“This is wonderful, Fane,” she’d call to me. “I have never felt so powerful.”
Then she would retreat for a time and Jink would return, sullen and withdrawn. Although the talisman he wore glowed continually, it seemed to have no effect and the helplessness I felt was wearing me down. There was nothing more I could do and I despised him for allowing her to invade him the way she did, yet I couldn’t get angry. It wasn’t his fault.
Jink—or should I say, Larque—sprinted ahead of me, then turned and rushed back and shoved me to the ground while laughing like a bedlamite.
“I have just realized that I am stronger than you are.” Larque’s words came from Jink’s mouth, in Jink’s voice. “You may be taller than me, but I am stronger.”
I pulled myself back to my feet and scowled at my companion. Heaving a disgusted sigh, I brushed the dirt from my pants. It was getting harder by the moment to feel any empathy for my friend.
“Poor Fane,” Larque said. “Did I get you dirty?” She shoved me down again.
“Enough! You’ve proven your point.” When I tried to rise again she stepped behind me and wrapped her arm around my neck.
“Have I?” she hissed into my ear. “Have I really proven anything?”
I tried to pull Jink’s arm away but her hold was effective. I couldn’t break free. “Yes,” I gurgled. “You’ve proven you’re stronger than me. Now let me go.”
With a vicious laugh, she shoved me down. My face scraped across the gravelly ground. Pinning my arms behind me, she gouged her knee into my back and her breath was hot against my cheek. “I don’t think I’ve proven anything yet.”
I struggled to free myself, but the harder I fought the tighter she gripped. She pulled my arms painfully and powerfully back with one hand while her other hand reached around and tugged at the lacing of my trousers. “One way or another, you are going to play with me, Fane.”
Her intent was suddenly clear and I fought against her with everything I had, but Larque was determined and Jink was strong. He had always been stronger than me.
“Wae, Jink,” I pleaded. “Stop! Don’t let her do this. Please, don’t!”
He faltered then. His grip loosened and I scrambled away from him. Fumbling to unsheathe my sword, I spun around to face him.
He knelt on the ground, hugging his sides, his head hung low.
My lips quivered. I raised my sword above him.
A hollow gaze stared up at me. “Kill me, Fane. Please. It’s the only way.”
Damn that bloody witch! It was Larque I wanted to destroy, not Jink. Yet it was Jink who now sat before me begging to be destroyed. I did not lower my sword, nor did I move forth. My lips still quivered and I could not speak.
My hatred of the thing inside him drove me forth and I jammed my blade against his neck. He made no move. The eyes of my friend gazed up at me. “Please. Just do it.”
I wanted to end this, but not like this. This was my friend. Withdrawing the blade, I strode away. “Stay away from me,” I sputtered, turning back around to face him. “By the gods,” I pointed my sword at him once again, “if you ever get within arm’s reach of me again, I—will—kill—you.”
“Then kill me now. Get it over with. She’s never going to stop.”
“Damn it, Jink, I’m not a murderer! Don’t let her do this to you.”
He turned his face away, hanging his head again. “I don’t want to live like this, but she won’t let me … she won’t let me kill myself, or I would’ve done so already. My only hope is that you do it for me, Fane. She wants to live forever. I only want to die.”
Unbidden tears flooded my eyes. My sword arm dropped and my knees buckled, forcing me to kneel. “Fight her, Jink. Fight her with everything you possess.”
“She will destroy us both.” His defeat came through loud and clear.
A new anger swelled inside me. “No!” I jumped back to my feet and wiped at the wetness in my eyes. “I will not let her. She will not destroy me, and I will do everything I can to keep her from destroying you. But I can’t do it alone. I need your help! Damn, Jink. Help me. Use the power of the crystal. Use the power of your soul.”
“I cannot fight her. She’s too bloody strong. If I could stop her, don’t you think I would? Do you think I enjoyed what she just tried to do? It was her act but I was there, too. I was just as much an unwilling participant as you. The stinking bloody witch does whatever she wants with me and I can’t stop her!”
“But you did stop her.”
Jink shook his head. “Barely.” Tears rolled down his cheeks and he sniffed the running of his nose. “I was able to stop her this time. But will I be able to stop her next time? I don’t know. I don’t bloody know. I’ve been fighting her. I’ve been fighting her urges the best I can but I’m getting weaker and she’s getting stronger all the time. I can’t promise what will happen the next time the bloody urge takes her. It took everything I had to stop her this time.”
These words only made me shiver. I pulled my fur cloak around me and walked away, yet kept a sideways eye upon him. I feared him. No, not him—her. The witch and her bloody little games, playing with Jink’s soul like a malkin with a mouse, capturing it then letting it free only to capture it again until she’d finally tire of the game and put an end to him forever.
Jink might lose this game, but I swore Larque would never steal my dignity.
In tense silence, we pushed on until nightfall forced us to stop. With a small fire built for warmth, I curled up beside it. My hand rested upon my dirk, eyes fixed upon Jink. We hadn’t spoken at all and I couldn’t ascertain from his behavior who he was or what he might be thinking, but I vowed I’d not let her try to assault me again. I was now being held prisoner by Jink as much as Jink was being held prisoner by Larque.
I feigned sleep, keeping alert for any movement on Jink’s part. Overhead, in the starlit sky, a raptorial shudder of wings shook the air. Snorts became agitated and grunted and snorted excitedly. I came immediately alert, but did not move.
Jink sat up, arose, and moved quietly off into the night.
Wae, where was she taking him now? I couldn’t let her take him back to Shadowland, so I grabbed my sword and followed.
In the moonlight, I watched Jink disappear over a small, rocky knoll and I crept behind him. When I reached the crest of the knoll, I peered down and immediately drew back with a gasp. Seret, the winged lion, was crouched in the center of the sheltered moon-washed glade below.
Warily, I peeked back over the crest. Tawny fur shone golden and the hawk-like wings fluttered. Jink descended the knoll, approaching the lion with outstretched arms, speaking softly. A guttural growl rolled from the beast’s throat.
I clutched my sword and prepared to follow Jink’s path, but stopped. He was too vulnerable. Too defenseless and too close to the beast. If I rushed in now, surely he would perish.
Jink continued his slow advance and as they met, the beast sniffed at him. Did the lion sense Larque? The hulg had done so. I couldn’t understand what Jink was saying to the beast. All I could hear were his soft murmurs whispering through the dark air. The lion relaxed and laid down then and Jink snuggled up against it, nuzzling his head into the lion’s mane. Unlike the hulg, this minion seemed to like the witch, which might present a deeper danger to my own safety.
The lion’s tongue began to lap gently over Jink in a concupiscent manner and I cringed, withering back into the shadows. Oh, how I hated her! Hated what she compelled Jink to do to satisfy her own sick desires.
A bestial communion commenced and my heart ached for my friend. If it weren’t for my quest for gold, he would still be in Avar, creating beautiful metal works by day and imbibing at the pub at night. I knew that somewhere deep inside, he was aware of the acts Larque and Seret were performing. How long would it take for her to crush his mettle? How long would it be before she owned him completely?
I backed down the rocky knoll, too sickened to watch anymore. Too shaken to try to stop it.<
br />
I was still awake at dawn when Jink returned.
“How could you do that?” I shouted, leaping to my feet. “Have you no shame?”
“To live in pleasure is nothing to be ashamed of.”
“To lie with a beast is something to be ashamed of. It’s disgusting and immoral.”
Larque smiled coyly. “Are you jealous?”
“No, I’m not jealous. I’m outraged!”
“No, you are jealous. You’re wishing it was you who were with me last night instead of Seret.” Larque stretched and gave a satisfied sigh. “Of course, he did not know me at first, but it didn’t take him long to realize who I was. He sensed my spirit, and once he overcame his initial shock, it was almost like old times.”
His words—her words—disparaged me. “Shut your damned box!” I did not want to hear.
Larque stood directly before me, her eyes boring into mine. “Pleasure is what life is made for, Fane, and to live in a world where you restrict your pleasures, like you do, is ridiculous. I don’t apologize for taking pleasure with Seret. Unlike Jink, here inside me who is wracked with guilt and shame, I feel none. I only feel satisfaction, for Seret loves me and Seret is the only one who can truly satisfy me.”
She stepped closer and I could smell the lion’s musky scent upon her. “I take pleasure from eating and I take pleasure from killing and I take pleasure from making men do my bidding. I take pleasure from Seret and I’ll take pleasure from you.”
Jink’s eyes locked onto mine and I could feel her power in them, could feel it wrap me in a palsy and I wanted to break free and run, but I could not sever the contact with Larque’s mesmerizing eyes.
Jink’s powerful arms pulled me to the ground. “I will teach you what pleasure is all about,” she rasped. “And you will like it.”
I fought against her with everything I possessed. I kicked and squirmed and pleaded with Jink, and in the end, she nearly took what she wanted. Nearly. Finally escaping her clutches, I wedged myself between two stones, sword in hand, extended outward. To get to me now, she’d have to impale herself.
“Pfff,” was the last thing I heard before she vanished from my restricted view.
Wedged as I was, putting my clothing back to rights was almost impossible, but I managed. Never had I felt so alone and ashamed in all my days, the attempted violation leaving me feeling less than human. Where was Jink that he couldn’t have stopped it? Had she won her game at last?
I hated her. I hated everything about her—never had I felt such a sharp, splintered rage! I should just kill Jink and be done with it, for I could see no other way to end this turpitude.
Safe between the stones, I was lost in shame and anger and tried in vain to banish the memory of the assault from my mind, but its vividness refused to die, playing over and over in my brain, leaving my soul in shatters. I wasn’t a molly. Never once had I even considered it!
I huddled between the stones throughout the day and for once, when darkness finally came, I welcomed its presence, for only its blackness could shroud my humiliation, my pain, my fear.
Eventually exhaustion overtook me and when I awoke in the gray light of dawn, Jink was kneeling before me, gently shaking my foot. His red-rimmed eyes were moist with tears as he mutely stared, swiftly taking his hand away.
Uneasily, I sat up, clutched the hilt of my sword to reposition it, and attempted to inch back.
“I don’t blame you if you hate me.” His voice was barely above a whisper. “But you couldn’t possibly hate me any more than I hate myself.”
This had to be Jink talking. But did I hate him? I didn’t know. I wasn’t sure what I felt.
“You must leave,” he continued. “Right now, Fane. Go back to Avar and save yourself. Go home while you still have a bloody chance.”
I leaned forward, looking deep into his eyes. Jink’s eyes, not Larque’s. “And what about you? What will happen to you if I leave?”
A tear seeped from the corner of his eye. “I am already lost. Please. Leave now before she returns to stop you.”
“Returns from where?” I asked, not daring to believe. Not daring to hope. “Where has she gone?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. But sometimes, for brief times, the bloody bitch is not here. Whether she’s merely sleeping, or gone, I don’t know. But she’s gone right now. Now is your chance. Save yourself.”
She was gone. But for how long? How could I abandon him now? If she could depart for short periods, she could depart forever. There was still hope. I couldn’t desert him if there was still hope. Though our friendship might not survive the vileness of the witch and her wicked deeds, there might still be a chance to liberate him. I could not forsake him in that.
Scooting out of my haven, I took hold of his arm. “I cannot leave you, Jink. This witch can be banished and I will find a way to free you from her forever. This much I promise you.”
“Don’t be a bloody fool, Fane.” He wrenched free of my hold, rising to his feet. “You can’t save me. But you can save yourself.”
“If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t even be here, Jink. If it weren’t for me, Larque would never have invaded you. Do you think I can just desert you and live with that? I brought this upon you, and fool or not, I will not abandon you. To this I swear.”
Tears laced his voice. “I wish I could promise you the same.” He turned and shuffled away.
As I watched him go, I knew I had probably just made an empty promise. A lie I believed more than he did. A lie I desperately needed to be true. For his sake. But … more for my own.
Guardedly, I worked my way farther up Skur with my unwelcome companion.
“I believe I like being a man,” she said as we were nooning. “There is so much power in it. There is so much strength in this body. It’s intoxicating.”
“Hard work gave that body its strength.” Was my friend still inside her somewhere? I had not seen a single vestige of him since he begged me to leave him behind.
“Jink was a metal smith, was he not?”
“Yes.”
“I imagine he took great pleasure in it.”
“He did.” The words sounded so final that it stunned me and I could say no more.
“I took great pleasure in my work as well,” she said. “I was born a lynx, you know. But my mother and littermates were killed by the hulg. I barely remember, but I can still remember. He would have killed me, too, but then Seret came and carried me away and took me high atop Skur, to Ragg’s lair. Seret cared for me. He would wash me and feed me and I grew to love him. He has a magic tongue.” She sighed. “I do not know if Ragg cared for me or not, but he recognized that I could become of value, so he took me into Shadowland and I was reborn there, placed inside a beautiful girl with the power to bewitch any men who would seek to destroy him.”
“Save your breath, witch. I do not care.” A break in the clouds allowed me a glimpse of the valley below and suddenly, I wanted nothing more than to go home. To admit my failure and foolishness and beg my father’s forgiveness. But I knew I could not. This profane witch would never allow it.
“All you mortal men are alike,” Larque snarled. “You are rude and crude and so sexually selfish. The only difference any of you possess is how you taste when simmered slowly with leeks and chard.”
I brought my gaze around slowly, staring into those nefarious eyes. Was Jink still in there somewhere? I began to think not. My friend was gone and all that was left was a shell given grotesque animation by the demon within.
“I only tolerate you because Seret and I want eternal life, Fane, just as you do. We have vowed to help you find the gold, for perhaps it is the gold that gives Ragg his power. I want that power.”
I sprang to my feet and shouted, “Haven’t you enough power?”
Larque sprang beside me and grabbed my hair, pulling my head back. “I only have power over mortals,” she whispered. “Like the power I have over you. I like that power, but it would do my heart good to see R
agg cringe and cower before me like you do. It would do my heart good to make Ragg do my bidding.”
She was inflamed, consumed by her lust for power and she took that fiery rage out on me, brutally forcing me to the ground, bung upwards. She knelt on top of me, smashing my face into the dirt with her knee. “I don’t know if I truly need you, Fane. I know you are a wizard who knows how the gold can provide power and life. Jink only knows that it does. Tell me how the treasure of Ragg can provide me eternal life.”
Her knee crushed my head harder. Rocks tore at my cheek, sand crept into my mouth. My eyes, though squeezed shut, still burned from the grit.
I knew if I told her she would kill me. Only my knowledge would keep me alive, so kept silent as she gouged my face deeper into the dirt.
“Tell me,” she shouted.
My words were gurgled into the dirt. “What will you do for me if I tell you?”
“What do you want me to do?”
I knew she would never do what I truly wanted. “Promise me you’ll not despoil Jink.” I hoped to save him a bit of his humanity. “And promise me he’ll come to no harm.”
She laughed. “I almost killed him once, but I am Jink now. Why would I harm myself?” She let no pressure off the force of her knee. “I promise you, as long as I am in possession of him, Jink’s body will come to no harm. Now, tell me what you know.”
Even with her convoluted promise, I couldn’t tell her. To reveal my secret would be my doom. “You must trust me. I give you my word of honor, as a man, as a wizard, as Jink’s friend, that when we find the gold you will be told how to use its power.” I would never tell her. This I knew.
She crushed my face into the dirt harder still before she relented and removed her knee. “You know, I would rather eat you than anything.” She rose back to her feet. “The only reason you still live at all is because you know the answer to the secret I desire.”
The Legacy of Skur: Volume One Page 9
