A look of confused bemusement filled Teek’s face. She held out a hand for Teek to pull her to her feet.
"I don't know how he's still here. He should have been pulled back to the dark realm with all the others."
The Shadow Hound walked up next to her and placed his head under her hand. U'ka absentmindedly patted his head when she felt a burning sensation on her hand. Pulling it away to look at her palm, she saw the creature had marked her.
"No. No. No. No. Damn it! He's marked me as his master," U'ka said, holding up her hand to show Teek the Master’s Mark symbol on her palm.
'Need Master. No good be alone. We pack now.'
She heard the hounds' words in her mind. "Just what I need, more voices in my head."
'You are a very good boy,’ said Bahlmet
The hound opened his mouth in a big grin, bringing his leg up to scratch behind his ear.
She pushed Bahlmet's voice away. "No. You listen to me, not the Daemon. Got it?"
'Yes, Master,' the hound's words filled her head again.
U’ka knelt to examine the hound. He was heavy-bodied and well-muscled, but only about seven hands high compared to the standard ten. Glossy, deep black fur covered his body and he had a big ruff around his neck; very uncommon for a Shadow Hound. But his most unique features were his eyes, one blue, one brown. He has the ability to see into both the light and dark realms. He really was a unique specimen.
She gave him a scratch along his side making his leg thump on the ground.
“What name were you given?"
'Runt.'
U'ka started to open her mouth to explain what that meant, but thought better of it. Runt was as good a name as any.
"Just what I need. Another mouth to feed," she said, getting to her feet.
'Runt good hunter. You stay here. Bring back food.'
And with that, he took off running into the night. They set up camp away from the kennels where the smell wasn't as bad.
Bud grazed nearby on some long green grass. U'ka built a fire and had water boiling in the cooking pot by the time she heard padded feet and a dragging sound behind her. Turning to see what Runt brought, her mouth dropped open in surprise. A freshly killed deer hung from his mouth.
"Where did you get that?" she said in astonishment.
He dropped the deer in front of her, tail wagging quickly back and forth. 'Not far. Runt show you.'
U'ka followed the hound on a winding trail through the grasslands, tripping over rocks and getting scratched up by thorny bushes. The moonless night seemed to be holding its breath as she stumbled through the darkness. She mostly followed Runt by his heavy panting, his dark coat made him invisible in the night.
While eager to find more deer, she started to tire of being led endlessly through the dark field. If they did not find something soon, she was going to turn back. A tingling sensation washed over her as they slipped through a magical veil. Runt's unique vision allowed him to pierce the hidden veil to find this place.
The sight before her made her jaw drop again. It was like a scene out of a child's fairytale. All sorts of wild animals, deer, elk, bear, foxes, wild cats, were all lazily roaming around a lush green glen. A soft breeze blew the long grass where a large bull Elk stood guard over his herd. A mother bear wandered among the trees, her three cubs eagerly climbing trees to get at the fruit. Looking around in wonder at the many creatures, she also saw domestic animals contentedly grazing away in this hidden sanctuary.
U'ka turned and hit Teek's chest. "You knew about this all along?! Why didn't you tell me?!"
A tall, pink-flowered Green Jyll tending to the animals came over to join them.
"Teek not want humans to know about these sanctuaries. We bring the animals to places like this all over Eleanthra. We keep them safe while they recovered and their numbers grew. Soon we release them."
"I understand that. But it would have been nice to know. I've been worrying if any of the large animals survived the war. I've got a lot of worries and one less would have been nice," U'ka said, glaring at Teek.
Teek just shrugged his shoulders in response.
She threw her hands up in exasperation. "Yeah, I know. The Green Folk keep their secrets."
"Please do not be mad. We do it to protect both animals and humans," said the Green Jyll.
"I'll be less angry if you make sure villages like Forlorn get livestock. They really need them."
"Yes. We know already villages that need animals. That is plan."
"Good." U'ka turned back to Teek, jabbing at his chest with her finger. “No more secrets. I mean it!” She walked back through the veil. "Come on Runt. Let's go back to the camp."
She grumpily stomped back through the fields to where the deer lay. She looked back for Runt, but his dark coat made him nearly invisible in the darkness. U'ka only sensed him by his panting and the crunching of leaves and grass under his paws. Bud looked up from his grazing as they returned. Drawing her hunting knife, she skinned the deer, taking care to keep it intact as much as possible. The skin was worth a lot of coin even if she didn't need it for trading anymore. Old habits were hard to break. She put it aside to clean it later and started cutting away the meat. U’ka put the cooking pot aside and set up a spit to roast the deer meat.
Teek returned to the camp to stand watch for the night. Dividing up the entrails, she gave them to Teek and Runt, who both happily slurped them down.
The hound curiously eyed the big horse and cautiously approached him.
"Be careful, Runt. Bud’ll stomp your head in if you try anything."
'Runt want friend.'
The hound got a little closer to the big destrier and wagged his tail. The horse gave him a warning snort. Runt stretched out his neck, head forward, nostrils flaring as he took in Bud's scent. The big horse lowered his head to the hound, where Runt gave Bud him a big lick on the end of his nose.
U'ka laughed. "Friends for life now?"
The smell of roasting meat drew her attention back to the fire. Her stomach was now rumbling. She took the meat off the spit, biting into the delicious, moist meat. It’d been so long since she’d last eaten venison; it was a wonderful taste delight.
After dinner, she cut away more of the meat and wrapped up the pieces in waxed paper, drawing preservation spells on them to keep the meat from spoiling. Runt stood over the remains of the carcass with pleading eyes.
"You're still hungry?"
'Runt always want food.'
U'ka couldn't fit any more meat into the saddlebags, so she gestured at him to take it. Grabbing what remained of the deer, he dragged it into the darkness where she heard him gnawing the flesh and cracking through the bones to get at the marrow. The hound let out an enormous burp as he emerged from the darkness licking his jowls.
"Runt, come here."
He trotted up and sat down before her.
"The war is over. We’re not hunting humans. You will only kill a human in self-defense or if Teek or I order it. Again, you will only take orders from me, not Bahlmet. Do you understand and obey?"
'Yes. Yes,' came his answer in her head. 'Runt not trained to hunt and kill humans. Not want to hurt humans if they not bad.'
"Good. We will probably be visiting more villages along the way. It’ll cause a panic if we’re seen with Shadow Hound. Can you disguise yourself?"
The air shimmered around Runt. A large, shaggy Arish Wulfhound came into view.
She put out her hand to rub his head, still feeling the short, coarse hair of a Shadow Hound. His disguise spell was visual only.
"That'll do."
The air shimmered again and Runt returned to his usual self.
"Okay. Next order of business. Teek, how come the Green Folk have not been here to heal the land. The Daemon encampment is an ugly scar on what should be fertile land for farming."
Teek's creaks and low rumbles told her there were more pressing matters they were dealing with. The encampment was a stain on the land but did not pose any
threat to Eleanthra.
"Can you call the Green Lady here? I'd like to see this land healed. This area was once a lush, fertile valley. Maybe people will come back to this land for farming again."
U’ka knew by the look on Teek's face the Green Lady was not going to be happy about being summoned like this. She sighed, feeling the Green Ways open behind her and turned to face Ivy.
"I come here at his request, not yours," said Ivy with disdain. Her brows were furrowed and eyes narrowed. Her deep frown told U’ka she was not pleased to be summoned here.
U'ka gave a slight bow. "Thank you for coming here. These lands are in desperate need of the Green Folks healing."
Ivy tilted her head towards a couple of Green Jacks who then left to go inspect the Daemon encampment. A few moments later, Ivy nodded in
silent communication with Teek.
"The land is tainted by all the human remains. We cannot heal this place until the land is cleansed."
"Can you have the Green Folk gather all the remains into one pile?"
"It will be done. Then you will do your part."
"Of course."
U'ka grabbed the deer hide, scraping it clean while she waited for the Green Folk to deal with the human remains. With a bag of salt, she sprinkled it all over the hide to help it dry out, then sat by the fire and watched as they gathered every single bone scattered around the camp, piling them higher and higher. She wondered when it would end.
'So much glorious suffering!' Exclaimed Bahlmet.
"It is done," said Ivy.
With a piece of cloth in hand, she sprinkled it with mint oil before wrapping it around her face to make walking through the stench of the encampment bearable. The grotesque collection of human bones towered above her. Walking the perimeter of the pile, she laid down the spell. When U'ka completed a full circle, she drew a Cleansing Fire symbol in the air and pushed her magic into it. Green fire erupted everywhere. Runt ran around the burning pyre barking and howling excitedly.
The acrid smell of burning bones overcame the mint-scented scarf she wore. U’ka backed away to get away from the smoke stench and the unbearable heat. The fire was so intense, the bones quickly blackened and disintegrated. Soon nothing remained, not even ash. The glowing embers floated high into the air. The Cleansing Fire released their souls to enter into the Eternal Lands; the dark stain upon the land now burned away. Reaching out to the glowing symbol, she swiped it away, breaking the spell. The fire quickly extinguished, leaving the ground smoldering, but clean.
"We will begin our task at daybreak," stated Ivy before leading her people back into the Green Ways.
Back at the camp, U'ka grabbed a couple of Baku seeds, swallowing them down for another dreamless sleep. She did not like how Bahlmet was manipulating her in her dreams. Spreading out her bedroll, she climbed in to let numbing sleep take her. Runt came over to snuggle next to her, putting off heat like a forge. She wouldn't be getting cold that night as she fell into a deep, exhausted sleep.
11
The Citadel
Falling Into Darkness
The sound of a large book slamming the floor abruptly awoke U'ka. She’d stayed up most of the night reading the ancient text and quickly slipped the book into her robes. The curators were starting their daily tasks in the library. Soon the student apprentices would fill the tables, busy with their studies. Leaving quickly, she headed back to her chamber. Vahlyn, unfortunately, already departed. A single red rose lay on her pillow. She was filled with a sense of sadness and hoped she’d see him again one day as he promised.
U’ka dropped to her knees, pulling up a few loose floorboards to put the forbidden book inside her secret hiding place. What she’d read so far fueled her desire for more knowledge of the ancient powers. She would return to the library again tonight for another of the secret tomes. In the meantime, she needed to keep up appearances, so she dressed, brushed her hair and went to attend to her daily duties. It was crucial the appearance of normality be maintained. She’d be expelled and her magic neutered if anyone found out about her seeking out forbidden knowledge and power.
U'ka went through the routine of her day, sitting in on council and guild meetings, leading her instructional classes and making her recommendations on student apprentices. She’d always found her
duties to be tedious, but today she found them to be even more so. All she could think about was being alone in the library so she could get her hands on another one of the hidden books. She even passed through the library a few times to make sure no one else discovered the hidden alcove. U’ka knew she was being paranoid, but she kept checking to ease her mind. They were hers, after all. She discovered them and had no intention of sharing that kind of knowledge and power.
U’ka sat in the dining hall for the evening meal with her friends and a few acquaintances making mindless small talk, which inwardly infuriated her to no end. All she wanted was another book, but she kept up appearances and chatted, smiled and laughed with the group so they’d be none the wiser.
As the dining hall cleared out, she rechecked the library, but there were still too many students there. She wanted nothing more than to be able to force them out to be alone with the secret books. U’ka could barely contain her frustration and no longer had her sword training to work out all her nervous energy. Damn him. Why did he have to leave so abruptly? She took a moment to close her eyes and calm herself. It was probably for the best he was gone. He knew her better than anyone here and would have easily picked up on the changes in her behavior and temperament. The thing she really missed was their intimacy.
Endlessly pacing the halls of the Citadel, she was unaware of how much time passed when she found herself standing alone before the hidden alcove, unable to remember how she even got there. U’ka looked around the dark, empty library, deciding it was now safe to open the alcove. Inside, she pulled another book from the wooden shelf, carefully examining the title to decipher the ancient language, “Death Magic.”' Intrigued, she slipped it under her arm and headed back to her chamber.
U’ka sat at her work table to begin the task of deciphering the ancestral text, intrigued by every word she read. This was the magic and power she’d been looking for all these many years. Why was this kind of magic no longer taught at the Citadel?
She awoke the next morning with her head flat on the worktable. Her neck ached from being bent over the hard table all night. A loud knock came at her door. She quickly covered up the book and opened the door to find one of the sixth season apprentices standing there.
"Mistress U'ka. I came to tell you your morning class is canceled. Several of the students are sick with Crimson Fever. The whole class is in isolation in the infirmary. Please remain in your room for the day to see if you develop symptoms."
Perfect. "Tell the healers I will comply."
The student nodded and left. She was ecstatic to have the whole day to try out the spells from the book. Kneeling to check under her bed, she pulled out a mouse trap cage. One dead, one alive. Just what she needed.
U’ka set the cage on the work table and pulled out the dead mouse first. With her finger stick, she pricked the tip of her thumb, drawing out a protective circle around the mouse with her blood to contain the magic she’d be casting. Tracing four more symbols in blood around the dead mouse, she touched each of them in a widdershins direction, invoking each one.
She knew the same magic which made simple plant life grow could also make plants dry up and wither away and always wondered why magic couldn’t do the same with animals. To be able to control life and death would be a remarkable feat. That was true power.
The room grew cold and dark around her. She looked closely for any movement in the dead mouse. Nothing happened. About to concede failure, she saw one of its tiny paws twitch. Slowly it moved its legs around. Lids peeled back to reveal milky white eyes as it pushed itself upright and turned its head stiffly towards her. It let out a low screech, leaping at the protective circle, only to be bounc
ed back. It did not give up and kept throwing itself at the circle, trying to find a way to break through to attack her. Fascinated by its behavior, she lowered her head down closer to the circle. The mouse tried so hard to get at her; it tore apart its dead body in the effort. U’ka touched each of the symbols in reverse order and withdrew her power. The small creature shuddered and fell still.
The mouse in the cage frantically tried to escape after witnessing the use of dark magic on his dead companion. U'ka cast a spell to calm the mouse.
Setting the dead mouse aside, she wiped the symbols from the work table. She studied the book for reference, pricking her finger again to draw a new set of blood symbols around the containment circle. She placed the live mouse inside the circle, invoking it to keep him from escaping. One by one she touched the four new blood symbols, pushing her magic into each one. This time she felt the coldness in the room deep down to her bones. The mouse let out a horrible high pitched squeak and started writhing around in horrible agony before it stiffened and fell still. U’ka touched its neck but felt no heartbeat. She successfully took its life away and smiled at this newly acquired skill. This was the power she wanted all along and been denied.
Invoking each of the symbols in reverse order to see what would happen, the room seemed to darken even though the noontime sun flooded the room with light. The mouse spasmed violently before its lids opened to reveal dull and lifeless eyes. Leaping to its feet, it threw itself against the circle in a mad frenzy. To her amazement, it broke through the protection circle and started to attack her. U’ka yelped and threw it across the room, where it slammed against the wall.
With its back broken, it still tried to drag itself across the room to continue its attack. Quickly touching each symbol, she withdrew her magic, watching as the mouse collapsed at her feet. She should have been horrified by what she’d just done, but it only fueled her desire for more of the forbidden magic.
U’ka put the dead mice back in the cage to experiment on later, knowing she could gain better control over their actions. This new, forbidden magic was thrilling. It filled a desire deep inside herself she thought could never be satisfied because of the limitations the Order placed on Blood Magic. She couldn't wait to sneak more books from the hidden alcove to see what new powers they contained.
The Blood Witch Chronicles Page 17
