“We're comrades, Katell Maeva. Unless you've forgotten—we're siblings in arms. My purpose is to protect the weak, and guide the strong. These few months of separation from the Chaperon have strengthened you, Katell. Considerably. Winterskin or no, it's your confidence that guides you. Your ability to be on your own and still trust yourself—to no longer fear the inevitable. You've seen the raw underbelly of our world, and come out stronger because of it. Labassette has made you new.” he sighed, pulling back.
Blinking away her gaze, he opened his palms to her. “I won't stop you because I know I can't. I won't stop you because this is your Path—this is your way, and it is my purpose to guide you towards it. I only ask that you speak with her, Katell. I only ask that you pick her brain so that you may be able to protect yourself and others. She may have kept you captive and forced you to do regretful things, but now it's your turn to hold her shackle and chain.” he told Kat, holding his palm up towards the twirling stairway at his right. “Do what you will with her.”
~~~
I will, Kat decided as she found her way to Vidonia's tower room, I will do what I want—for once.
Vidonia stood as a statue, her slim form stark against a backdrop of silver as she stood facing a far window. Black taffeta trailed against the cold stones of the floor as the woman brought her arms up, resting them against her chest as she crossed them. Locks of rubicund shivering with each graceful movement. Silence pervaded as Kat set her jaw and glared.
Vidonia made no move to break the silence as drizzle pattered against the latticed glass before her.
Kat didn't know where to start. Forming questions suddenly became a task as she listened to the rain. “Your assistant sent me floating down a river in a warded crate.” she began, her voice wavering. “I broke the ward with my power—I had to bleed myself to invoke it, but I did it. Tell me how—,” she had to stop her voice from shaking somehow, so she swallowed, “—tell me how to control my power!”
Rain continued to tap at the glass as Kat clenched and unclenched her fists, her teeth slowly grinding against one and other as she felt her frustration pile up behind her eyes like hot coals. If this woman wouldn't speak to her—would answer her with prolonged and unending silence—then Kat would leave.
“I'm leaving to find my cousin and my mother,” she tried again, the silence grating at her ears. “but I...I cannot leave without knowing how to control this.”
Damn the world and the precautions she must take because of this new found power—she'd learn to control it through trial and error. Wasn't that what most witches did anyway? Wasn't that how the Cataclysm was caused?
Kat bit her tongue—she didn't want to be responsible for something as catastrophic as that. She needed this woman to talk—or perhaps she could ask someone else. Perhaps she could find her mother—the Night Lady—and beg her to teach her how these powers worked. It was her magic after all, wasn't it?
“I came here looking for help, but—,”
“Everything comes with a price.” Vidonia called, her voice bubbling with laughter. “Your Sonants hold me prisoner. I have nothing now. No assistant. No auxiliary. My mind is the only trinket I have left, and you expect me to freely give it? To casually give you knowledge expecting nothing in return?” she laughed, her booming guffaw like that of a gull. “My heart is not made of gold, girl, it is black.”
“What would you want as payment? What would you need?”
Vidonia cocked her head. “Time.” she said matter-of-factly. “A miracle.”
“Well, I don't have that!” Kat exploded, throwing her hands up into the air before ripping her fingers through her hair. “I don't have time—all I need are the essentials!”
Clasping her hands behind the back of her black taffeta gown, Vidonia began to pace. “The Solomon could grant you understanding in an instant, but...” she trailed off, shaking her head, “...you would not survive such a spell, much less live to bask in the caster's presence. If you wish to understand the blood, you need time, Katell. And, like I said, a miracle...”
Kat watched her, eyes narrowed. “What is, 'The Solomon'?”
Vidonia's smirk grew. “A transfiguration spell. One you would not survive. The Solomon opens the path to knowledge—your third eye—and allows you to drink the knowledge of others, be they willing. The presence that is able to enact the Solomon would also be able to imbue you with the 'essentials' of the Power and its crux. But it is a draining process, especially for the one on the receiving end. Receiving a plethora of knowledge as quickly as you can snap your fingers is life threatening. You could go mad. Your mind could shrivel and dribble from your ears as mush. But...” she breathed, catching her breath as she forced herself to slow down, “...understanding the blood would enable you to find your cousin, at the very least. Knowing how to expertly use your power like that of a high sorceress would enable you to find your mother as well. No matter where she is—or what she is—in our world, you could reunite with her...”
Kat's heart jumped at that. She knew where to begin searching for Horace—but beyond that, if he continued on towards the north and marched past Labassette, she wouldn't know. If he took a boat for the free cities, she would never know. She could spend her entire life searching for her cousin only never to find him. She could be searching for a dead man—for a man whose given up and gone home. She could be searching for someone who doesn't want to be found.
And then, there was her mother. The Night Lady resided in the black forest—but the forest wasn't black anymore. She heard Kaiden's Sonants talking about gold, gold littering the forest. Perhaps she's fled too?
Kat would never know—not without truly understanding her power. She could use it to track them. She could use it to find them—but only if she understood how.
Unfortunately, she knew where this was going. “I will not help you escape. I'll find the caster on my own. Simply tell me their name.”
“An eye for an eye, isn't that how the saying goes? I'll give you nothing if you give me naught.”
Kat approached the woman slowly. Could she intimidate her? “I know enough to hurt, Councilwoman. I know enough about my power to injure. I'm not asking again.”
Kat felt her blood boil as she eyed the councilwoman, fists clenched, the women nose to nose.
“You would perish in the caster's presence. Without me, there is no hope. You'll flail through the woods searching for your long lost kin only to die in the next onslaught of winter—if the monsters don't get you first. Alone, you will perish.”
“This is your fate.” Kat hissed between clenched teeth. “And I will not steal you away from it.”
“Then, your fate is to die. Alone. In the wilderness.” Vidonia flashed white teeth as the air became heavy and hot. The heat blistering as the temperature began to ramp up. Beads of sweat broke upon Kat's face as her eyebrows lowered.
Kat could do it—she could feel the woman's heart thumping. The organ barely moving as it pulsed out blood and took in more. Pausing for a breath before it beat again. Kat thought of constricting the organ. She thought of striking her own wrist and using her blood against the woman—Kat thought of forcing Vidonia into spilling information by constricting the woman's heart using the power of her blood. She could do it.
But something held her back. A tether? A leash? Spiritual reigns reaching from her own blood to the councilwoman's veins. Something held her back.
“It is the Rite.” Vidonia whispered, a half-crescent smirk planted upon her red lips. “all those days ago—the cut Anais made beneath your jaw...do you remember? How you patched it up using my blood? How our blood intermingled and saved your life. That was the Rite,” Kat's hands moved without her consent, snaking towards her neck to touch the fading line upon her neck. “and it forbids you from harming me—and from venturing too far from me. Without me,” she breathed, her breath chill like peppermint as it caressed Kat's neck, “you cannot leave.”
FORTY-FIVE
Councilwoman Vidonia f
ought to keep her ire from bubbling forth from her lips as white froth.
“You cannot leave without me!” she repeated, her words falling upon deaf ears as Katell turned.
Damned hard-headed magebanes!
“You cannot leave—,”
Katell set her sharp gaze upon the councilwoman, her brown eyes hard. “I left just fine before! When your assistant sent me barreling down the Poudurac in a box!”
Vidonia winced, her face a stone mask, as her sharp nails dug into the pink face of her smooth palm. “But did you get far?”
Katell's smirk capsized as it dropped into a frown, “I crossed the Poudurac—,”
“Then you didn't get far at all.” Vidonia retorted, giving the girl her back as she turned towards the square window behind her. Rain glistened upon the latticed window-face, thoughts whirring in Vidonia's head as quickly as clear droplets showered from the sky. She would have to convince this girl to help her escape—she couldn't risk wasting what Ledora and Seraphina had given her on a teleportation spell. Vidonia would need everything—every bit of her Power—to face what was to come. Be it standing up to the Archon or Danae's Monarchy—she'd need it all. Every bit of it.
Vidonia would have to use her wit to convince this girl to free her. Her wit and what information she gleamed from Seraphina and Ledora's combined power.
What could she do? What could she promise?
What mattered most to Katell?
Clasping her hands behind her back, Vidonia clung to the silence pervading her tower room. The girl wanted to understand the essentials of her power. But it wasn't a necessity. She wanted to understand the essentials quickly...
Vidonia had already mentioned the Solomon and its abilities to open one's pathway to knowledge, but the girl didn't trust Vidonia leading her to the spell's only caster. The girl seemed content to wander and die—but Vidonia couldn't let such power go to waste. If the girl died, Ledora would be all that was left of the magebanes. Ledora...a woman Vidonia couldn't easily control—especially now that she was dual-souled. Holding the soul of Seraphina and herself—Seraphina would hold reign of the archmage's mind now...
And then, there was the thought of Vidonia returning to the Monarchy empty-handed. The councilwoman would be basically giving up her position if she didn't return to her betters with something of note...Katell...the magebane would be her something...
There was also the Confrerie...the organization's Archon turning his back on her...never before had a forsaken member of the Confrerie lived to enact revenge on the guild. She could be the first...
There were so many possibilities! But one thing stood in the way of it all—Katell. How could Vidonia get the girl to free her and follow her? Yes, Vidonia had the Rite, but the tethers of that spell only went so far. If only Vidonia had...
She would need to drink Katell...to steal a taste of the young woman's blood. Then, the bulwark would be removed. Vidonia would hold reign of the young woman's mind and the councilwoman would be free to choose her own fate.
But, how would she do it?
Katell's presence stuck like a cloud of gnats fluttering around at the corner of Vidonia's eye. The councilwoman sensed a wavering determination radiating from the young woman at her back. Casting a sidelong glance over her shoulder, Vidonia watched Katell shift slightly. The young woman clenching and unclenching her fists at her sides as she fought with herself. Unsure if to leave the councilwoman to her fate, or rescue her.
Vidonia smirked—it is not I who needs rescuing.
“Why do you linger?” Vidonia murmured, turning her face back towards the glass. “If your mind is made up, why stay?”
The girl sighed. “My cousin is out there somewhere...”
“As I said before, the Solomon would help you understand your power and find your cousin.”
“And I am supposed to trust you?” Katell retorted.
Vidonia's lips vanished as she straightened them. Here we are again at a standstill, she thought harshly. What must I promise? What must I do?
All at once it came to her. Like a spark lighting up against the darkness of midnight.
FORTY-SIX
Upon stepping out of the councilwoman's makeshift prison, Katell approached Sonant Kaiden immediately.
With her knuckles grazing her spine, Katell stood ramrod straight. “I need to take her.” she said matter-of-factly, Kat forcing her voice into a monotone.
Sonant Kaiden didn't blink, his raised eyebrows betraying his shock instead. “I assume you speak of the councilwoman.”
Kat nodded.
“You understand she's the south's prisoner? The Southern Reaches' only bargaining chip with the Monarchy? Without her balancing out the scales—there will be war if we request freedom. There will be more blood.”
Kat swallowed. “Bloodshed will happen irregardless, Sonant Kaiden—innocents will die if Baate Noir does not revert back. The south's winter was eternal for a reason, Sonant Kaiden—to keep the monsters at bay! There will be no Montbereau if the councilwoman doesn't go to the black forest! If you burn her, the south will be overrun with monsters!”
The Sonant smirked. “Has she told you this?”
“Have you ever seen a hetaera past the fringe of the forest, Sonant? Dragons? Elves? The black protected us!”
“The witch has stolen your mind.” Kaiden hissed, eye narrowed. “If you free her, you will be a traitor to all of the south!”
Kat bit her tongue, but hardened her gaze. She had no choice—she knew the councilwoman wasn't telling her everything about the situation in Baate Noir. But from the stories and legends her own Gran had told her—Kat knew the forest protected the Southern Reaches from the worst of things. Be it vampires and night-stalkers—she knew the winter kept them from entering southern villages and murdering all. Kat had seen too much to call Gran's tales falsehoods. Dragons existed. Elves existed. Who was she to question if Baate Noir protected the Southern Reaches?
This was for her family—for Maddy and Eva, Gran and Horace—this was for her home. And if Kaiden didn't understand...then so be it.
She was prepared to fight.
“This is my Path.” she told him, palms out and open. The gesture one of goodwill. “She is already gone. There is nothing you—or anyone else—can do.” This is my destiny, she told herself.
Kaiden simply stared, his head ominously shaking as the corners of his lips turned down. Without a word, he lifted his arm with an outstretched finger pointing towards the curving staircase leading to the tower's ground floor. He wouldn't make eye contact as Kat opened her lips to murmur an apology.
Clamping her lips shut, she skulked towards the staircase and froze.
“Thank you,” she murmured, searching for an eye that wouldn't meet her's. “I'll make sure she does as she has promised.”
…
Kat found Vidonia hovering at the edge of the Poudurac, the river gray as the sun died upon the horizon. Rain fell as a light sheen of mist, the droplets forcing Kat's hair to stick to her forehead and neck. She shivered at the coolness—at the sudden whiff of a curling breeze as it fell upon her. Once again, she was outside. As free as she'd ever get.
“Before we venture into the forest,” Vidonia began, eyes on the smattering of chalk-white trees on the opposite riverbank, “you must endure the Solomon. You must be in complete control of your power.”
Kat bristled at that. “And how long will it take to find the caster of such a spell? How long will the south be vulnerable to the forest's monsters?!”
“Understand that whatever forces the changing of the leaves exceeds the bounds of my power. If you wish to save the south, you must couple your power with my own. But if you have no means of controlling your power, you could destroy yourself. Or take the entire south out. You must learn to control what resides inside of you, Katell.”
Kat sighed as her question went unanswered. “How long will this take?” she repeated, jaw clenched.
“At the most, three days. Perhaps
four.”
The entire south could be dead by then! Kat shook her head—she was exaggerating. No.
Patience. She needed patience.
“And what could my power do? Besides finding my cousin—what could I do?”
The councilwoman blinked as she hesitated. “There is a presence in Baate Noir that forces the change. With our power combined, we could destroy it.”
“And then, what?”
Kat watched Vidonia's eyes break eye contact as her gaze moved towards the crumbling tower far behind them. “It seems your kinsmen have retracted whatever deal you've brokered.” she remarked, her lids heavy. “If we stay here any longer, I'm afraid I will be forced to spill blood.”
Turning, Kat whispered a string of curses as she watched Sonant Kaiden's ragtag force of surviving Sonants surge out from the entrance of Labassette's tower. Kaiden had simply pointed. There were no words exchanged as he soundlessly beckoned that she leave. He had warned she'd be a traitor to her countrymen, but she hadn't thought that she'd see the aftereffects of her decision so soon.
Though the group of Sonants stood with their faces masked, Kat could feel their combined malice as they looked upon her. Though they were miles away, Kat could feel their anger wash upon her skin as acid. The sensation biting and nipping at her, making the hairs upon her arms stand on end despite the endless onslaught of rain.
Kat spotted Kaiden standing atop Labassette, his arms behind his back as black smoke broke from the tower's top. A single finger of wood burned behind him, the flame's tongue red and hungry—outright ignoring the mist of rain as it continued to fall. Kat believed the Sonant's passion for the south's freedom fed it and kept it from dying. Kat's heart lurched forward as she stared at the figure perched atop the tower. She flinched as Councilwoman Vidonia brought a hand to her face and snapped loudly.
“We need to leave. No more stalling. We go around Labassette...” she decided, her voice a harsh command. “...far around.”
Winterskin: A Dark Fantasy (Kindred Souls Book 1) Page 21
