The puppetmaster gazed down at the carnage unfolding beneath him. With a wave of his hand, the dark magics that bound the wights were undone. All of the witch’s monsters collapsed as the souls within them were set free. He could feel the relief, the joy, the shock as the citizens watched the vile fiends that had tormented them for so long crumple into lifeless heaps. Yet the spirits were trapped. Another wave of the gauntlet shattered the spell that bound them here. To his shock, they still couldn’t pass on, only roam the mortal plane they remained tethered to. The witch would have to relinquish control of them...or die. He couldn’t feel her. She had fled the room and would be dealt with soon enough. Though what were the souls doing now? The ones from the lantern seemed to be gathering. Why? It didn’t matter.
He didn’t need this town anyways. It had held him back for so long...trapped him like everyone else. It would take some work, but he could bring it crashing down into the necropolis. It would be two things he hated gone from this pitiful world. Then why stop there? He could harness the souls, raise those who were loyal...bring balance to every land and every nation. The Paladins...his own nation had forgotten his town and left them to die. They weren’t worthy to rule. He would be. With that, mind and body became one as the puppetmaster was taken back to the cavern. He opened his eyes to see dark magic swirling around him like a bubbling storm of thunder. Han was there as well, clinging to one of the stalagmites above. Clinging like the parasite he was. Even now he looked down in fear, afraid of him and his power like Luke had been. Luke. The puppetmaster blinked and looked into the scholar’s eyes, his very soul. He wasn’t afraid of him, but for him.
He peered over at his arm. The ancient weapon was digging its tendrils not just into his mind, but his body. Inky veins were forming as it began overwhelming him. Seeing that, the one just above him, he began to regain his senses. This thing was preying on every desire. It ripped them to the front of his mind and then stripped them down to their most selfish core. A dream of helping those in need warped into conquest as it whispered to him of all he was now capable of. Love for his friends and family, twisted into only resentment for the worst parts of them. This was what he tried to focus on as the storm of power shook the cavern around him. Yet there was something else, a voice. He looked up again to see Han screaming down to him from the haze.
“You have to get rid of it!” He pointed to the last of the fizzling red light. “The portal is cracked! Get rid of it!”
The puppetmaster turned to the dying embers and snapped his fingers. His dark magic infected the rift like a ravenous virus. He, the gauntlet, could feel what the scholar had meant and kept this glorious discovery jammed open. It hadn't been stuck between two worlds, but many. Many times and places across all of history. He began sifting through them as the gauntlet tightened his grip on his mind. Why stay here? The burning remnants of the gateway had mere moments before it faded, even with his meddling. Though it would be more than enough to travel through. The choices of where he could go washed over him as he stared hungrily at all the times and places waiting to be reigned in. Waiting for him to bring order. Whoever had crafted such a lock for the gauntlet must have been one of the most powerful mages to ever live. Now he could reap the rewards of their work. Then Han flashed in his turbulent mind. Luke. Gregory. His prying landed upon someone he knew...no...could know...would know? He was in danger...just like Han was now...the only one left...the one who came back...who fought against his most selfish desires and won.
“Get off!” Aza screamed as the vile thing clung to his very being. “You want something selfish, you parasite? Then find him! Save him! That is what I will!”
The words were the most difficult he had ever uttered. Half of him didn’t want to give up the gauntlet, the power it granted him, and fought tooth and nail to keep it on. Yet he ripped it off as the darkness hissed and bellowed around him. Aza took the thing by his right hand and sent it flying through the portal it had spent so many centuries trapped behind. This time it would not be stagnant. It was sent crashing into some time and place that no one here could ever reach. The portal snapped shut, and with it went the energy. Aza dropped to the ground, gasping for breath as he took control of his mind again. Han rushed down and helped him to his feet.
“You actually did it!” Excitement punctuated every syllable as the scholar just stood on in awe. “It is back in the rift! But what did you do when you had it?” His analytical mind fell back to the moments he had seen when Aza was rambling to himself within the storm.
He found his footing and looked over to his friend, just as ecstatic. “It’s gone! The town is safe. The Nightman is dead. The wights are gone. The souls are free!” Then he remembered. “Except they aren't...not until the witch is dealt with.”
Han watched as Aza spun around the room, the broken meeting of cave and necropolis. They were standing in some kind of large crypt with four doors leading out to those pools of dark water. Every one of them had been blown off their hinges and now lie in ruin, along with everything else.
“We need to find her.” His words were firm and resolute. “She could be anywhere under the city by now…”
“No.” The scholar peered down the passage he had glimpsed her run off to. “No, I think there is only one place she could be.”
Aza followed his friend, who for the first time, didn’t fall back behind him. In fact, he didn’t just pick up his satchel but the Nightman’s blade as well. “What do you mean?”
He strode down the path, more drive to do anything that he had in years. Not even a flinch as he stepped around the body of one of the many eyed beasts. “The gauntlet is gone, her army is gone, and now people know about her and her plans. If you were a criminal and found yourself in the same mess, where would you go?”
Aza hopped over some rubble as they ran out to a familiar floor. He thought about it for a moment before the answer hit him. “I get out of town.”
“No! Close, but not quite.” He turned a corner, and the mined out path they had ridden out to sea on came into view. “You take advantage of the chaos going on all around you to gather up whatever you have left. Then you get out of town.”
“She’s headed back to her lair then!”
“It is not a certainty, but is our best bet!” He hopped over a fallen wight as they approached the track.“Just to be certain though, you did place the gauntlet back in its prison?”
Aza thought about it as the memories of having the dark thing seemed to be slipping away faster then he could remember. He had gazed upon too much with it, now unable to recount everything without its tremendous power. “No...I can’t remember everything but it wasn’t stuck between two places. I saw someone I knew...or would know...and threw it to them.”
Han wasn’t sure what to make of that reply, but considering the era that lock came from, anything was possible. “Ok...well at least it is gone then?”
“Yeah. It’s hard to remember much, but trust me, it’s not coming back.” He hopped into one of the carts, followed by Han. “So, you said she should be powerless without it?”
He pulled the lever and sent them slowly rolling down the track. “Well, I guess I was imagining her being defeated once one of us had the gauntlet. I did not expect it to be so...volatile.” Even without having the thing on, it had called out to him through the vile haze. Prodding him to kill his friend and take the thing for himself.
“So what should we expect then? I would say death, but so far we've been fairly good at dodging it.” He peered off into the darkness, seeing the track still set in the right direction.
“I don’t know. I would assume she has more enchanter grade weapons locked away somewhere, which would mean just about anything. Though the bulk of her powers should be gone if the gauntlet is.”
“No more of those crab claws?” He thought back to the constructs of orange light that had smashed the balcony.
“Oh right!” He snapped his fingers. “That would be her familiar, some kind of sea spirit. Thi
nk of it as a creature that she has bound to herself and can call upon with the right spell. Assuming she is without magic, then it should not even be possible to invoke its power.
“Ok.” He took a deep breath. “This is over then. This is all over.” His words echoed with relief that, despite the odds, they had won. Yet, they were also wistful as he recalled that he likely wouldn’t be around to see the fruits of their efforts. His hand passed over his chest as he felt a pain that had only gotten worse once he put on the gauntlet.
Han could hear the sadness that wrapped itself around his words. “Just remember...it is over for the witch, not you.”
At first, Aza thought his words to be false sincerity meant to keep him calm. Though, with that crack in his soul bigger than ever, and growing by the second, he could sense the genuine belief in what he said. It brought a smile to his face and even gave him a sliver of hope to hold onto. Maybe he would make it to see the sun again, or fall before it rises. No matter the outcome, this ended tonight.
Chapter 25: Showdown
“Damned brats! Damned arrogant, meddling brats!”
The witch was frantically emptying her vault into three minecarts resting on the nearby railway. Pieces of gold, as well as enchanter class weapons, were quickly filling them as her next move unfolded within her mind. At first, the plan was to leave as soon as the varmint stole the gauntlet and began unleashing its power. Yet, that would leave her vulnerable and without some of her more important bargaining chips. One of them in particular, a very old book, found itself placed in a satchel of puffer hide draped over her shoulder. It would allow her to regroup and begin her plan anew, without the puppetmaster and his friends interfering. She couldn’t take him on with the gauntlet. No one here could. Though now it was gone. The dark magic it forced through every fiber of the region could no longer be felt. What exactly happened to it, she didn’t know. No matter what, it was gone for the time being and she didn’t intend to lose this golden opportunity.
With the carts passibly full, she hurried over to her desk. She leaned heavily on her staff as old wounds flared anew. It almost made her laugh, thinking she hadn’t had to run in over ten years. Of all the precautions she had taken since the incident at the mill, something to fix her leg had all but fallen by the wayside. She had let herself go soft, content to just fiddle around trying to bring that cursed object through. She had let the monsters in this town run wild, both men and beast. No more. No more. Those words bounced around in her mind as she ripped up the crystal ball that had sat mounted to the old desk. Whispers escaped her lips and brought the dormant orb to life. It glistened and stirred as the mist within began to bubble. Slowly but surely, it stabilized while she grabbed up a few important ledgers and hobbled back.
“What is it now Isabelle!?” The voice was nearly cut off by what sounded like an explosion.
“Joshua?” She peered down at the mist, as rage began to swell. “What’s going on out there? How close are you?”
“They’re back, and we can’t break throu...” He was cut off as a cannon ripped through the cabin. “But that doesn't matter much now. What in the name of Tartarus is goin on in that town? All of us felt that surge of dark magic, and I’m guessin so did nearly half the territory! That’s not to even mention the souls that were swarming the area!”
Despite the anger and confusion in his voice, the witch's thoughts were focused on the two that must be obstructing them. “So...Norabelle and her clown decide to finally get off their lazy asses and do something? That brat is as daft as her grandparents...always has been.” Bitterness snaked around her words as old memories slithered to the surface. “What happened here is none of your concern. What is, is the fact that everything has fallen through. I need you lot here right now, before the Paladins start swarming in. Or are two people just two much for ya?”
“You know how strong they are; don’t give me that crap.” He snarled the words but then tried his best to recompose himself, even as the battle raged on around him. “Bocephus just arrived and…”
“Bocephus?” The witch was shocked they would bring such a heavy hitter out here. “So will you be able to push through?”
“We will soon enough...just a matter of time now.” He looked out the shattered windows of his cabin to see his older brother’s coal ship break through the fog. The massive hull dwarfed the warring vessels around it, showing itself to be in a class all its own. An unfeeling captain fired a single cannon and blew apart the closer of the enemy ships. Upon seeing it, a smile crept over the broker’s face. “Where can you meet us? This shouldn’t take too much longer.”
“I’m headed north, then takin the emergency track west. I’ll be on the evnin side of the leviathan within the hour and headed further out from there. Once the two of them are dealt with, yall call me, ya hear?” She was pouring over the last of her plunder as she made the final preparations to depart. “I can stop by the Governess’ island if she so wishes, but it would be better for all of us if you just get me to Alvoya Transyl as quickly as you’re able.”
“That should be easily arranged once...” He ducked as Norabelle and Jobe crashed through the hull of his ship, splitting it in two. The furious broker ripped the gladius from its sheath and pulled himself up. “We’ll see you then…”
With that, the mist began to unfurl and became chaotic once more. The witch tucked it away in her bag and tossed her staff into the lead cart. Now it was time to depart. Though fast as it had been tossed in, the dark thing was ripped back out. Just up ahead, ghostly threads cut down one of the coral outgrowths and sent it crashing onto the track. She spun around and looked to the upper balcony where two boys were standing at the top of the stairway. One was a scholar, scared yet emboldened to the point of foolishness. The other was a puppetmaster, here to finish what the witch had started so many years ago. Both stood tall as they descended the stairs, ready for a fight.
“It’s all over. The gauntlet is gone, your army destroyed, and Han already alerted the Paladins that you’re here.” His words echoed with confidence, but he remained acutely aware that his adversary would no doubt try and strike them down or escape another way.
Upon hearing the Paladin’s title uttered, she turned to Han. He was looked up and down before her eyes narrowed. “That sword doesn’t belong to you, boy.”
He peered at the heavy blade, who's tip rested upon the rocky steps. “Well, the Nightman doesn’t really need it anymore, now does he?” He meant for the retort to sound heroic, but it came out like a genuine question.
“Arrogant lil weasel.” She hissed the words while her mind wondered what to do next. Even if they weren’t bluffing, the Paladins would likely be on their way in due time. Then, of course, they no longer had the gauntlet. Her initial rush to escape faded as a growing thirst for revenge began to cloud her better judgment. “So, you’re here to arrest me then? I heard you an the farmer wanted to play noble heroes, just like in your stories.”
Aza watched as she strolled away from the cart and stopped maybe thirty feet from them. Both parties were now on the same level, waiting for the other to act. “No. Last time that’s what I had planned...back when Luke and Gregory an Aggie were all still around. I wanted to be the bigger man, the hero who everyone can look up to...but no. No, you taught me something.”
“Oh really?” She crossed her arms, intrigued.
“Yeah.” He leaned on the balls of his feet and thought back to all he had learned. “I don’t like losing people. It’s not worth some higher principal or dream or...nuthin really. At the end of the day, you, Tobias, Barnabee....you’re all the same. You keep pushing and prodding and taking until there’s nothing left.” He looked her dead in the eyes, the gaze of a ghost meeting that of a demon. “If I don’t end this here and now...you’re never gonna stop. None of you would. I mean...even if the Paladins take you in, there’s no guarantee you won’t just escape and start this all over again. I didn’t come here to arrest you...I came here to kill you.”
She gave a weary laugh as a dark nostalgia washed over her. “You remind me of myself when I was your age. Right down to the gaudy jacket…” She smiled. “Though I never got to meet the wizard that took everything from me. Give it your best shot.” She raised her arms, knowing the layers upon layers of dark magic woven within her could take anything he could dish out.
“No.” His weary gaze fell over the bright sea stones and raging waters just over their heads. “I want to know why they all had to die. What was this all for...to take the gauntlet and...what? Overthrow the Paladins? Rule the world? Sell it? We’re both stalling to see who makes the first move… so why not draw it out a little more?”
The Curious Case of Jacob's Hallow Page 36
