  “Then let her enjoy this.”

  Later, Visor awoke to the sound of a door’s shutting. His eyes were blurry, having been in a heavy sleep. He identified Sorana by her footsteps before he could spot her silky blue nightgown.

  Sorana sat at the foot of the bed between himself and Rapture. She leaned her head forward and began to sob quietly.

  Rapture sat up and comforted her. The two whispered.

  A fog rolled over Visor’s mind. All thoughts and worries faded. He scooted up behind Sorana. He ran his hands up her back, over her shoulders and down her forearms. He pinned her Sorana’s behind her and pulled her hair.

  Together, he and Rapture repositioned the smaller half-vardal.

  Sometime later, a knock on the door awoke Visor.

  Visor’s arm and leg were draped across Sorana.

  Her amber eyes were wide with alarm.

  Rapture laid facing away from them, still sleeping.

  Mercy called through the door. “Visor. Rapture.”

  Rapture mumbled something.

  Visor said, “We're not up quite yet.”

  Mercy's voice was muffled. “I am sorry to wake you early. We need to have a special planning session.”

  Visor pulled the sheet up over Sorana's head. That pulled it partially off of Rapture, who groaned and weakly groped for the sheet in a dreamy haze. Visor said, “Mercy, I can’t hear you through the door.”

  Mercy cracked the door. “I have received word on the location of the Catalyst. You will need to leave soon.”

  “The Catalyst? Where?” Visor slid his hand down Sorana's back.

  “Eurydice. Please meet me in the map room when prepared. I will provide a briefing and assist you with preparations.”

  Rapture still hadn't opened her eyes. “And I was just starting to like it here.”

  Visor loosened a knot in a silky nightgown.

  Mercy closed the door.

  Sorana rubbed her wrists. She crawled across Visor and hopped out of bed, full of energy. “I’ll see you downstairs.” She fluidly slipped on her gown while walking and talking.

  Visor and Rapture lay silent for a few moments.

  Visor spoke first. “What happened?”

  Rapture shook her head slowly. “I don't know, Don.”

  “I wasn't going to, like we said.”

  “I know. Me neither.”

  “I was trying to sleep. You woke me up. And then it was like ... I lost all control.”

  “I wasn't even thinking—just acting.”

  “As if I were being controlled.”

  A pained look covered Rapture's face. “Not controlled—compelled. Oh Heiliger Mond, Don! I'm so sorry.”

  Visor rolled over and touched her gently. “No, Mi Ardore. I don't mean to blame you.”

  “But it is me. I'm bound to her!”

  Visor searched for words. “I didn't even know that could happen.”

  “Me neither.” Rapture put a hand on her forehead. “I've never heard of it.”

  Visor got up and started dressing. “I wonder if you are different. Maybe that's why Lara kicked you out.”

  “She didn't, Don. I chose you.”

  “Well, she technically gave you a choice. But, come on, like you could ever choose to break a binding.”

  “You think she knew I would choose you?”

  Visor pulled on some tights. “I don't know. But I just don't see a siren choosing a location over a binding. The chemistry makes the choice for you.”

  “But what sense does that make? The binding is temporary.”

  “Is it?”

  “You think she kicked me out because my binding is ... more powerful? It lasts forever—or at least longer. And can affect girls.”

  “Could be. Say your binding affect girls, so it prevents budding in Xandria, and she thinks it’s contagious. Or even if it’s not contagious, say it is genetic, and if you reproduce, then that causes an issue with all of Xandria. Who knows.” Visor picked up Rapture's bodice and held it near her. “Hey, get up.”

  She reached for it, but he backed away. She threw the covers back and dramatically stumbled out of bed.

  “Though there is another thought.”

  “Hmmm?” She sounded sleepy.

  “Being exiled, you are free to defend yourself by any means. There is no repercussion for using your sonic attack.”

  “Yeah, except for being called a banshee.” She snatched the clothing out of his hand.

  “So some stigma from sirens, but you are already banished from Xandria. Other races don’t care about the Fracture rules—those that even know about the Fracture. You have numerous friends and a title to human lands. Even if our binding doesn’t last forever, you can make a life for yourself without Xandria. The difference now is that you can defend yourself however you need to. She knew you had a dangerous journey ahead of you.” Visor picked out some extra clothes from the wardrobe and packed them in a satchel. “Why would she let me tour Xandria? She was judging us.”

  “Judging us?” Rapture was still trying to arrange undergarments. “And you think we passed?”

  Visor held his hands far apart. “Not us.” He clamped his hands together. “Us. I don't understand how or why, but she was judging our binding, or at least our behavior together. Seven years is unheard of.” He resumed packing. “I was wondering, is it normal for her to state the consequences of not complying with the judgment?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “She specifically said that if you didn’t submit to the Fracture, you would be excommunicated. Is that normal? Because in human courts, the judge would just state the sentence. The assumption is that you have to comply. Then if you don’t comply, they deal with that separately.”

  “I don’t know. I guess not.”

  “It’s like she was leading your choice. And you have Burke for protection, too. How are you communicating with him? Did the vardal do something to you to cause that?”

  “Why don't you ask Mercy? She knows everything.”

  “Why don't you quit lollygagging? Do you want me to pick out your clothes? Because I will. Let’s see, red and yellow go together, right, with horizontal stripes?”

  Rapture gasped dramatically. “Noooo!”

  Chapter 34

  The Mission

  “Please eat your fill. Your coming journey will likely be arduous.” The Blade of Mercy was seated on the floor of the map room. Holographic candles in the windowless room made a strange ambiance for breakfast. Mercy stood before them. “I have received information that the Catalyst is in Eurydice, in the furthest reaches of Esselin,
in the land of Issore. This information was provided by an employee of mine code-named Amaranthine. I need you to rendezvous with Amaranthine and use whatever information he has to retrieve the Catalyst.”

  Athian said, “Amaranthine ... I’ve heard that before … in a song, or story.”

  Mercy said, “Amaranth is an exonym for WaterCrescent.”

  “And an exonym is?”

  “A non-local designation of nomenclature. Amaranth is the Vardal name for the fortress of Augusta. Since Vardal is not spoken by the denizens of Augusta, it is an exonym. Since human is spoken in Augusta, ‘WaterCrescent’ is considered the endonym. Vardal will call someone from WaterCrescent an Amaranthine.”

  Rapture said, “That’s a flower, too.”

  Mercy said, “The flower would be ‘Amaranth’. Amaranthine is an adjective referring to qualities of the Amaranth: Beautiful, purple, and colloquially ageless.”

  Rapture narrowed her eyes. “That’s what I said.”

  “I apologize. I thought ‘that’ referred the most proximate term. Clearly, my verbal skills are out of practice.”

  Rapture pursed her lips.

  Visor said, “Wait—Amaranthine is a ‘he’?”

  Mercy said, “That’s correct. A vardal male.”

  Athian asked, “So, what’s wrong with that?”

  Visor said, “Oh nothing. Just, you know, ‘beautiful and purple’?”

  Athian said, “It’s not literal.”

  “I know, but even not non-literally, beautiful?”

  “It’s just a name.”

  “Sure, but why not Raykez? Or, I don’t know, Butch?”

  “Why not Amaranthine?”

  “I don’t know, just seems like something you’d call a siren with purple hair.”

  “Does that make you feel threatened? You realize you are an Amaranthine?”

  “Well, vardal might call me that, and if they mean it as the beautiful definition, I might even be flattered. But I wouldn’t choose to be called Amaranthine.”

  Mercy said, “I selected his code name.”

  Visor said, “Ah, well that makes sense.”

  Athian asked, “What, because she’s a woman?”

  “Sure.”

  “It doesn’t matter who selected it. The point is that it’s fine.”

  “I’m not saying it isn’t fine. I’m just saying choosing would be, you know …”

  Rapture smacked his arm. “Oh, I guess you’d choose Jasmine!” She stomped off to a corner.

  What just happened? Visor turned back to Mercy. “Would Amaranthine, the person, have training like Sorana’s, or more like mine?”

  Mercy said, “The vardal male in question is an intelligence operative. He is trained neither in extraction nor in dynamic cooperative governance. I would describe the aforementioned warden's function as divergent from both of yours.”

  Visor said, “You can say ‘Amaranthine’.”

  “Excuse me?”

  “I didn’t mean to criticize.”

  Athian said, “Yes, you did. That’s exactly what you meant.”

  Visor said, “Yeah, but not really. I was just kidding. Anyway, I don’t mean to distract. I just wasn’t aware of the functions of your other wardens.”

  Mercy said, “I have a number of different assignments for my wardens. I will enumerate them for you if you like.”

  Visor said, “Not necessary right now.”

  Athian asked, “Are they ‘enhanced’?”

  Mercy said, “My employees are often exceptional biological specimens, well-trained and equipped with superior weaponry.”

  Athian said, “Visor said that Maciate’s agents were cyborgs.”

  “Catalyst agents are cyborgs. Mine are not. And that is why they are equipped with weapons designed to destroy cyborg enhancements.”

  “Then you don’t have the same technology as Maciate?”

  “I don’t. Why do you ask?”

  Athian said, “I was just wondering—making sure we had all the relevant information.” Athian exchanged looks with Visor.

  Visor gestured for Athian to drop it. Mercy was not intentionally withholding information.

  Mercy said, “The library has more information on the subject. I would like to begin the briefing before we lose the ability to focus.”

  Visor said, “Sure, go ahead.”

  A wall screen generated holographic map of Esselin. It featured relief terrain. Skarholt forest was a greenish blur in the southeast section of Esselin. Eurydice, near the west coast, was highlighted in high saturation.

  Mercy gestured at Jortal. “The most direct route to Eurydice would take you a thousand miles across the open tundra of Jortal. You would be exposed to harsh, frozen terrain and be open to attacks from various ogre tribes. Skirting Jortal to the north would be a much longer journey and require you to traverse mountains. Skirting south would bring you through the heart of buway civilization and force you to pass over vardal underground cities, including Bell Font.

  “Therefore, I would suggest you travel to Raykez and take water transport from there. I will supply you with sufficient funds to acquire a vessel. From there, you could follow the coast of Esselin to vardal territory, limiting your land exposure.

  Athian said, “Rap, you’re a druid. Can’t you find us some giant birds to ride?”

  “It doesn’t work like that.”

  “Your first objective is to meet with Amaranthine.” As Mercy spoke, the map zoomed in to a lake surrounded by a forest in the northwest quadrant of Esselin. A stream flowed westward from it. The holographic map followed the stream, simulating the view point of a bird flying at tremendous speed. The stream was strengthened by a dozen tributaries as it meandered through the trees. By the time it broke the forest, the river was large enough for a canoe with an outrigger to navigate.

  Mercy continued. “This is the Tarkenelran River, colloquially known as the River of Sin. The path it takes is prolonged, and is home to multiple vardal communities.” The river meandered back and forth, forming lakes at wide points then continuing. Some groups of structures were located around the lakes. The bird’s eye view slowed after one lake community. “This is Amaranthine’s extraction point.”

  “Eurydice is underground, as are most vardal cities. The limited entrances are easy to guard. You will have to bribe, fight, or stealth your way in. The Tarkenelran is a source of potable water for Eurydice, and as such, provides a possible means of ingress.” The holographic viewpoint dove into the river, showing an underwater view of bubbly and suspended sediment. Everything became dark. The viewpoint later emerged from a pond in an underground cavern.

  “Once in the city, you will be at a disadvantage in encounters against vardal and vampires. The city is poorly illuminated by human standards. Sirens will be effectively blind without an additional light source. I will provide you with what equipment I can to increase your chances of success. My information is limited. This mission will require significant field ingenuity.” She looked at Visor. “That is why I hired you. Please pack and meet in the stable when ready. I will prepare your mounts.”

 

  Chapter 35

  Weapons of Mercy

 

  Visor was the first traveler to the stable. His horse had been groomed and tended. The saddle and bags were neatly strapped. He stroked its muzzle as Mercy approached.

  Mercy said, “I made the presumption that my daughter will be joining you.”

  Visor said, “Of course. We need her. I don't expect that we'll be able to talk our way all the way to the Catalyst and back.”

  “She is more effective than any other warden I have.”

  “I gathered as much.”

  “Visor, I want you to know that I am quite relieved by your acceptance of my daughter. Many find her mannerism difficult to suffer. That you and Rapture have befriended her is heart-warming. I do hope that in the end, you w
ill prove to be the man of kindness you appear to be. When the time comes that you choose to part ways, I hope you’ll remember she is particularly vulnerable, and present things in such a way that she does not suffer needlessly.”

  Visor said, “I, well I—we didn't have in mind to—”

  “Not that. I have come to grips with letting go. She is not a child any more. However, I would express particular concern knowing that you will be visiting Raykez shortly. Many pitfalls await her there. There are those who will ascribe much hostility to her simply for her appearance, and her limited social skills will prove a liability.”

  Visor said, “I don't expect her to negotiate anything. I’ll do the talking. She can do what she’s comfortable doing.”

  Mercy clasped her hands around one of his. “That is all I ask.”

  “Mercy, know that I will watch over her. If the time ever comes that we need to part ways, I will do what is within my ability to give her a good direction.”

  She moved a half step closer and rested her hands and his on her bosom. “Thank you.”

  Talk about limited social skills.

  Athian and Rapture walked in, of course.

  Mercy called them over.

  With the Blade assembled in a semi-circle around her, Mercy said, “Know that each of you is a welcome guest, and that you may return as you will. I have packed your mounts with gear for your journey—rations, clothing, and weapons. Each of you will find a supply of gems and coins in your purse. There are specific items I would like to discuss in further detail. Visor, I have forged a replacement bow for you.” Mercy nodded at some metallic shapes hanging nearby on a support beam.

  There was a complicated but short riser that had pulleys attached to the ends. There were also guards for the chest, wrist and hand, as well as a V-shaped piece that splayed out from the base. Visor picked up the riser. It was lighter than he expected, and cool to the touch. It had a single string that crossed over itself and looped over some pulleys at the ends of the bow. Overall, it was at least a foot shorter than his old recurve bow, which had flexible wooden limbs instead of pulleys. This one was silvery like symphonic metal, but not quite as lustrous. “This isn’t symphonic metal.”

  Mercy said, “It is not. It is a precipitation hardened aluminum-zinc alloy.”

  “How do you, you know, use it?”

  Mercy said, “Knock the arrow on the rear string. Find and use the pre-set notch loop. Aim. Look through the sight.” Mercy gestured at a straw bundle. “Draw the string. Release.”