Survivors of Corrica

by Courtney Bowen

  “Would you be able to help us in healing Rowena?” Mogame asked her.

  “I could see what’s wrong and advise you as necessary.” Rhona told him. “I don’t know exactly what happened to her.”

  Mogame nodded and led Rhona back to the settlement as the others followed along, still asking questions and discussing the matter. Kiki frowned to herself, contemplating everything they talked about and if it was a good idea or not. She glanced over at Corr, who she hadn’t seen much of these last couple of weeks, as he’d kept his distance from her while she was grieving.

  Perhaps he held himself accountable somehow when it came to the Fay and the Corricans arriving in Bahealfisaba, but she truly didn’t think they were to blame for the Savorre attack. The Savorre would’ve come back to Bahealfisaba eventually, like they’d done for generations. Maybe they did return sooner than expected, but there could be any number of reasons why they did that didn’t involve the Corricans.

  If the Fay could help them out now to finally end the Savorre’s terror, all the better for it. Corr took on too much responsibility for their actions, but that wasn’t such a bad thing and Kiki found herself admiring him more and more. Perhaps someday soon, she’d let him know how she felt about him.

  ℜℜℜ

  Rhona examined Rowena, and then turned to Huette, Mogame, and Anya. “I believe her coma’s an automatic defense response to the debilitating attack by a multitude of shades, trying to take over her body, and her own shades trying to fight them off inside of her and in the shadow realm. In essence her body’s shut down to conserve energy and devote most of her resources toward the battle, but she can’t last for much longer without reinforcement. I believe you can help her shades win this scrimmage and stave off the other shades for good, but you’re going to have to risk joining your spirit with hers, and maybe even falling prey to the same shades. Are you willing to do it?”

  Huette, Mogame, and Anya discussed it amongst themselves, and Mogame said, “All right, we’ll do it, me and Anya, though Huette should stay out of this when we can’t risk losing all of our healers and the mages’ leader.”

  “I’d save Rowena myself if I could, but she wouldn’t want me to do that, I’m sure.” Huette murmured, patting her friend.

  Rhona nodded. “Then prepare yourselves, Mogame and Anya, and I’ll show you two how to proceed with a healing trance.”

  Soon Mogame and Anya steadied themselves and flexed their hands over Rowena, calling upon their shadow and spirit powers as they murmured and chanted like Rhona taught them. Then they subsided deep into the healing trance, and were transported into Rowena’s consciousness and the shadow realm. They found themselves in a bleak place, besieged on all sides by shadows, while Rowena was trapped in the thick of it all, caught up in a morass of shades shielding her and assaulting her.

  “How do we know which ones to attack and which are helping her?” Anya asked, glancing at Mogame.

  “The ones trying to kill and bar us from Rowena might be the place to start, while if there are any that protect or yield before you might belong to her.” Mogame said, summoning his own shades to fight off the horde and clear a path for them.

  “Right, let’s go.” Anya said, bidding the spirits to come and oppose the shades as she tried to strengthen Rowena’s spirit from afar.

  They headed towards Rowena, mounting an assault on the invasive force, and it seemed like they might win this battle without much trouble. However, as they got closer to her, a demon loomed out of the gloom, bigger and more monstrous than any they’d seen before, with death written upon its brow and shades writhing and wiggling off of it.

  They retreated, frightened and forced to defend themselves or be consumed, yet Rowena called out to them for help when she was almost caught up in the monster’s grasp. Mogame stiffened and braced himself, facing up to the demon as Anya scattered a protective shield around them, made of spirits.

  “Who’re you, demon, to conjure yourself here and try to possess this mage?” Mogame asked, knowing he shouldn’t quail. “I abjure you in the cornerstones of the earth, and command you to speak by the howling quake.”

  The demon growled. DOOMTHA IS MY MONIKER IN THIS WORLD, THOUGH I GO BY HUNDREDS OF NAMES ELSEWHERE. NAME YOUR PRICE, HUMAN.

  “What price do you speak of? I abjure you in the waters of the ocean, and command you by the rising waves.” Mogame continued to weave in his defenses alongside Anya.

  EVERY HUMAN HAS THEIR PRICE. EVERY HUMAN HAS WHAT THEY WANT. I WANT TO BE FREE OF THIS PRISON AND ENTER INTO A NEW SHELL, TO WALK IN THE OUTER WORLD AND TAKE IT FOR MYSELF. The demon lurched forward, and attempted to penetrate their shields.

  “Back, you foul thing.” Anya muttered as they roamed around, trying to avoid getting tangled up with demon Doomtha or its shadows as they made their way towards Rowena.

  Yet they were still being cut off from her with Doomtha distracting them, and they couldn’t hold him off forever. Their boundaries were being slashed and whittled off, while they were draining themselves to maintain a safe perimeter.

  Mogame examined their surroundings and situation, measuring the distance between them and Rowena. “You grab, I hold.” He mumbled at Anya.

  “Sure?” She hissed at him, eying the span.

  He nodded, and she made a break for it, sprinting towards Rowena with her spirits flying all over the place, winging and beating back the shades with a brilliant light momentarily blinding them. Mogame, meanwhile, hurtled a cloud of shades at demon Doomtha, striking and cutting through him, while he roared and surged back onto Mogame.

  Mogame held him off with a thin barrier that started cracking and breaking under the onslaught, while he glanced back towards Anya and Rowena. As soon as Anya grabbed onto Rowena, clutching her tight, Mogame broke off from his battle with demon Doomtha, and pulled himself out of the healing trance before the demon’s shades could get at him.

  Doomtha bellowed as the humans vanished once more, leaving him alone in his shadowy realm. SOMEDAY I’LL RISE FROM HERE AND TAKE OVER THE OUTER WORLD. SOMEDAY, HUMANS, YOU’LL BEG ME FOR MERCY.

  For now, though, he subsided and retreated back into the gloom, waiting for the moment he’d come out and pounce on the next unwary victim. He was certain he wouldn’t have to wait very long for that chance.

  Chapter Sixteen:

  The Heist

  Anya stood before Wilama, smiling at her. “This is how I patch up a wound. Do you want to see or try it for yourself?”

  Wilama shook her head, standing a short distance away from her, aggrieved, sickened, and pained at the sight of blood. “No, thank you, Anya. You’re the healer here. I’m just the priestess. I pray over the bodies. I don’t try to mend them.”

  Anya sighed and turned to her. “You should be used to all of this gore by now. Come over here, Wilama, and I’ll show you just how it works. Don’t you want to help people?”

  Wilama frowned. “I don’t think it’s working, though. I think he’s still dying.”

  Anya looked down at the patient and grimaced. “We can save him, though. I need your help, Wilama. Please, Wilama, please come here for me and help me out.”

  Anya reached out to her hand to her, and Wilama couldn’t refuse the plea in her eyes. “All right, then, I’ll come over and help you out. But please be gentle with me. This is my first time.” Wilama took Anya’s hand.

  Anya smiled at her. “This is what I’m experienced at, but yes, I promise to be gentle with you.” Anya pulled Wilama close to her, standing right beside the patient, as they looked down upon him. “Now place your hand here.” Anya pointed out the spot to Wilama, hovering just above his chest.

  “Please don’t do this to me.” The patient whimpered.

  “Gently, Wilama, we don’t want to hurt the patient.” Anya murmured as Wilama did as she was instructed.

  “Now what?” Wilama asked, turning to Anya.

  “Now we draw from him every last ounce of energy, like he’s a well of water and we’re very
thirsty.” Anya told her.

  “Like this?” Wilama hesitantly said, pulling out a strand, a tendril of magical force, like a wisp in the air, yet so much more potent, from the crying, whimpering man.

  “That’s it, you’re doing it.” Anya slurped it up, satisfied. “It’s quite tasty and delicious, too. Why don’t you try some, Wilama? Go on, sample a little bit of the fare.”

  “Well, if you’re certain,” Wilama said, extracting another thread and luring it towards her.

  She sipped a little bit of the aura, and then she was drinking it in, her eyes widening as her mind expanded beyond her reach. She’d never savored anything like this before. It almost reminded her of being in the mist, of attracting the sparks and glow of ethereal light, bathing in the enchanting spray and getting in touch with the earth’s pulse.

  She wanted to experience that again, never knowing where she might find it except by going back out there, but now she knew there was a way she could relive that without exposing herself to danger. She continued to feed on the man’s magical power, unable to get enough of it.

  “Hold on, save some for me.” Anya said, pushing Wilama away. “He’ll be dead before you know it at this rate.”

  “What?” Wilama said, her head clearing for a moment with the jolt she’d just received. “No, this is all wrong…you’re not Anya!” She cried, staring at Yagidehama instead. “What am I doing here? What’d I just do?” She asked, staring at the man in dread.

  Yagidehama sighed, gazing at Wilama. “You’re having a bad dream, that’s all. Now close your eyes, Wilama.”

  “No, this isn’t right, this can’t be real. What’s happening? What’s wrong with me?” Wilama asked, staring at her hands and then turning to Yagidehama. “Why can’t I fight it?”

  “There, now, it’s okay.” Yagidehama murmured, wrapping up Wilama in her arms in a tight hug. “It’ll be fine, you’ll see. By morning, you’ll have forgotten all about this, and we’ll try again. Now go to sleep, Wilama, sleep.”

  “Sleep,” Wilama murmured, closing her eyes as she was enfolded in a blanket of shadows, and transported back to her bed in the corner.

  Yagidehama nodded, pleased for now with how well it was going with Wilama, how she was progressing in her studies and aptitude. Though Yagidehama still had to control, restrain, and bewitch her at times, she showed a lot of promise and with plenty of persuasion, she might yet turn Wilama into a true warlock in full service to the Savorre.

  Yagidehama turned back to the victim, now unconscious, one of the last mages remaining that was taken from Bahealfisaba. Most of those captives were already wiped out when they couldn’t withstand such ill treatment for very long. But there were a few that survived, including the blacksmith that even now instructed the Savorre crafters on how to forge iron and steel swords.

  The weapons and tools that had been created so far were strong and sturdy, far better than their bronze and copper implements, and soon they’d build enough of a reserve to supply their army. Yagidehama looked forward to that day when they could take their new armaments into battle, and then they’d have such an advantage over others that they could sweep across entire kingdoms and tribes.

  No more raids, incursions, or fighting to protect themselves, no, but full-out invasions, conquests, and long-term occupations of their neighbors, spreading out across Mila Forest and beyond. She’d heard a lot about the Corrican empire from torturing its former subjects here, and she knew that was the sort of dream she had for Savorre. Maybe they’d be bigger than this mythic empire, and take over the whole continent and beyond.

  She couldn’t wait for such a thing to come true, and no one would see them coming. Despite whatever seers or oracles these people might have, like this Wintha or Bahealfisaba’s oracle that her prisoners talked about, they couldn’t foretell a damn thing when Savorre’s auguries were trained to block and obscure their visions of Savorre and its activities.

  The auguries would also seed confusion into the oracles’ perceptive abilities, flooding them with hundreds of different outcomes and increasing their unpredictable factors so that the oracles wouldn’t know what the Savorre were up to until it was too late. Plus the layers of magic weaved throughout the land also added a dense film over the oracles’ visions, so it was any wonder that they ever saw anything coming, even without the auguries’ interference.

  Of course, because of everything they’d done to sabotage such capabilities, Savorre’s auguries could no longer forecast what’ll happen to them and faced the same limitations as their opponents’ oracles. But that was part of the fun for Yagidehama, to have such an unpredictable future.

  Why should her fate be laid out in stone for her, everything set and nothing changeable, when she could manipulate and alter the entire world to fit her dreams? Yagidehama smiled at the thought, and continued to drain the mage.

  ℜℜℜ

  A few weeks ago, when the plan was first implemented, Fato suggested to his parents Caro and Felicity he should go work at the council hall, maybe get to know Jari, and see what spending time over there would be like. His parents thought it was an excellent idea, and agreed to support him as he entered the work program there. Jari’s mother Hekati noticed his application, and fast-tracked his approval, making sure he’d be stationed alongside her daughter.

  Jari was annoyed when Fato showed up at the council hall again, a newbie assigned to her sponsorship, but she decided to go along with it for now. However, she was suspicious that he was so eager to join up when he’d made no secret of his disdain for the council and its policies, even boasting about it to her.

  However, Fato told her, “I’m sorry for what I said then, if I was too judgmental about the council without knowing everything. But I’ve seen the error of my ways, had time to reflect, and I believe that if I want to find out the truth about the council and its policies, then I should experience it for myself and decide if it’s good or bad.”

  “All right, I suppose we’ll give it a go.” Jari nodded. “I’ll show you everything there is to know about the council hall, its meetings, and the debaters, and you can find out for yourself if it’s fair and just. But first of all, we’ll have to complete our chores.”

  So Fato worked as often as he could alongside Jari, getting close to the vaults, but not close enough to access them. Finally, when he’d built up enough trust with her, Jari took him down to help manage, retrieve, and receive amounts of magical energy.

  She showed him the storage procedures, how they were able to contain and maintain the various elemental forces. There were numerous fail-safes in place to prevent injury and thievery, and Jari pointed them out to assure Fato that they were completely safe. She told him how they gathered and mined the raw material, refining it to the base element, and then transported the magic to the vaults, where they sealed it up.

  Fato took notes when it helped him memorize the system, he told Jari, but he shared his findings with Rhona and Paracleus later on. They realized they were incorrect in assuming the heaviest guards would be on the plant element, when actually it was the death, fire, and shadow elements that had the toughest defenses.

  “I suppose they’re dangerous enough that it wouldn’t be a good thing if they were inadvertently unleashed on the forest. Everything would be destroyed.” Paracleus remarked.

  “So where should I start then? What element should I take first?” Fato asked.

  “Try the easiest ones, air and spirit. You said that they sometimes leak out of their containers?” Rhona said.

  “Yes, it’s difficult to keep them trapped. I’ll do that.” Fato said.

  He collected a few drops of the air and spirit elements when Jari wasn’t looking, and delivered them to Rhona and Paracleus. They then traveled to Bahealfisaba, where Lapida had finished repairing a forge with assistance from Corr. As her brother-in-law stoked the fire, she began crafting a sword, and Paracleus sprinkled a little of the air element onto it, dousing it in a yellow light.

  Lapida
took out the Yellow Sword of Air when it was cool, swishing it about, and she felt a breeze. “Is that how strong it is?” She asked Paracleus.

  “No, it should be stronger when an air wielder might use it.” He told her. “Set it aside for now, we’ll decide who that person might be later. Let’s try the spirit element.”

  This time, when Lapida forged the blade and Rhona caked it, a white layer formed on its grip, and it was translucent, almost invisible when Lapida examined it. “Are all of these weapons going to change color, match the element they represent?”

  “I believe so. We haven’t done anything like this before.” Rhona said.

  Lapida put aside the Spirit Sword next to the Air Sword to cool and checked the forge. “I think some of the dust got in here. It looks like there are spots with air and spirit magic in them.” She said.

  Rhona, Paracleus, and Corr took a look as well. “We suspected that might happen, but it should be okay and wear off after a while.” Paracleus said.

  “If you want to, you can fashion even more armaments in those areas to soak up the residue faster before we bring you the next batch.” Rhona told Lapida.

  “Also I think we need to get some scabbards or something for these weapons, to contain them in.” Paracleus muttered, analyzing the blades’ edges.

  “That’s a good idea.” Lapida nodded, as Rhona and Paracleus departed.

  “Shall I gather more iron or coal?” Corr asked, turning to his sister-in-law. He was excited about these latest developments, and hopeful again that his Fay friends might aid them.

  “You certainly can. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” Lapida said, grabbing another piece of iron to shape and mold.

  ℜℜℜ

  Meanwhile, Fato snuck out the Earth and Water elements, which became the Brown and Blue Swords in Bahealfisaba, and then he started to snatch up the Animal and Stone elements. However, when Fato tried to slip them out, he was almost caught by Jari, who was checking up on him and inspecting his workstation.