Ferra sat back heavily in his chair, looking down at his hands. "That is a shame. We've traded with Treen on and off over the years. They’re good people. At least the Warlord’s apprentice has been neutralized, so their deaths were not completely in vain."
"Next, we'll work on taking the Warlord out so Mial and Myas can heal and live peacefully again," said U'ka, touching his arm.
"Thank you," he said, touching her hand. "Seems we'll owe you all a great debt when this is all over."
"We'll talk about that later," replied U'ka.
Looking around the table again, she noticed the others were paired up too. R.K. held the hand of a girl he spent the day with in the safe hall. Calt and Burse smiled and flirted with each other all evening as well. U'ka felt happy for them but wished she too had someone to warm her bed.
"If you'll excuse me, I need to find Teek to make plans for tomorrow evening."
"I'll go with you," said R.K. He kissed the girl on her hand and told her he'd see her later.
They found Teek standing on a hill outside the city. The moon hung low in the sky behind him, giving him a glowing, majestic outline. Runt ran up next to him and let out a long, baleful howl. Several howls out in the night answered his call.
"Teek, tomorrow night, we need to seek out the Warlord in the Sleeping Forest."
Teek nodded in agreement.
"Alright, let's make a plan of attack."
8
The Fall of the Citadel
Garden of Fa'oir
Teek sat at the head of the Council of Elders in the ancient garden of Fa'oir - the soul of Eleanthra, where plant life first sprang forth. The lushest and most densely forested area in all the land, a sacred place where no human had ever set foot. A cold disturbance rumbled through the Green Ways, Teek felt the dark coldness deep down in the core of his being. The ancient beings, many Tree Lords like Teek, others bushy, gnarled beings, looked around in confusion before turning their attention to the Green Lord.
Something terrible has happened at the Gateway Between Worlds. I will see what has happened. Secure the Garden! Teek commanded before disappearing through the Green Ways.
Emerging at the ruined garden near the base of the Citadel, he saw stone blocks strewn everywhere. The once majestic Citadel was reduced to a twisted, smoking ruin. The Gateway Between Worlds thrown open to the land as hordes of Daemons flooded through, screeching wildly, ready to wreak havoc on the land as they scrambled over the ruins of the Citadel. They wore armor made of a strange black metal, carrying all manner of weapons, gleefully killing any survivors they found. Unlike the high Blood Daemons, the lesser Daemon clans had physical form in this world and were free to destroy at will.
The energy pouring out of the Gateway felt somehow familiar to Teek, a sense of something long forgotten. Powerful energy wrapped around him, binding him in place. He tried to fight against it but was brought to his knees by the Daemon Queen Baht' ma who approached and stood before him. Daemon soldiers screeched and growled behind her. He felt the dark power pouring off of her, pricking at his bark like thousands of tiny needles.
"Green Lord, I was hoping you'd show up. You will help me destroy the Green Life here so this world can truly be mine."
Teek roared. 'Never! I will not betray the land or my people.'
The Daemon Queen made a flick of her wrist and a metal collar flew from the Gateway, wrapping around his thick neck. The cold metal collar slammed into his being, making his whole body shudder under the weight of its power. He tried to draw on the energy of the land to fight back, but the collar cut off his connection to the earth magic; slowly draining away his will and all his great power.
Teek watched helplessly as a Daemon spirit emerged from the Gateway and forced its way past his weakened defenses. Teek screamed, realizing too late what was happening. It should not have been possible for him to be possessed, but the control collar made it so. The Daemon spirit locked himself into place in Teek's body, bending him to his will and taking full control. He could do nothing but watch helplessly. Daemon Teek stood, bowing deeply before the Queen.
'What is your command, my Queen?'
"For now, you will be my guard. When the time is right, you will lead the attack on Fa'oir and destroy it for good."
9
U'ka awoke to a knock on her door. She stretched, reluctant to leave her warm bed. Stiffly, she got up to open the door. A young woman stood with a tray of food.
"Thank you," she said, taking the tray.
Sitting at a small table to eat, she thought about all the things she needed to do before confronting the Warlord that evening. She needed to mentally and physically prepare herself for this fight. The Warlord in the forest was a powerful foe, his fighting skills would make him hard to defeat.
U’ka stood naked before a floor-length mirror and dropped her disguise spell to show her real body. Pink skin, arms covered in scars from all the Blood Magic she invoked over the years, long black hair, swept-back horns protruded from her temples and deep red eyes looked back at her. She touched the scar near her heart from where the arrow pierced her chest on the battlefield. Thankfully, she’d put on some weight and did not look as skeletal as she used to, but she was still far from having the strong, warrior’s body she possessed during the war.
Runt lay on the floor behind her. In the mirror's reflection, she saw him stretch out his legs. He looked a lot more like a Black Wolf now than the half breed he was. U’ka kept staring at herself, unable to get the image of Queen Baht' ma out of her head. She looked so much like her and the other female Blood Daemons.
She glanced over at Runt again, now sitting up, panting heavily while he looked up at her. A thought slowly crept into her mind, making her grow cold. She started to hyperventilate and quickly sat down on the bed before her legs gave out.
It can't be true, she thought to herself.
'Took you long enough to figure this out,' said Bahlmet.
"Is that what all the orgies were for? They were trying to breed me? But why?" U'ka said, on the verge of a panic attack.
'Our Blood Clan is dying. We can no longer produce offspring. The other Daemon clans refuse to make mating alliances with us. You were being transformed into a broodmare, the mother of a new line of Blood Daemons.’
Her head spun at this horrific, inconceivable revelation. Fighting the urge to throw up, she collapsed on the bed, fighting back tears and breathing heavily. Runt jumped up and laid next to her with his head on her shoulder.
'Don't be sad, Master,' he said, letting out a little whimper.
U'ka rolled over to hug him around his neck. She needed to collect herself; there was too much to do today. There was no time to wallow in self-pity. Pushing away the thoughts of how much the Blood Daemons used her, she needed to focus on the here and now to prepare herself for facing the Warlord that evening. She wiped the tears from her eyes and got up to pull on her long, woolen shift dress.
"Runt, pull up your disguise."
U’ka took a couple of deep breaths to calm herself, then opened the door. Heading down the hall to a large solarium, she found Master Shen surrounded by a group of children, giggling at the funny voices he made as he told a children's folk tale. They squealed when they saw Runt. He opened his mouth in a wide grin, happy to see the children. One of the boys got to his feet, leather ball in his hand and threw it down the hallway. Runt went tearing off after it, panting happily.
Witnessing such normal activities put U'ka in a better mood. Children's laughter and dogs chasing balls were things worth fighting for. She felt a renewed sense of purpose and went to seek out Regent Ferra. A door opened ahead of her, R.K. and the girl from last night stepped out arm and arm. She reached up to touch his cheek before kissing him.
"I have chores to do. I'll see you later."
"See you soon, Aluna," R.K. said with a smile on his face.
"I'm going to find Regent Ferra to let him know of our plans for tonight," said U'ka.
"Are you
sure it's going to work?" he asked.
"As sure as I can be about anything. But, yes. I think we have a good chance. We'll leave as soon as it's dark. Be ready."
R.K. gave her a grave look but nodded in agreement.
She found Regent Ferra in his office looking over various papers and knocked on the archway before entering.
"Excuse me, Regent Ferra. I need to talk to you."
"Yes. Yes. Please come in."
"We're heading out tonight to confront the Warlord. You mentioned the serum to control the plague is made from your blood. I want to take vials of Mias blood with us so we can get it to Myas as soon as possible and we'll get their blood back to you so Lady Luonne can start work on the serum for your people."
"I'll arrange this with Luonne. Do you really think you'll be successful? We've sent out others with blood shipments. They never made it."
"I think we've got a better chance than your men. We've gone up against other Warlords and marauders and prevailed. Hopefully, the grace of the gods are still in our favor."
"Let's hope so. I want to see an end to the suffering of my people."
"As do I. May I ask you where your oldest Sanctum is located?"
"We only worship Morbus, God of Pestilence here. His Temple is in the center of the city. It has tall red stone spires. You can't miss it. If you are seeking counsel, I'm afraid Morbus claimed our Rector to serve him in the Eternal Lands."
"I’m sorry to hear that, but I mostly just want to look around inside the temple, if you don't mind."
"Normally we don't allow outsiders into our temples, but you have done so much for us, how can I refuse?"
"Thank you, Regent Ferra. If you’ll excuse me, I'm going to check to see how Calt and Nallah are doing with the sick."
Ferra nodded, returning to his work. Out in the large courtyard, things already seemed so much different than yesterday. It did not smell as bad now that most of the infections were under control. Calt, Nallah and the Green Jylls moved among the sick attending to their needs. Things seemed much less dire than when she first arrived.
U’ka went over to Calt. "How are things going today?”
"Those who made it through the night are doing better. We've moved them to another area where their sores won't get reinfected. We lost a few hundred people last night. The Green Jacks have been moving the bodies outside the city to a mass grave," she said with a weary look.
"The deaths were to be expected, there was no way we could save them all," said U'ka, touching her arm. "We're heading out tonight to confront the Warlord and hopefully get a shipment of Mial blood through so they can start making the plague serums again."
Calt put her salve down and hugged U'ka. "Good luck. I hope for everyone's sake, you make it through."
"We're going to do our best. If you'll excuse me, I need to go speak with Lady Luonne."
Inside her workshop, she saw Luonne drawing blood from Master Burse into several vials.
"I'll have these done by the time you are ready to leave."
U'ka reached up to a shelf to grab a wooden box filled with vials. "May I borrow this, Lady Luonne?"
"Yes, of course. Take whatever you need."
She nodded before turning to Master Burse. "If we don't make it back and things get worse here, please release my horse and mule to Nallah's care."
"You're going to come back. You have to; otherwise, we're doomed."
"I'm going to do my best," said U'ka as she left.
She found Nallah and the Magus outside administering a curative to a sick young girl.
"Nallah, if I don't make it back, the caravan's yours. Please keep up with your work and try to rebuild the Healers Guild if you can."
Nallah hugged her. "You'll make it back. You have to, you hear me," she said with a stern look.
U'ka smiled. "Thank you for coming here. Many more would have died if it weren't for you."
"It was my duty as a Healer." Nallah stood up and took U'ka aside. "I didn't want to say anything before, but I detected great darkness in you. I think I can help you as I did with Jae."
U'ka looked down at the ground, shaking her head. "No. This is different. I need to figure this out on my own."
'I have all the answers you need,' came Bahlmet's voice in her head.
Nallah reached out and took her hand. "You don't need to do everything alone. We're here for you. We can help. Don't be afraid to ask when you are ready, okay?"
U'ka squeezed her hand. "Thank you. There are a few more things I need to do before tonight, so if you'll excuse me."
She turned to see the Magus. "May the gods watch over and protect you on your journey."
"Thank you, Magus."
Back at the caravan, she mixed up what she needed, poured it into the vials, then made her way through the winding, empty streets to the Red Temple. It was bigger than any of the Sanctums she’d seen in other cities. Pulling open the heavy wooden doors, she stepped into the dimly lit foyer, where a few candles were lit here and there. The room had an eerie, cool stillness to it, like walking into a tomb. Large wrought iron chandeliers hung cold and dark in the rafters above. She ran her hands along the walls, feeling around for any hidden doorways which might lead to secret catacombs like the previous Sanctums she’d been in but found nothing. She cast a Seeking spell around the Temple, but it revealed no hidden chambers. The area below the Temple showed to be solid ground.
The walls were covered in many different symbols, but they were unique to the Mial people. Nothing matched with the ancient runes she’d found in the old Sanctum catacombs. Disappointed, she sat in the front row of the Temple, looking up at the stone statue of Morbus, God of Pestilence. The dark, hooded figure sat upon the Throne of Suffering. One hand rested atop a skull on his lap, the other raised, holding a wilted bouquet of Oleander. U’ka had no real belief in any of the ancient gods, but couldn't imagine worshipping a death god. She’d wasted enough time here and headed back to prepare for tonight's assault.
The streets were already starting to darken as she made her way to the safe hall. Candle lit the way inside as she strolled up the stairway, carrying the wooden box to her room. Master Shen sat in the solarium with a sleeping toddler in his lap.
"We're heading out soon to confront the Warlord. Wish me luck."
"You don't need luck. I foresee your success," he said, tapping his Temple. The corners of his empty eye sockets crinkled as he let out a chuckle.
"Thank you for your confidence," she said, laying a hand on his boney shoulder.
Inside her room, R.K. sat waiting for her, tapping his bo nervously on the floor.
"Just let me get my battle leathers on and we'll get going. Did Lady Luonne drop off a box for me?"
R.K. pointed at the table where the box sat. U’ka placed her specially prepared box into a pack and handed it to him, then put Luonne's box into another pack and went to get changed. She double checked all her weapons and indicated to him it was time to go.
10
Awakening
Teek stood on a hill overlooking the Sleeping Forest. A dense cloud layer hid the moon from view; the deep darkness would give them good cover for a while. Runt’s nose was to the ground, running in and out of the underbrush, taking in all the scents. U'ka looked out to the mass grave the Green Folk dug, it seemed to go on forever. So much horrible suffering, she turned away before the tears could flow.
"Alright. Let's get started," said U'ka, handing the pack of blood to Teek. She drew an invisibility symbol on the pack and it disappeared from view. If anything happened to her or R.K., Teek would get the blood through to Myas on his own.
He led them into the thick forest. There should have been the sound of night animals all around them, but it was eerily quiet. They, too, moved silently across the forest floor, the stillness of the night unnerved her. The group pushed their way through branches and brush that normally cleared a path for them at Teek's command. The forest was indifferent to their presence.
U'ka
looked up to the sky, but the thick tree canopy blocked out the dark clouds overhead; it felt like the forest was consuming them whole. Teek and Runt led the way due to their superior night vision. Loud cawing came from a tree overhead. She knew it was the Red Raven even if she couldn't see him. His ominous warning not needed; she knew the dangers that lay ahead.
They traveled the dark, eerie forest with its twisted trees and thick brush for several hours. It felt so different than any of the ones U'ka had been in before. Forests were normally huge superorganisms full of life, but this place held the stillness of the grave. The weight of it seemed to press in on her from all directions.
It wasn't long before she felt they were being watched. Quick movement among the trees caught her attention. She signaled to R.K. to be ready. The time had come. As they entered into a clearing, a dozen men dressed like the ones who attacked the Treen soldiers, stepped forward, swords drawn.
U'ka and R.K. raised their hands in surrender. They were forced into a large campground and pushed into a kneeling position. Runt hunkered down next to her. She felt the tension in his body.
The Warlord stepped forward. The shaft of a large spiked mace rested on his black armor-covered shoulder. He was tall and powerfully built. Dark Hair pulled back into a long braided ponytail. His eyes shone bright red.
"Well, well, well," he said with a sneer. "What do we have here, little sneaks in my forest? Did you really think we wouldn't find you?"
"You assume we didn't want to get caught. Let us through to Myas and your men will live through the night," U'ka called out.
The Warlord threw his head back and laughed. "I love your bravado. It's not going to save you but I do love it."
One of his men ripped the pack from R.K. 's back, handing it to the Warlord. He ripped it open to see the vials of the deep red liquid. "Such exquisite misery and pain. This will be a tasty treat before I feast on your suffering."
The crowd of men around them laughed in response. The Warlord held up his hand and they quickly fell silent.
The Blood Witch Chronicles Page 22
