by AJ Martin
“Excuse me,” she announced herself to the people, who seemed to take little notice of her appearance before them. “Hello?” she tried again. “Please, could I speak to one of you for a minute?”
“We don’t have no food,” one woman snapped at her. She was a good deal older than Josephine and wore a dirty - white bonnet atop her curly, ginger hair.
Josephine shook her head. “Oh. No, you misunderstand me. I don’t want any food. I just wanted to ask you where you were travelling?”
“Leave my family alone!” the woman continued. “We’ve been through enough, without answering any questions. Now clear off!” she hissed and waved Josephine away from her and two children that she drew close to her. The princess stepped back and let them carry on. As they passed and she watched them go, a man approached her from the last group of people in the line. He was about the same age as her - perhaps a little older- and he sported a bristly brown beard and a brimmed hat. He had his hands in his pockets.
“Don’t take that personally,” he said. “Maggie’s had a worse time than most here. Lost two of her daughters.”
Josephine already knew the answer to her next question, but she had to ask it anyway. “You are fleeing from the dragon?” she asked. He nodded.
“Attacked our village two days back and decided to take up residence while there was still stuff to burn and corpses to eat.” He shook his head. “Most of us were working the surrounding enclosures when it struck. We were the lucky ones.” He looked grimly at the people ahead. “A few like Maggie made it out of the village and we moved quickly with what little we could bring from the old Rustingleigh Farm down the way before the beast decided to follow us. We’ve been travelling for miles now, day and night since.”
“That’s terrible. I’m so sorry,” Josephine said softly.
“You’re welcome to join us if you’d like,” the man offered. “We’re heading to Tamet. Word says they are taking in refugees like there’s no tomorrow!”
Josephine smiled. “That’s very kind, but I am afraid I am going the other way.”
The man nodded. “Just be sure you don’t head north - east when you reach the split in the path. That’s where we’ve come from. There’s nothing left there but ash and death.” He looked sombre. “You shouldn’t be travelling alone miss, especially not in that direction.”
She smiled again. “I am afraid I have no choice. But thank you for your kindness,” she said.
He bowed to her. “Safe journey,” he proffered, and then continued on his way, re-joining the others. Josephine watched them go. Then she turned to the path ahead and took a deep breath.
“Right then, Sikaris. It’s time you and I met face to face.”
She continued on up the path for another few miles before she stopped to rest awhile by a tree that grew by the side of the path where it split in two. She was gasping for a drink, but she dared not take another swig from the flask she had taken, as she had not had any opportunity to refill it since she left Tamet and was down to the last few sips. She would have to ration it from now on, until she could find somewhere to replenish the supply. To make matters worse, her stomach was starting to rumble again. She doubted there was anywhere nearby now for many miles more that she could buy any food from. She would just have to forage as best she could. She had grown accustomed to her belly being hollow when she fled Aslemer. A few more days would not finish her off now, not now she had the dragon in her sights. After a few minutes rest she carried on, taking the fork leading in the direction she had been warned against. Two days of walking, the man had said, day and night. She had to keep going, and quickly, before Sikaris decided to travel much further.
A Showdown
202nd Day of the Cycle, 495 N.E. (New Era)
Josephine walked amongst the blackened remains of what had once been a thriving Olindian village. She had arrived after travelling intently for another day and a half, to find the dragon gone, and the entire landscape for a mile around charred and devastated beyond belief. A thin spring stream continued to trickle its way amongst the burnt wooden houses and disjointed cobbles, the only sound in an eerily quiet land the bubbling water within its confines as it made its way downstream.
She picked her way gingerly around the wreckage sadly, looking for any signs of life. But she knew there would be none. The dragon would have left no - one alive here. How could such evil exist? How could any one being take pleasure from killing innocent men, women and children? She discarded the thought. She knew from what Matthias had told her that the dragon itself was not to blame. It was the dark possession that had taken place centuries ago that tainted its mind that was to blame. Regardless, Sikaris had done much damage to Olindia in the weeks since he was released. This most recent village was yet another ghost town, reduced to dust and another charred blot on the map. The question was now, which way did he travel? Was there any clue as to his whereabouts now? She pulled the water canister from her bundle and unscrewed the top. The tiniest drip remained inside it and so she bent down at the stream and dipped it into the cold, refreshing water. As she did so, her ears pricked up at a sound behind her. She turned her head to look behind herself.
Before she could even see what was coming and react, she was struck by a surge of energy that knocked her into the stream. She felt as if she had been beaten with a stick a hundred times in a split second. She tried to sit up and looked up groggily. Her eyes widened. Fenzar and the two wizards that were with him in Tamet walked towards her.
“Ah, my dear Princess Josephine,” he began. “You look well!”
Instantly she reached for the power and shifted herself, trying to stand quickly from her awkward stance in the water.
“Ah - ah!” Fenzar lifted a hand and another globule of energy slammed into her, forcing her down again and dazzling her, cutting her off from the power. She felt invisible bonds wrapping around her legs and midriff. “Please, stay as you were. You have led us on quite the merry dance, my girl, and I don’t intend to lose you again.”
“How did you find me?” she asked.
“The innkeeper in Tamet told us of your work in her establishment. But when she went to find you, low and behold, you had vanished. We have methods of tracking your movements, but even then, you proved difficult to follow, weaving in and out of fields and meadows. Finally we encountered some refugees and a woman helpfully pointed out that a woman of your description was seen talking with a man in their party. It didn't take much to trace you from there when we learned of the dragon's presence here.” He scoffed. “Surely you didn't intend to face him on your own?”
“That was the general idea,” she said, as she struggled to find the power again. Whatever he had done to her was making it difficult to concentrate.
“Where are Matthias and the rest of your entourage?” He asked.
“I don't know,” she replied. “My guardsman was killed several weeks ago. I was trying to escape from a sorcerer.”
Fenzar looked at her in surprise. “You know about them?” he asked. She nodded. “But not even Matthias was aware of their part in all this. We kept it from lower wizards for obvious reasons.”
“Much has happened along my journey,” she said.
Fenzar nodded. “You have been busier than we anticipated. You are more resourceful than anyone would have assumed, that much is certain.”
“I have found out a lot. But there are still a lot of unanswered questions. But you could fill in the gaps for me. I know your people have been keeping things from the rest of the world. I know the dragon is only a part of this puzzle. You could enlighten me.”
“Why would I do that?” he asked.
“Because we are on the same side. We both want to stop the dragon and the sorcerers. If we work together then we will have a much greater chance of stopping them.”
“We may have the same goals at the moment, perhaps, but that is destined to change, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean?”
“You are a w
oman who can wield.” He shook his head. “Not only that, you can wield the most unpredictable power in the world. You are an anomaly. A danger to stability.”
“You are afraid I might come to challenge you? Is that it?” she asked. Her eyes could not focus on the energy as they normally could. What had he done to her?
“I am afraid of what you might do when you reach your full potential and when your mind becomes inevitably poisoned against us.” He sighed. “I must admit, when word reached that you were in the fortress in Crystal Ember when the dragon attacked, I experienced a flutter of relief.”
“Is your bloodlust so high?” she snapped back.
“Quite the opposite. To have the situation rectified without my having a hand in it would have been much less regrettable. You are, after all, a princess. Do you think I enjoy what I have to do?”
“That is exactly what I think. Your entire nature, your posturing point to nothing but pleasure in your work.”
“On the contrary. I do not desire this.”
“You could always choose to let me go, if you are so unhappy with your orders.”
“If only it were so easy. You are an unstable element in an already deadly situation.”
“And that warrants my being killed?” Josephine asked.
Fenzar sighed. “You are young, my dear and perhaps ignorant to how the threads of this world are so tightly woven together. Your every step threatens to unravel the peace.”
“The dragon is free! The peace is already lost!”
“Oh my dear girl, you know of the sorcerers now. You must see that there is so much more at stake than that. Your power is too great to be let loose.”
“Then let me use it to help you! I have learned so much! I can be useful!”
“‘Hollow is the promise of a woman who wields,’” Fenzar recited. “That was said by one of your ancient kings. Your great – great – great – great - great grandfather, I believe.”
Josephine nodded. “He was the one in my dreams I think,” she whispered. “He lay with an Akari. He is the reason I am able to use this power.”
“We have come to the same conclusion. One of our scholars found that line in an old parchment we uncovered two weeks ago. We have been searching for answers too. Those were the first of his words denouncing the Akari in a tirade of anger.”
“Meaning what exactly?”
“The Akari who he was involved with vanished with all the others soon after giving birth. Your ancestor thought she had betrayed him and abandoned his kingdom. As war descended, he grew bitter and twisted. The ‘Tyrant King’, he would become known as.” Fenzar shook his head gravely. “Your kind preach peace but bring nothing but war to the world.”
“That is nothing but propaganda and speculation!” Josephine rebuffed. She felt a flicker of the energy for a moment but then it snuffed out like a tinder stick in the wind. Gods damn it!
“Are you aware of the battle of Plassey?” The wizard asked.
“I have never heard of it,” Josephine replied.
“Three hundred years ago, men of my land allied themselves with Armylla the witch, to cleanse the Plassey gorge of an infestation of riptyl demons. We let our guards down and let a woman help us then. They launched their attack on the creatures, only for Armylla to betray them and turn to the aid of the demons. Six hundred men were slaughtered. Then there's the cautionary tale of Melanor the farmer, who entrusted his livelihood to a woman who pledged to bring the rains and rejuvenate his harvests only to find himself cruelly tricked and his crops burned to ash. History is littered with examples where men have been fool enough to believe the promises of women who can wield. They have ended in death and betrayal.”
“Is that reason enough never to trust any woman who might be able to help you? Not least one who may be chosen by the gods?”
“That is not proven, in spite of what Matthias Greenwald might have told you. And I think these examples of history show a dangerous precedent. If you put your hand in a vipers nest and it bites you, would you then risk being bitten again by putting your hand back in? Those who do not learn from history face becoming history.”
“That's not the same thing! It is a foolish analogy. You can't possibly compare a woman to a snake! It's in their nature to bite!”
“And so it is with women who can wield. You are driven by a thirst for more power. You will betray all those you swear fealty to in order to possess it.”
“How small minded you are,” Josephine spat. “Once I thought Mahalia was a land filled with wise men. I never liked your kind, or the grip you held over my kingdom. But even so, I thought that behind all the politics and power games, there might at least be great minds at work behind that guise. But now I see Mahalia is truly governed by a small minded, backwards elite. Your ignorance will be your downfall.”
“On the contrary, princess. We know more of the workings of this world than you could ever hope to understand. But now I am afraid the time has come to end this conversation. I must do what must be done.”
Fenzar indicated to the two men lurking behind him with a finger. One of them brought out of his cloak a miniature golden ornament of a figure held between his thumb and forefinger. The metal was moulded into the shape of a woman with her eyes closed, her hands crossed in front of her chest, fingers folded.
“Your carriage awaits, princess,” Fenzar said, taking the figurine and raising it so that Josephine could see the full details of the figure. She wore a circlet around her forehead, into which a teardrop gemstone was set. It glinted in the light.
“I may have eaten very little of late, but I still doubt very much I will fit in that,” Josephine said acerbically. Her heart thundered faster and faster. She knew her time was short to find a way out of the unfolding situation.
Fenzar smiled. “This world is intricate and incredibly malleable in the right hands.” He placed the figurine on the ground so that the woman lay on her flat back and stepped away. “Size is changeable.” Fenzar smiled. Then the wizard's eyes illuminated and Josephine could feel a cold tingling that made her skin bristle and told her instinctively that the man was using the earth power. The figurine began to luminescence and then started to grow in size until it stood in front of Josephine like a great casket at chest height. Her eyes boggled. The sleeping woman's face was now the size of her own, revealing the scratchy imperfections in her metallic complexion. “This is an Artefact. An ancient tool crafted by the Akari to extend the usefulness of their power. It has been held by Mahalia for centuries.” He stroked the gemstone in the circlet with a finger. “The gemstone is comprised of an unknown element. But what we do know is that it responds to our powers. A twist of the earth energy into the gemstone causes it to expand and contract at will. We believe they were designed to contain creatures that the Akari would otherwise have had to destroy. We will place you in the sarcophagus and then reduce it in size again for transportation back to Mahalia.”
“I will suffocate!” Josephine exclaimed. "Or else be crushed!"
“You will be quite safe inside. The Artefact suspends the life of the person inside it without harm.”
“And then you intend on keeping me in this thing? What will you do, place me on a mantelpiece and admire your prize?”
“Once we return to Mahalia then the council can undertake your cleansing.”
“And how will they do that?” She asked, trying to remain calm.
“There are several means. The most effective by far is to alter the state of your mind. By doing so, you are no longer able to see or manipulate the energy you have become attuned to.”
“And how is that done?” She asked. A wisp of her power dangled almost within reach, but whenever she tried to pull it towards her it slipped away again.
“We must cut into the head to gain access to its inner workings. From there we can then affect the solution.”
Josephine swallowed. “You want to open my head to play with my thoughts? You are barbaric!” She exclaimed. The thread of e
nergy grew taught as if she had hooked it like a fish on a line. She drew it towards her and felt the sweetness of its power. Carefully she channelled it towards her until the trickle became a stream.
“Princess, you must see that this is necessary to ensure the safety of all Triska!” He indicated to one of the other wizards. They stepped forward and pulled from their robes a silvery ring and slipped it on to the finger of the figurine. There was an audible clunk from within the sarcophagus and then a line of light split the woman's body in two, before the sarcophagus opened outwards on hidden hinges. “The process will be performed quite carefully. Now, if you will step into the Artefact we can”-
Josephine slammed as much energy as she could at the three wizards and watched as the air rippled around them like a shaken rug. All three wizards fell backwards with the shockwave. Josephine reached around them with the energy, quickly and carefully. She was becoming accustomed to binding people up in the power as if it were an invisible, indestructible rope. She stood up warily.
“What are you doing?” Fenzar gasped, visibly shaken and surprised by being outmanoeuvred.
“I haven’t decided,” Josephine swallowed, her voice angry. “Do I prove you right? Do I show you just how much damage a woman scorned can do?”
“For the sake of Triska, princess, you must resist the temptation of your powers!” he babbled. “Cast out the darkness!”
“Oh shut up!” she hissed. “For the last time, I am not tempted by the dark!” She glared at him. “But I am angry. You have followed me across half the continent to neuter me. Well I tell you now Fenzar, I have been chased and cowed for long enough! By you, by creatures of my nightmares and by those who seek to shape the world for their own ends. Your ‘peace’ survives only at the expense of others. Mahalia is no different to any sorcerer or emperor who wishes to extend their hand and control people’s destinies!”
“We are protecting this world!” he exclaimed.
