First Quest: The Mentalists series Book One

by E. Molloy

  Whose side he should take in this, he didn't know, but if the witch was holding the investigator hostage, then in this case the enemy of his enemy was his friend. He hoped. Quietly, Daveth pressed the door open, just as the king ordered to allow the man to speak.

  The guards stood lining the walls, each seeming at ease despite the scene before them. Daveth couldn't tell if they were being manipulated, or just didn't care the level of treason that was happening there. Either way, if one saw him, there was still a chance that he would get caught. He couldn't fight them all, and if the witch was alerted, he'd be just as stuck as the Kainite.

  A movement behind the throne caught his eye. Glop stood there, dart in hand, beady yellow eyes staring at Daveth as his other webbed hand motioned for him to join him. It was a big room, and getting to the spot without being noticed seemed impossible.

  He pulled on the wizard's robe to bring him closer, and the man hurried to his side. "You're going to do exactly as I say, or I will cut your feet off and you won't ever be able to run away from your problems again, understand?" Daveth said, surprised at his own hostility, but his patience for the evil and cowardice in this place was spent.

  The man nodded quickly, "Yes, oh definitely, I will, uh, well what exactly do you need?"

  "You're going to walk into that room again slowly, behind the throne, then pass by it and stand behind the witch. Understand?"

  "What if she sees me?" he begged, clearly fearing for his life.

  "You're on the same side," Daveth said with disbelief.

  The man seemed to register this a moment, and then laughed. "Oh, yes, that's right, I recall now. Yes, wonderful, alright, tally ho."

  Before Daveth could request anything else, the man quietly moved through the door. It was obvious he didn't want to be noticed any more than Daveth did, but at least his presence wouldn't result in bloodshed. Daveth crouched, clinging to the man's robe to conceal himself the best he could as they made their way behind the throne. Glop climbed quietly onto Daveth's back as the concealed pair followed the wizard's robes to where, Daveth could only hope, was the witch's side.

  His heart raced as the moment of truth came up. He couldn't wait too long, or he risked being found out. There was little chance of the woman putting up with the wizard standing behind her like that for more than a few moments before getting suspicious. With Glop on his back, Daveth stood suddenly, shoving the wizard aside (though the man almost willingly leapt out of the way as soon as he was touched). The young man reached his arm around the front of the woman, pressing his blade to her neck before grabbing her wrist with his other hand.

  She stood silent, and suddenly Daveth's head was filled with images and words and none of it made any sense. There was a child on a rope swing, three bears eating berries, whispers about games and someone asking for more potatoes. He tightened his jaw, trying to keep his eyes and mind focused despite the thoughts being forced into his head. The body of the woman in front of him was shaking, either out of fear or the effort of trying to control him. A visible shift happened, though, and the sounds and visions stopped, replaced with a tiny voice repeating over and over the word 'how'.

  He could feel something in his head, similar to how he felt at the arena but not nearly as strong. He wasn't alone in there anymore, and he pressed the blade tighter to her throat. 'Wait,' he heard, and it sounded like Lillian's voice. 'You don't understand, I can't-'

  Suddenly, the King's body went plummeting through the air, and all of the guards seemed to snap out of their daze, immediately calling to action.

  "Stop!" the witch yelled, and Daveth's brow drew down. Her voice sounded in his head again, distorted words that caused him to feel dizzy.

  The guards did not stop, and she yelled again, "Do not attack!" They charged the Kainite anyway, swords drawn and ready to kill. The man evaded most of their attacks, suffering nothing more than scratches as he placed his hand to whatever part of their bodies he could reach after dodging. His palm landed on a shin, and the guard's legs flew out from under him and dragged him across the floor. Another stabbed at the man's chest, but he spun to the side, using the momentum of the spin to land a smack to the back of the man's head. The guard's neck snapped as his head plummeted toward the floor, bouncing off of the stone as it struck.

  'I can't,' the voice rang in Daveth's head again, and suddenly all dizziness had gone. He was alone inside again, he could tell. "Enough!" she shouted, and the guards all stopped and stared at her. "Drop them." Their weapons clanged to the floor.

  Niko strode over to the fallen King, pressing his ungloved hand against the man's flabby, hairy neck. "Unfortunately, he lives," the man mused, and then turned a grin up to Daveth. "You do as well, though, so I suppose it's a fair trade."

  "Please," the girl begged, "You don't understand."

  Niko went to speak, but Daveth took his chance. "Where is she," he demanded, and the witch seemed to contemplate whether or not to answer.

  "How is she not in your head?" the Kainite asked, curiously.

  "I don't care," Daveth replied, removing his sword from her throat and releasing her arm. He gripped her shoulder and pushed her to the ground, standing in front of her with his sword placed against her sternum. "I will not ask again."

  Tears streamed down the girl's cheeks as she sobbed. "I don't know," she replied.

  "Liar," Daveth accused.

  "Actually," the Kainite's voice rang behind him, much closer this time, "It's likely that she doesn't. Her power as a seer would likely require her to look into something. A ball or pool or something, I'm not sure exactly. Regardless, without those tools, she has very little power to see outside of these four walls, you understand?"

  Daveth grit his teeth. "Did you send anything after her, after the dragon?"

  She shook her head slowly, the pressure of the blade on her chest causing a small cut as she did.

  The pale-haired man was now directly beside him, smiling down at Daveth. "Let me take care of her. You've done well. Go, find your princess. There's nothing more you can do here."

  Daveth considered this. "I don't trust you," he admitted.

  The man laughed. "Nor I, you. If I recall, you are the criminal here, not I. To let you go right now is a gift. You'd be wise to accept before I cease to feel so generous."

  The young man looked over his shoulder at the other, removing his sword from the girl's throat. "What will you do with her?"

  "That's not your concern."

  "If her life threatens Lillian's, then it-"

  "She will no longer be a threat; of that, you can be sure," he promised, kneeling in front of the woman as he reached into a pocket to grab two small glowing green rings.

  Daveth looked to the girl, her eyes begging but her lips only quivering as she cried. Again, he felt her in his head, a few words leaking through to his consciousness, 'please', 'not what you think'.

  The rings expanded in the Kainite's hands as he put pressure on them, and he stuck the girl's wrists inside of each of them. As they touched her skin, they retracted, wrapping tightly around her wrists and then sticking together in the middle to form cuffs.

  Again, the feeling of having someone in his head was gone. "Good," Daveth stated coldly, and then began to walk out of the room.

  Glop hopped out from behind the throne, seeming grateful that the humans had dealt with the matter themselves. He let out a loud cough as he passed the pair near the seat, choking on the magic in the air around them.

  "I would still like to know, though," the man stated, standing and lifting the girl by the cuffs, "How you resisted her."

  Daveth continued walking, Glop in tow. He was done seeking answers. It didn't matter anymore. He could hear the man's dry chuckle behind him sound just before the tall wooden doors in front of him swung open.

  Lillian stood, mouth agape, frozen in the doorway to the throne room. Ragen's eyes went immediately to the scene behind, recognition reflected in them.

  "You made it," Daveth said, st
epping out of the way so they both could get a look at the result of the day's events.

  The princess stormed into the room toward the imposter, and Niko turned to look. "This," she said, half enraged and half confused, "This is the witch?"

  "Pretty little thing, isn't she?" Niko replied, noting the resemblance.

  "Why does she look like me?" she demanded of the man who held her captive.

  "One of the great mysteries of life, I suppose," he evaded.

  Ragen entered the room, taller even than the Kainite and significantly more imposing. He definitely didn't look like he belonged in the city, and certainly not the palace. "Let her go," he demanded, gripping his axe.

  "What?" Lillian asked. "Are you crazy? Let her go? Why would you want to-"

  "Yes, sadly that's not possible. You're welcome to try and make me, if that would make you feel better, but I'm afraid the attempt would be futile."

  That feeling again, Daveth noticed. Even though it made no sense for Ragen to want to save her, even though she'd put them through all of this trouble, the feeling he got from the Kainite now was unbearably strong. He couldn't be trusted, and Daveth couldn't ignore it any longer. "Your work here is done, Collector. You got your information. We solved the problem. Let the local government deal with this."

  The man turned a wary eye to Daveth, oddly enough seeming to consider his demand. "Hm," he mused, as if that were all he could muster at the moment. "I see I'm outnumbered, and outwitted," he commented, his blue eyes fixed on Daveth, though it was almost too easy.

  Lillian turned on them both. "She's mind controlling them," she said, as if that were obvious.

  "Quite impossible, I'm afraid," Niko said as he carefully stepped away from his charge, gaze still fixed on the young man. "The bindings prevent her from using her powers. Either your friends know something that we don't, or you may want to use your authority to end this. The girl cannot be properly imprisoned in the dungeons here, and those cuffs will only hold for so long."

  The princess stepped up, "You will both stop this at once. It's over, let it go."

  Ragen shook his head, "You don't understand, princess, she's your-"

  Niko interrupted, "Put an end to this already, princess, we don't have time to dally."

  "Something's not right here, Lillian, you have to trust me," Daveth said.

  "What, your gut again? You can’t honestly expect me to base my decision-"

  Ragen interrupted again, "Listen, I don't have time to explain, but I was told we need to-"

  "Lillian please, this guy isn't right. There's more going on here tha-"

  "Enough!" she shouted finally, and the voices talking over each other all ceased. "The witch will remain in our dungeons until the Collector has helped in cleaning up this mess," she whipped around to face the Kainite. "My father," she said sternly, "Is your order charging him with crimes, or was he a victim?"

  "Sadly, miss, your father is the perpetrator of this mess," he said, though he didn't seem all that saddened by it.

  She took a deep breath, struggling to remain composed. "Only by your authority can this country bring him to justice, so you will remain here until such time as those dealings have been handled. In the meantime, you will be responsible for ensuring that your charge does not regain her powers. Can you do that?"

  He shook his head. "With the tools I have here, I have no way of restraining her for more than a day."

  "Is there anyone who can bring you supplies, or anything you need to make sure she stays docile?"

  "Sadly, there is not."

  She thought. "I will allow you leave for one day's time to retrieve what you need. In that time, the witch and my father will both remain in our dungeons. Am I clear?"

  Niko chuckled. "Clear as day, but there's just one issue. You do not have the authority to 'allow' me anything. I outrank both you and your King, and I will not-"

  The princess narrowed her eyes and got into the tall man's face, as best a woman could while she was standing a foot shorter than him. "I don't care who you think you outrank. Within these walls, within this country, you are at my disposal. I am not as weak as my father to let you trample around here striking fear into people's hearts with some title that means nothing to the common folk. Your order doesn't feed our people, or clothe them, or do anything to ensure their safety. If you defy me within these walls, you will be faced with a choice: spend the rest of your days in a prison, or be the reason for war between your so-called peace-keepers and the whole of the Navarran army."

  Niko stared at her in silence, impressed grin still on his face as he nodded, though it was obvious that he wasn’t intimidated. "Crystal clear, your highness," he said, bowing his head. "One day's time, I shall return with what is needed. Thank you, for your..." his voice trailed off as he tried to find the right word.

  "Go," she commanded, and the man left the small group, his eyes lingering on Daveth once more before he was gone. "Guards, take my father and this...imposter to the solitary wards. Treat their cells as if they were empty: no food, no visitors, but constant watch." The guards immediately moved to follow her orders. Lillian’s eyes remained fixed on the woman who looked like her until she was out of sight.

  The silence in the room was broken by a clapping. Ragen slapped his hands together with a grin on his lips. "Very impressive, your majesty," he mused.

  "You," she said, pointing to him, and he immediately stopped clapping. "Whatever reasons you have for wanting this imposter around had better be damn good, because you have very little time to convince me that she shouldn't be burned at the stake. And you," she turned her icy gaze to Daveth, but no words came out.

  "We've a lot of catching up to do," Daveth said with a smile. "I'm glad you're okay."

  Chapter 26

  As the servants set to cleaning the throne room, the three went down to the medical ward. Lillian insisted on staying with her companions, despite her servants’ urgings to be treated in her private quarters. They already knew, though, that arguing with her was pointless. Glop had, again, disappeared, which was for the best. He seemed to know his way around whatever paths he found, and Daveth was now certain that the thing was always either two steps behind or ahead.

  Lillian and Daveth both were in bad shape, and the maids there tended to their wounds as Ragen filled them in on what he knew about the witch of the forest. Daveth was having a hard time keeping track of which witch he was talking about sometimes.

  He told them about how he had become the way he was, his wife and his son and the witch who had changed them. Admitting his reason for finding them in the forest in the first place, he explained the smell on them that had made him change his mind. Daveth finally told the story of the tournaments from months ago, asking if the figure he had seen there could have been the witch. Ragen didn't think it made sense for her to be there, but he didn't say it was impossible, either. It would, as far as he thought, explain how her scent got on them in the first place.

  The three talked at length, Daveth having a chance to fill the two in on his experiences since they'd parted, and Lillian and Ragen giving him the short rundown of their own experience. They intentionally didn’t mention what had happened to the raven, but the questions that were already forming in Daveth’s head were answered by the look in Ragen’s eyes as the story continued on without her.

  Once the group was all caught up, finally, Ragen explained his deal with the woman of the woods. Lillian seemed confused. "I don't understand, though. You saved the princess. Why does that mean you have to save that imposter as well?"

  "Well, see, that's the thing," Ragen replied, leaning against the wall of the medical ward as the other two laid back in their beds, finally enjoying something resembling rest for a change. "She's tricky, you know how mages are. She said 'Get to the castle, then save the princess.' So I just assumed, you know, that it meant get you here. Most the while, I just figured she was being stubborn. But, once we got here, there was nothin' to save you from. Then it hit me wh
en I saw that girl there, looking just like you all bound at the wrists and crying. What if there's more to all this than we realize?"

  Daveth chimed in, "She kept saying that."

  "Who?" Lillian asked.

  "The girl. She kept saying I didn't understand. I just figured she was trying to get out of trouble."

  "Not so far-fetched," Ragen admitted, "She say anything else?"

  Daveth thought about it. "Yeah, just before he put the cuffs on her," he said, deep in thought. "I only caught pieces of it. But, she said it's not what I think."

  The group went silent. Lillian finally spoke, her voice solemn and quiet, "I want to know why she looks like me. Ragen's theory would explain that. Or magic."

  Daveth responded, "Magic could do it, but it wouldn't last forever. The spell would have worn off when the cuffs went on her."

  She nodded. "It seems more and more likely, then, that she was right. There really is more to this than we think."

  "So," Ragen asked. "What are you going to do?"

  She shook her head. "I can't let her leave here, not until I know what's going on. My own personal reasons aside, the Kainite can't be trusted to leave here with a mage of her strength. If she was controlling him, then she must be a Mentalist, or something else that the Order doesn’t even teach us how to defend.” She looked to Daveth for confirmation that this was accurate, and he nodded. The princess continued, “If the Kainites have a use for that power, I doubt it's as a tool of peace."

  Ragen sighed in relief. "Good, ‘cause if you let him take her, I'd have to be going all the way to Kaine to find out what this witch wants me to do about it, and I really don't like their people much."

  "About the Order," Daveth chimed in. "I'm not sure who it was, but a Knight came through here claiming he'd saved you. That detail hasn't fallen off of my list of things that don't make sense."

  "Could it be another imposter?" she asked.

  "Maybe. But I don't think he would have been able to fool the Collector. The armor is pretty specific. It's illegal to have if you aren't part of the Order."