The Blood Witch Chronicles

by L. A. Stinnett

  "Are you hungry? We have food."

  He motioned for her to lead the way. Teek followed close behind, ready to intervene if Vahlyn tried anything. She handed him a wooden plate filled with eggs and fish along with a cup of tea. He ate voraciously. She could tell it had been several days since he’d last eaten.

  "I'm going to get the animals ready for today's ride," said R.K.

  "Thank you. We need to get going soon."

  "Are you coming with us, Vahlyn?'

  "Someone needs to keep an eye on you."

  U'ka rolled her eyes. "You know there's not much you can do to stop us if we do turn bad."

  "I'm still a better fighter than you . . . " He froze, eyes wide, hand reaching for his sword. "There's a Shadow Hound behind you."

  The coal-black hound’s ears were down and lips curled back. A menacing growl rumbled deep in his throat.

  U’ka turned to look at him. "Some guard dog you turned out to be. Where have you been, Runt?"

  The hound relaxed his stance and sat on the wet grass. 'Had to search far away for food. Runt sorry. Man not danger?’

  "No, man not danger. But keep your guard up."

  Runt snorted, keeping his eyes fixed on Vahlyn.

  "Wait. You can talk to a Shadow Hound?"

  She sighed. "Yes. He bound himself to me."

  Vahlyn shook his head. "Figures. You attract evil so easily."

  The remark stung. "The hound's not my fault. Besides, he's not really that evil."

  Vahlyn snorted. "How is that thing not evil? He's a damn Daemon dog!"

  "Runt, come here," U'ka motioned to him. He trotted up and laid down beside her. Reaching out, she ran her fingers along his side, making his leg scratch the air.

  "As long as you're not trying to hurt us, he's

  pretty much just a big puppy dog."

  Vahlyn shook his head in disbelief as he finished up his mealt. She cleaned up camp and put their supplies in the Infinity Chest while he ate.

  "Do you have a horse nearby?"

  "I had an old draft horse, but he was killed several days ago. I tied him up while I went hunting and came back to find a bear ripping out the horse's guts. Up to that point, I hadn’t seen any large animals. I thought they were all killed in the war."

  "The Green Folk were keeping the animals safe. They released them back into the wild not too long ago."

  "Would have been nice if they tried to save more people," he said, stepping onto the caravan.

  "They did what they could. They've always favored animals over humans. Not all the Green Folk like humans and resented the war we brought to their lands," said U'ka, climbing into Bud's saddle

  "You mean the war YOU brought here," he sneered.

  She deserved his hateful words. If she hadn't been so stupid, everything would be so different now. She’d brought the world to the brink of collapse and was determined to fix as much as she could.

  Teek once again led the way, setting a brisk pace to get them quickly to the Shifting Lands. U'ka rode up next to the caravan, where Vahlyn laid among the bedrolls in an open storage area at the back. He lazily looked up at the sky, watching the clouds pass overhead.

  "How did you survive the war?"

  "I don't have a reputation for being the best swordsman in all of Eleanthra for nothing, you know."

  "Did you fight in many battles?"

  "I fought when it seemed like the odds weren't too bad, but every group of soldiers I joined ended up dead. I fought my way out of a lot of bad situations. I'm lucky to be here still. After the war, I moved around to different villages that survived the war."

  "I know you hate me, but I'm glad you made it through safely."

  "I've been up for several days straight. I want to get some sleep. Can you leave me alone for a while?" he said, closing his eyes, hand settling on one of his daggers. He needed to bide his time and wait for the right moment to take her out.

  U’ka knew it was best to give him space at this point and rode up next to R.K.

  "Are you still feeling okay?"

  "The Daemon's voice is still a distant whisper if that's what you mean. I do feel better now that we’re finally on our way to the Shifting Lands. I just hope the answers are there. I need to get this thing out of me."

  "The answers are there. I know it," U'ka said to reassure herself as much as R.K.

  17

  Set in Stone

  U'ka heard it before she saw it. The sound of stone grinding on stone rumbled through the air. Teek stood at the top of a small crest, pointing into the valley below. Dismounting, she walked up beside him. She didn't know what she expected the Shifting Lands to be, but it wasn't this. The area below was filled with giant flat boulders moving and grinding against each other like a giant swirling jigsaw puzzle. Four ancient rusty towers sat at each side of the valley. R.K. and Vahlyn came up to stand beside them.

  “See, I told you, nothing but ruins.”

  “What is this place?” said R.K., reaching up to scratch his arm.

  “I don't know, Teek?” U’ka said, still studying the Shifting Lands for any clues.

  He looked at her and shrugged.

  “We came all this way. You said the answers would be here,” said R.K. reaching up to scratch his arm again.

  “Answers aren’t always just laid out in plain sight. Give me a moment to figure this all out.”

  R.K. paced back and forth behind her, reaching up every now and again to scratch his arm. U’ka grabbed his sleeve and pulled it up to see his tattoo moving in unison with the shifting boulders below. Five symbols which weren’t there before were now visible. Recognizing the symbol for high noon, she looked up at the sky; the sun was almost at its apex. If they were going to figure this out, they needed to do it soon.

  “We have till high noon if you want answers today, but I don't know what these other symbols mean.”

  R.K. rotated his arm to get a better view. His mind reached for a distant memory, long forgotten.

  “Wait. I know these. They're from a song my aunt taught me when I was little. Something to do with the cardinal points, I think.”

  U'ka looked around again at the rusty towers. “Makes sense. Four towers for the four cardinal points. What are the symbols for each of the points, R.K.?”

  “Let me think,” he said, closing his eyes, searching for the memory of his aunt’s voice.

  “The plum is north,” he finally said.

  They made their way to the northern tower. The tall, ancient metal device had levers and a dial that wrapped around its base. U'ka knelt to brush the dust off the plate, seeing the many symbols wrapping around it. She turned the bottom until the plum symbol faced forward, causing the boulders below to start moving faster. Reaching up, she pulled a lever above her head. Slowly it creaked into place, the top of the tower opened to reveal a large crystal which caught the sun's light and glowed brightly.

  “This is it. Quick, what direction are the other symbols for?” U'ka asked R.K.

  “Uh . . . South is a rose,” he said, the memories starting to click into place.

  “Teek, go! What's East and West?”

  “East is a dagger, west a goblet.”

  She looked at Vahlyn. “You take east. I'll take west.”

  They each got into their places, setting the dial to the correct symbol and pulling the levers, exposing each of the tower's crystals. The northern crystal shot out a beam of light to each of the other towers; the crystals now pulsing in unison. Structures rose out of four of the boulders below. U’ka couldn't tell what they were. Light beams shot out of the crystals, down towards the boulders now moved like a stormy sea.

  R.K. threw up his arms in a ‘What now?’ gesture.

  There were two more levers on the side of the tower. She grabbed one and saw the tower slide up and down, moving the beam of light over the boulders below. Grasping the other lever, she found it rotated the tower, moving the light beam back and forth. She moved both the levers around until the light
beam caught one of the boulders with the strange raised structures, freezing it in place.

  U’ka pointed down at the frozen structure, indicated to the two levers and for them to copy her movements. In turn, each of them caught their boulders and moved them into place. R.K. settled the last boulder into alignment with the others; the stone sea calmed and quieted. The endless grinding of stone on stone finally silenced.

  U’ka saw some sort of entranceway, but to where? They each made their way down to the opening. Runt sniffed his way around the boulders to the entrance. R.K. ran to it but was stopped at the threshold.

  “I can't move past it,” he said.

  Pulling him back, she tried to enter, but she too could not pass. An invisible wall blocked their way.

  “The entranceway is warded against evil. We're Daemon held. It won't let us pass through.”

  Lanterns within began to light. U'ka's jaw dropped at what she saw. A complete recreation of the grand Citadel library came into view. A woman stepped from the shadows, much older than the last time U'ka saw her, but her face was unmistakable.

  “Mom,” U'ka and R.K. said in unison.

  “My sweet plum, you have found me,” she said, looking at R.K. with tears in her eyes.

  They looked at each other in confusion before turning back to their mother.

  “Wait . . . you had another child after you abandoned me at the Citadel?!” exclaimed U’ka.

  Her mother shook her head. “I did not abandon you. You needed training to control your magic. Although, if I knew then what I know now . . . ”

  U'ka held up her hand. “Don't finish that sentence. I've got enough guilt about all this already.”

  “As you should,” she said, stepping fully into the light. “When I left you at the Citadel, I began my training to take over as keeper of the annex. I had your brother a year later. I left him with my sister when I was finally sent here for my duties.”

  “How come you didn't tell me I had a brother?”

  “He was my backup in case anything happened to me, the tattoo would guide him here when the time was right. Now he can't even enter because you have corrupted him with Daemon filth.”

  “I'm not responsible for him being Daemon

  held . . . well not directly.”

  “My sweet Ro'ka, I so want you at my side again,” she said, reaching out to him.

  “What is this place? How is the place even possible?” U’ka asked, looking around in amazement.

  “It is a magical copy of the Citadel library containing all the knowledge of the ancients. It was

  considered too important to lose, so it was magically duplicated and caretakers, like myself, keep it safe.”

  “I was being groomed to lead the Citadel one day. How come I didn't know about this?”

  “Master Haum must not have felt you were ready yet. He knew of the existence of the annex, but not where it was. It's always been kept a secret in case something horrible happened to the Citadel, the knowledge wouldn’t be lost.”

  Runt pushed past U'ka, padding down the steps to her mother.

  “Hey! How come he can get through?” R.K. exclaimed.

  “He means no harm, so the wards let him pass,”

  she said, reaching down to pet Runt's head.

  Vahlyn slid past them into the annex. He looked around in awe before picking up one of the books to make sure it was real.

  “This place is incredible.”

  Old feelings of betrayal rose inside U'ka. She closed her eyes and forced the thoughts away. There was still her mission to fulfill and this place contained the answers she needed. Letting out a deep breath, she pulled the scroll out of her pocket, unrolled it and held it up.

  “Mother. Have you seen any ancient books with these symbols?”

  She stepped forward to get a better view. “I believe so, but why should I trust you?”

  “I think it might have a special unbinding spell symbol to remove our Daemons. The one I know doesn’t work and I want to rid R.K. of his Daemon.”

  Her mother turned to Vahlyn, “Do you trust her, Blade Master?”

  “No. Not after everything she has done.”

  She stood for a moment, unsure of what to do. She wanted her son by her side. Was this the only option? Could she trust U’ka not to betray them?

  “Does she speak the truth, Green Lord?” she asked.

  Teek nodded his head. She signed, knowing she did not have much choice if she wanted to help her son; then disappeared into the depths of the annex. She returned a few moments later with an ancient scroll, reluctantly handing it to Vahlyn.

  “I expect this to be returned when she is finished.”

  He nodded and took it outside.

  “You better not betray us.” He said, holding out the scroll. His grip tightened when she tried to take it.

  Looking into his eyes she still saw so much anger there. It pained her to see that kind of hate on his face. He finally loosened his grip. U'ka laid the scroll on the ground. It had the musty smell of things hidden away in the darkness, long forgotten. It was the oldest scroll she’d ever seen, older than any of the scrolls she studied at the Citadel.

  R.K. and Vahlyn leaned over her, watching her every move. Pulling the leather strap she carefully unrolled the scroll; heavy, intricately carved rods held it flat. The edges of the scroll were badly frayed, the surface cracked and covered with spots of mold. She leaned in closer, looking for any faded text, but there was nothing. Her heart sank, realizing the scroll was blank. She was so sure the answer would be here. How was she going to face R.K. 's disappointment if she couldn’t get rid of his Daemon?

  “Why isn't there anything on the scroll?” said R.K., his voice thick with tension.

  “I don't know. Just give me a moment to figure things out. This has to be it.”

  Teek rumbled behind her.

  “What did he say?” said R.K.

  “He said to push my magic into it,” said U'ka, placing her finger on the scroll, letting her magic flow into it. She felt a flare of magic from the scroll in response. Slowly symbols formed around the outer edges, the same ones she’d gathered from the hidden Sanctum catacombs.

  She smiled and looked up at R.K. in relief, “This is it.”

  U’ka pushed more magic into the scroll, hoping it would reveal what the unknown symbols meant, but nothing happened. She was so close to having the answers they needed if only she could figure out how the scroll worked. Looking more closely at the symbols, they seemed to waver on the page.

  “Why isn't anything happening?” said R.K.

  “I'm still trying to figure this out. Just be patient.” She pressed her finger to the scroll again and thought of a fire spell. Three of the symbols lit up with a golden glow and vibrated. She put her finger on one, it moved with her touch. She drug it to the middle of the scroll and then pulled the other two to the center where they swirled on the page, combining into the familiar fire spell symbol.

  U'ka sat back. “I feel so stupid now. These are all the standard spell symbols broken down into their individual parts. I only learned the completed spells. I never thought about breaking the symbols apart.”

  She put her finger on the scroll again and focused on her need for the Unbinding spell. Five of the symbols glowed. She pulled each one to the center of the scroll, watching as they rotated around and merged into the final spell.

  “This is it!” Exclaimed U'ka. She looked over to see her mother anxiously watching from the entranceway.

  “Can we do this now?” said R.K.

  “Yes. Lie down.”

  U’ka assembled the symbol pieces in her mind to form the Unbinding spell. The possibility to form new spells with the scroll seemed limitless, but she couldn't dwell on it now. She pressed her finger into R.K. 's forehead where the glowing symbol appeared, ready to be invoked. Pushing her magic into the symbol, she felt it flow through his body. R.K. screamed, blood poured out of his ears, nose and mouth. His body violently convulsed
. She tried to pull the magic back, but it was too late. The Daemon spirit ripped through his soul as it desperately fought to stay. With one final shudder, the Daemon was expelled from his body and hovered there for a moment, growling menacingly at her before being pulled away to the Gateway Between Worlds.

  The feeling of the Gateway opening and closing slammed into her so hard she fell to the ground in agony. U’ka knew then she had the only Daemon in this side of reality. The cell imprisoning Bahlmet cracked, making her gasp. She tried to tell Teek to get Nallah, but he’d already disappeared through the Green Ways.

  Vahlyn knelt beside the desperately gasping R.K., looking panicked.

  “What did you do?!”

  U'ka tried to speak but nothing came out; her mind swimming, fading into darkness. Before losing consciousness she saw Nallah burst forth from the Green Ways followed by Teek. Bahlmet stepped out of the darkness of her mind and stood over her with a menacing grin.

  'This land is now ours. We have the Scroll of the Ancients. All magical knowledge is ours now. Take my hand and together we can rule all.'

  U'ka’s will to resist was gone. Her soul broken worse than when she first opened the Gateway to send the Queen and all the Daemons back to the dark realm. Her defenses ripped away, he could take what he wanted from her. She could no longer resist him.

  Bahlmet knelt beside her, reaching out to touch her forehead, but suddenly froze in place. White and green energy flowed around him, holding him tightly. Bahlmet growled, fighting against the energies of Nallah and Teek. They appeared together in her mind. Bahlmet felt the cell behind him reforming. Vines shot out, wrapping around him, pulling him back towards the cell. He screamed out curses at Teek and Nallah as he was pulled back into the darkness of the cell. Teek's vines wrapped around the cell door, sealing it once more.

  Nallah dropped to her knees next to U'ka and touched her chest. She gasped, feeling the healing energy flow through deep into her soul. Opening her eyes, she saw Nallah and Teek leaning over her with both their hands on her chest.

  U’ka let out a small groan. “Thanks. I needed that. Wait, is R.K. okay?”

  “He'll be fine. Just needs to rest for a while,” said Nallah.