To Kill a Wizard: Rose's Story (The Protectors of Tarak Book 1)

by Lisa Morrow

  Red spread over Norma’s neck. “How kind of her to send us her dog.”

  In the blink of an eye, the monstrous woman was sprawled on the ground, and Meisha was standing over her. Meisha’s hand gripped the older woman’s hair, pulling it back to reveal the pale flesh at her throat.

  “I am no one’s dog,” Meisha growled.

  Ugar’s hand drifted over the blade at his side.

  A sickening feeling washed over me, making my head light.

  “We’re here because of me,” I cried, surprising even myself with the volume of my words.

  All eyes focused on me.

  The tension mounted.

  “I’m new to The Protectors, so Blair wanted me to come here.”

  “Why?” Norma hissed, undaunted by Meisha’s threat.

  The words tumbled from my lips. “I don’t know exactly, but I think she wants me to learn about what The Protectors do, so perhaps I won’t try to run away again.”

  My revelation left a moment of quiet, and then, she laughed. Not the rough sound of Meisha’s, nor the falsely musical one of Clarissa’s, but a booming explosion of noise, rising from her stomach and exploding from her lips.

  Meisha stepped back.

  Norma lumbered to her feet, all tension evaporated.

  “I’m Norma,” the woman said, talking through her laughter, “and I must speak with the girl daring enough to run away from The Ice Queen herself.”

  Ugar’s hand fell away from his blade.

  “Come, come.” She waved. “My home is your home.”

  We followed her inside.

  Ugar closed the door behind us.

  Norma pushed back a thick curtain leading into a small space, where more curtains had been used in place of walls. A large square table surrounded by chairs occupied most of our area. Through the thin fabric separating our space from the rest of the open room, light filtered in from the fire. A hazy view of pillows and blankets littered the floor on the other side.

  “Sit.” She gestured to the chairs. “Tell me, little one, how you came to escape The Ice Queen.”

  I sank gratefully onto the hard wooden chair, but struggled for something to say, not yet ready to share my story. “Wh—Why do you call her The Ice Queen?”

  The woman laughed again, throwing back her head. “Because she lives in a glass castle in the snow. Besides, she hates the nickname.”

  I tried not to let my surprise show.

  “How do you know Blair?” I asked, staring down at the table. A map of all of Tarak, colorful and detailed, had been unrolled, alongside a mug as thick as my neck.

  Norma drew my attention as she crossed one of her muscular arms behind her head. With the other, she reached for the mug, taking a deep swig of the golden liquid, before setting it back down. A sour smell reached me, and I eyed her drink with suspicion.

  “Blair and I have a long history,” she explained, leaning back in her chair. “She appointed me here not long after I joined The Order. Not that I blame her. My talents make a place like this the obvious choice.”

  My mind raced. Norma was a Protector of Tarak?

  Sneaking a look at Meisha, I frowned. Her stony expression and eyes blazing with restrained anger felt oddly out of place. With her back stiff, and her bare feet pressed against the wooden floor, she could’ve been a beautiful statue. I’d always thought that only the loveliest women were chosen to become Protectors, yet Norma was beautiful by no standards that I knew.

  Rather than offend her, I asked simply, “What talents?”

  Norma leaned further back, shoving her booted feet against the side of the table until two of the chair’s legs rose in the air. The table screeched in protest and shifted an inch, but otherwise held the woman’s weight.

  “What’s your name, girl?”

  “Rose,” I said.

  “Is that short for Rosalyn?” she asked, smirking.

  Every muscle in my body tensed. Asking others about their True Name wasn’t just rude… it was insulting. To know someone’s True Name was dangerous. If they learned how to say the name just right, the way you yourself said it, they could gain influence over you. But giving a magical person your True Name, they could enslave you to them. Wizards could do it with blood or with your name. Protectors could only use your name.

  “What’s Norma short for?” My question was clipped with anger.

  She laughed. “This one’s got a little spark, don’t she?” Her grin widened. “How much do you know about what we do, Rose?” She emphasized my name.

  I ground my teeth together. “I know you take innocent girls from their homes and—”

  “Yes, yes,” Norma growled, “but what do you know about what we do?”

  “Do?” What did they do? “Nothing.”

  Norma flexed her legs once more. “When did you pass the test?”

  “Last night.”

  Her legs crumpled, and her chair hit the floor. “Last night?” Norma turned her sharp gaze on Meisha. “Goddesses’ tooth! What was Blair thinking sending such fresh meat?”

  Meisha seemed to regard the other woman for a long minute before answering. “I know nothing of how her mind works.”

  “You have no idea why she sent her?” Norma asked, sarcasm lacing her words.

  Meisha answered slowly. “There is a storm coming. She wishes the girl to see why we sacrifice what we do, and why we are necessary to Tarak.”

  Norma used the back of her hairy arm to wipe at her mouth. “The girl must’ve really smarted Blair’s pride to torture the girl like this.”

  Fear clawed my gut. What did they have planned for me?

  “There’s more.” Meisha curled her hands into fists, until her knuckles turned white. “We learned the girl is something special. She has the power of the goddesses’ names.”

  A sharp whistle escaped through the space between Norma’s front teeth. “If that’s true, it changes everything.”

  “If we can train her in time.” Disapproval dripped from Meisha’s words.

  Sweat gathered at my hairline as I glanced from one woman to the other. I didn’t like the way they spoke of my powers… like they were something unusual. Didn’t both of these women have powers of their own?

  “Do not look so surprised,” Meisha’s voice softened. “When you fell from the bridge, we felt the power of your spell. When Blair used her powers, to find you, still alive, it confirmed our suspicions.”

  “B—But can’t all of you perform spells?”

  Norma picked up her mug and took a large gulp before slamming it back on the table. “No, girl. We’ve got our own gifts. But if The Ice Queen sent you, you must be something special.” Her gaze evaluated me from head to toe. “You’re as innocent as a lamb to the slaughter, aren’t you? I better explain things from the beginning, since the ladies failed to do so. What do you know of wizards?”

  Her final word made me tense. No one spoke of wizards. Why would they? No good could come from speaking of creatures so evil that only death had freed us from them.

  But my thoughts betrayed me. A picture of Asher rose in my mind like the blazing of a fire. Broad shouldered, tall and muscular, with the build of man who knew how to swing a sword, he was every girl’s greatest fantasy. But it was his face that made me catch my breath, letting it out in a slow puff of air as I imagined each curve of his remarkable face. There had never been a more beautiful man, with his strong jaw, generous lips, and deep blue eyes as compelling as an unfinished story.

  I’d even dreamed of him the night before… in it, I’d relived our kiss. Only this time I could see magic swirling about us, tying us together for all of eternity. A half-smile had touched his lips, and I’d been lost in the sight of him.

  Logically, I should’ve woken up terrified. Instead, I’d woken up with a smile on my face. How had he gotten so deeply under my skin without me noticing?

  “Rose?” Norma repeated.

  I turned to her, struggling to remember her question.

  “
She knows wizards no longer exist.” Meisha directed her comment to Norma, but her gaze remained on me, communicating without words. No one was to know of Asher.

  Warmth flooded my cheeks. Could she read my thoughts?

  “Everyone knows that,” Norma said, as if completely unaware of my embarrassment, “but do you know how we got rid of them?”

  I shifted in my chair, rubbing near the burn on my wrist. “The queen did it somehow. Probably with the help of a goddess.”

  Norma’s gaze drifted to Meisha. “The Protectors of Tarak murdered them all.”

  I gasped. Protectors didn’t use their powers for killing, to do so would make us no better than the wizards themselves!

  But my shock passed. Hadn’t I already realized that these women were capable of far more horrible things than I ever imagined?

  When I realized I’d been silent for too long, I asked, “How?” Even though I wanted to ask why.

  Norma eased her chair legs to the floor and gripped her mug, staring down into it as if she would find the answer somewhere in the sour liquid.

  “That is a story for another time,” Meisha said. “There are more pressing matters to discuss.”

  Norma frowned. “Yes, the time for stories is almost over.” She raised her glass and drank until empting the last drop. Then, she wiped her mouth on the back of her hand. “That story is a horrific one girl, but real life is much, much worse. You see, killing the goddesses’ prized humans probably wasn’t the best idea.” She laughed humorlessly, and I leaned forward, not wishing to miss a single word. “When the wizards went to the Underworld, their leader, Marcalus, appealed to Hadia.”

  The image of Hadia, the goddess of the Underworld came to mind. When my father and I had visited the temples of different goddesses, we’d seen one devoted to Hadia. It always stood out in my mind. It had been carved from black marble, and poisonous lizards crawled on the floors. They even twirled along the pillars lining the dark temple.

  I’d been afraid as we’d stepped carefully over them, with our sacrifice of expensive wine, and approached her statue. Haida was carved from the same rare marble as her temple. She stood tall and thin, her inhuman beauty breathtaking, but as instinctual frightening as the black lizards surrounding us. Scales decorated parts of her exposed skin, as stunning as jewels. The priest, seeing my fear, reminded me only the dying need fear the Goddess of the Dead in her temple.

  A chill went down my spine, and I looked up to find Norma watching me, waiting for my response. My thoughts had scattered, so I refocused them on Marcalus and the wizards. “What did he request from the goddess?”

  Norma’s face was stony. “Revenge.” Her fist came down upon the wooden table, and I jumped. “And goddesses’ tooth, she granted it.”

  Sickness bubbled in my stomach. “Revenge against The Protectors?”

  “Revenge against The Protectors,” Norma growled, “and the queen who ordered their deaths.”

  In all the many tales our village storyteller weaved, only a few people were ever granted a request from Hadia. And to grant a wish for revenge against your own people? What goddess would agree to such a thing?

  “We’ve managed to keep them at bay using a magical shield they can’t get through.” Anger smoldered under Norma’s words. “But just recently, we’ve been weakened.”

  “We are not sure how much longer we can keep them back,” Meisha added. “Blair has prepared us that if the wizards realize it, we may only have days or weeks before they get through.”

  I looked from one woman to the other. “Can they be defeated if they get through?”

  Norma shrugged. “If they don’t use Blood Magic like their Head Wizard ordered them not to. But…”

  I chewed my lip. “You don’t think they’ll follow his orders?”

  She sighed. “Marcalus and I’ve been fighting for a long time. No one likes to admit something like this in war, but he’s not all that bad.” She gave a sheepish shrug. “I actually knew him back in the day. We weren’t friends or anything, but I never had an unkind word about the man.”

  My mouth hung open, but she seemed not to notice my shock, because she kept on talking. “He got killed just for being a wizard. There’s a lot of men and boys who were good as gold in life, before they became all Undead and everything. But he’s also got the worst of the worst fighting with him. The kind of men who don’t have anything to lose now.”

  I waited.

  She met my gaze. “Sazar and his brothers.”

  I gasped.

  “Yeah,” she paused. “And the handful of other cursed men who killed until their souls twisted into something more beast than man. You’ll know what I mean when you see them. That kind of magic does things to a person.”

  Her words turned my stomach. “But we stopped them once.”

  She laughed, humorlessly. “We stopped them, because we didn’t play fair, not something they expected. And because they could be killed. This time, they won’t give us a chance to trick them.”

  “They’ll enslave people again,” I said, numbness washing through me.

  She nodded. “Those cursed Blood Wizards aren’t going to play fair just because Marcalus tells them to.”

  I stared at my palms, feeling empty. “I can’t believe this is happening.”

  Meisha’s calm voice added to my horror. “It will be much worse this time. If they break through, they cannot be stopped. Everywhere they go, they will steal the life-force from plants, animals, and people. They’ll create armies of enslaved humans. There will be no stopping them.”

  I hated the pictures that formed in my mind. But more than that, I hated knowing the world I lived in was even less safe than I’d come to accept.

  “This all just means that—” Norma’s words were interrupted as Ugar threw open the door and flung back the curtain.

  “The storms almost here.”

  Norma cursed, shoving her chair and standing. “Perhaps you’ll just have to see for yourself.” She strode to the door. “Come. And stay close.”

  I turned to Meisha, who was already rising. Something in her eyes made my blood run cold. Fear.

  Outside, the crowd of unwashed people stood with swords, spears, and bows in hand. Clouds gathered. The smell of rain hovered just above the smell of death. Lightning split the sky off in the distance, a visual warning of the coming storm.

  “It’ll create an unnatural night,” Norma whispered, gripping the hilt of her sword. “There are lots of storms in Sereus.”

  “Are they dangerous?” I asked, as the first drop of rain fell on my cheek.

  Norma didn’t answer. She straightened, and the warmth of her magic vibrated in the air. It prickled against my skin, agitating every inch of my flesh. It was like the coming storm, dangerous and unknown.

  “People of Sereus!” Norma shouted. “They come again. An unwelcome tide of destruction. Only we stand in their way.”

  My pulse raced. It seemed impossible that the only thing protecting me, and the people of Tarak, was this small group of battered warriors. But even more so, it seemed impossible that these people had any chance of winning.

  “Each battle,” she continued, unaware of my doubts, “may seem like a grain of sand on the ground. But without each grain, we’d have no ground beneath our feet. So go out, and fight as you always do, as if you are the ground beneath Tarak’s feet!”

  A couple unenthusiastic cheers rose from the crowd, but the mood remained unchanged. Most of their scarred faces were set with expressions of grim determination.

  Ugar nudged me and nodded at the warriors. “She gives that speech for the handful of new recruits they’re always sending her way. They need something to give a little steel to their stomachs.”

  “Gather at the edge,” Norma commanded, and her people hurried from the town, eager to obey. Ugar moved to follow, but her hand closed around his arm. “And may the goddesses watch over you.”

  Ugar brushed the back of her hand with his fingertips. “And yo
u.”

  The exchange only lasted a moment. Then, he was gone, yelling orders at the crowd who scattered to obey.

  I was certain something significant had occurred. A blush blossomed over my cheeks as I remembered Asher’s touch.

  But it was the wide-eyed shock clearly evident on Meisha’s face that brought my thoughts back to the moment at hand. “You can’t,” she whispered.

  Norma crossed her arms. “Find someone willing to stop me.” Her statement was a challenge, but she turned her attention to me. “Do you know the Goddess of Fire, Promethia’s name?”

  I did, but not well enough to use as a weapon, so I shook my head.

  “Do you know any names that could help you in battle?”

  Again, I shook my head.

  Norma sighed, and pulled a blade from beneath her sleeve. “Take this, and pray to the goddesses they don’t come at you.”

  My fingers trembled as I took the blade. “Who?”

  She opened her mouth, but a scream echoed through the air, cutting off her words. More clouds gathered above us, swallowing the town in darkness. Norma raced through the nearly empty buildings and past the few people who remained to strike torches to life. Meisha followed, moving with grace even as she ran.

  I hurried closely behind them both, the horrors of my imagination running wild. There was no doubt that I was moving towards danger, but I hoped I wasn’t about to see things that would change me forever.

  Just beyond the village, past a scattering of oddly shaped trees, lay blackened earth. It was like a great fire had blazed, scorching the dirt, and killing even the promise of life. A scent drifted on the softly bellowing wind.

  I coughed. Smoke. And death. “What is this place?”

  Meisha didn’t look at me. “This is what threatens to swallow all of Tarak if we cannot stop it.”

  “But what is,” I struggled finding the right word, “this?”

  Her hands balled into fists. “The wizards are not like us. They can fuel their magic as we do, with the magic inside themselves, but they can also steal the life force from any living being.”

  My stomach turned. “So the reason everything is black and dead is because they killed it to fuel their own magic?”