Eyes of Glass

by Raven Li

  When Sasha woke the next morning, the sun was already high. Elodan’s side of the bed was empty, and a fresh set of clothing lay waiting for her. She rose and dressed languidly, then made her way downstairs.

  Alyce was sitting in front of a window reading a book, but she stood when Sasha appeared. “Grandfather and Elodan are closeted in the study,” she said with a wave at the closed door. “Breakfast was hours ago, but we saved some for you.”

  Sasha accepted a small plate of muffins and a glass of fruit juice. While she ate, she asked, “Do you know how long Elodan and Githsed will be?”

  Alyce shook her head. “No. They asked not to be disturbed.” She paused thoughtfully, then smiled. “I was going into town today to do some shopping—would you like to come with me?”

  Sasha hesitated. Her initial impression of Alyce had not been positive, but that was most likely due to jealousy on her part rather than any shortcoming in the other woman. And although, in her heart, she was glad that she had left the Order with Elodan, she missed her friend Jacie and the talks they’d had. Maybe it would be nice to have another woman to talk to.

  “All right,” she agreed with a smile of her own. “I’d be happy to.”

  The two women left the house and headed farther into town. The streets were neat and well-kept, and it was obvious that the hamlet was prosperous despite its relatively small size. There were a number of artisans who kept shop along the main street: jewelers, shoemakers, seamstresses, and the like. The daughter of merchants, Alyce had a great deal to say about price and quality, and Sasha learned more than she had ever wanted to know about the business of buying and selling.

  They had left a dressmaker’s shop and were headed to a small tavern to find lunch when disaster struck. Caught up in conversation with Alyce, Sasha didn’t see the robes of an Order mage until it was too late.

  “There she is!” came a shout. Startled, she turned, only to find her way blocked by two guards in the Order’s livery, a mage standing on the other side of them. Her heart lurched, and in a sickening moment she recognized the danger.

  “Surrender, or face the consequences,” he warned, even as the guards drew their weapons.

  Sasha began to marshal her powers, intending to Summon a host of elementals to protect her. Then she remembered where she was—a magical battle on a crowded street would inevitably cost the lives of the innocents around her, who had no protection of their own. Glancing about desperately, she saw that there were too many people too near for their own safety. As for Alyce, she had vanished, and Sasha felt a flash of gratitude that at least the other woman would not be caught.

  Realizing that the mage was waiting for her answer, Sasha held up her hands to show that she wasn’t trying to conjure anything. Although the words stuck in her throat, she knew that she had no choice. “I...surrender,” she murmured.

  Within the space of a few instants, the guards had grabbed both her arms in tight grips. “We must hurry, before the Dark Mage can try to rescue her,” the mage said, casting a worried glance around him.

  Without ceremony, they dragged her to one of the small covered wagons that the Order’s mages used to travel through the countryside as they imposed Arath’s will on the populace. Pausing only long enough to bind her wrists with a rough cord, they shoved Sasha into the wagon’s dark interior. The mage climbed in after, while the two guards whipped up the horses and set out at a breakneck pace.

  “I heard what you did, whore,” the mage hissed at her. “Don’t think to try your wiles on me—I am pure of heart and cannot be corrupted by the likes of you.”

  I wonder what Arath has told everyone, she thought as she struggled to stay upright despite the jostling of the wagon. Her capture had been so fast and so unexpected that she’d hardly had time to be afraid, but now her heart began to speed. Whatever fate Arath had decreed for her, it would not be an easy one. Oh, Elodan, where are you?

  * * *

  The weather had been good, and so the wagon made excellent time, particularly since it stopped twice to change horses. Despite their fear of traveling at night, the mage ordered the guards to keep going even after sundown. “Otherwise,” he warned, “the Dark Mage will find us on the road. Do you want to face him in the night?”

  What little hope Sasha had kept alive up to that point died at his words. The wagon was going too fast; Elodan would never be able to catch up to them before they reached the Order’s castle. Once she was inside, surrounded by a host of mages loyal to Arath....

  He’ll never reach me. And if he tries...they’ll kill him.

  Osan and Nyx, don’t let that happen, she prayed quietly. Please keep him safe. Keep him away from the castle.

  It was almost midnight when they pulled up in front of the castle she had thought never to see again. The wagon had barely halted before the guards were pulling her out the back. She tripped over a cobblestone, twisting her ankle, and they cursed her before all but dragging her inside.

  Although the courtyard had been deserted—fear of the night was too strong for anyone to go outside without truly urgent need—the entry hall within was packed with bodies. Masters and apprentices alike jostled for a glimpse of her, and she could hear them muttering to one another. Someone screamed a curse at her, and for a moment she thought that they might attack her en masse.

  Then the crowd parted, and she saw Arath, walking slowly towards her with his most trusted advisors on either hand. A bright aura surrounded him, created by struggling, suffering fire elementals, and the look on his face was one of righteous displeasure.

  “Bring the whore before me,” he said in a thunderous voice.

  Silence fell, broken only by the scuff of boots on the floor as the guards dragged her forward. Defiant, she met Arath’s eyes, challenging him with her stare. She might be afraid for her life, but she would be damned if she’d let him see it.

  “On your knees, vile one!” he cried, and the guards forced her down.

  She winced as the hard stone connected with her knees, but forced herself to hold her head high. “I have done nothing wrong,” she said, and was grateful that her voice didn’t shake.

  “Nothing wrong!” exclaimed the Hieromancer incredulously. “So speaks a lying tongue! You unleashed the Dark Mage upon an unsuspecting world! You attempted to use your wickedness to seduce me, then set your lover upon me when that didn’t work! You helped a witch escape his proper punishment!”

  “Enough.” Arath held up his hand, halting the Hieromancer’s tirade. “All the charges against her will be related at her trial tomorrow.”

  Sasha laughed bitterly. “Trial? Why bother? Surely you’ve already convicted me.”

  “It is true that your evil is beyond question,” Arath agreed, not even trying to give the impression that there would be anything fair about her conviction. “But it is necessary for the Order as a whole to see and hear all that you have done...lest others be tempted to follow the same evil path.”

  Cold touched Sasha’s heart. They want to make an example of me. Which means that, after I’m convicted by their sham court, my execution won’t be very pleasant.

  Struggling to conceal her terror, she stared stone-faced back at the First. He made a short motion, and the guards hauled her to her feet, dragging her away from the crowd.

  They took her deep into the bowels of the castle, until at last they reached the old dungeons. The cells were normally used as punishment for those who had committed some minor infringement against the many rules, but even so the place had a damp, unused air about it. They shoved her into a tiny cell no more than ten feet long and wide. A small tallow candle sat on the floor, casting out a meager light. In the corner was a musty, moldy pile of straw that served as bedding.

  The heavy oaken door slammed shut, and she heard the key turn in the lock. A small grate let her see their retreating backs as they headed off down the corridor, no doubt anxious to get away from the Dark Mage’s mistress.

  They’re afraid of me, she realized. It
made her want to laugh—she was an apprentice, not a master, and was almost entirely in their power. And yet they were afraid of her.

  It’s all about fear, she thought suddenly. Arath, the Hieromancer, all of the ones who had perverted the Order’s place in the world and its worship of the God and Goddess—they were afraid of anything they could not control, and so had to impose their will on others.

  The insight was a small comfort, though. Sasha sank down on the straw bedding, wrapping her arms around her knees to hold in warmth. Tomorrow, they would give her a trial whose outcome had already been determined. Then they would carry out their sentence, and she would be dead.

  Unless Elodan comes....

  But Elodan couldn’t hope to fight all the mages of the Order at once, could he? He had been defeated fifty years ago, after all. Of course, as he had said, he had been sick and weak from his earlier capture. Then, he had been locked in limbo; now, he might be killed outright to prevent any further miraculous returns.

  Stay away, she thought worriedly. Stay far away, please.

  Chapter Twelve

  Elodan left Githsed’s study with a feeling for renewed hope. They had managed to contact more of those who chafed under Arath’s rule, and for the first time it seemed possible that the Order’s hold over the world might eventually be broken. There was already great unrest amongst the peasantry, who were denied use of magic and killed if they showed any aptitude, and that would certainly help in the long run. In addition, Githsed suspected that not everyone in the nobility was happy with the severe restrictions placed on their private lives, either.

  How could they be, when they are told that every good thing is bad, and vice versa?

  Sasha might be able to help there, as well, since she was from a noble family. A smile lit Elodan’s face at the thought of his beautiful love. Her inner strength had grown over the last few days as she stopped trying to suppress her own nature, and it was wonderful to see her come into her own. If he’d had a woman like her at his side fifty years ago, perhaps Arath would never have vanquished him.

  A woman like her? There is no other like her. Not for me. From the first moment he had seen her, even trapped in limbo as he was, he had known that she was his destiny. His love.

  Musing on her, he felt his cock stiffen. I wonder where she is? In the bedroom, he hoped.

  At that moment, the front door burst open. Alyce stumbled in, her hair in disarray, her hand clutching her chest as she gasped for breath. Githsed let out a cry of alarm and ran to her side.

  “Alyce? What is it, my dear?” he asked worriedly.

  She swallowed hard and pushed a tumble of hair from her face. “It’s Sasha. Oh, grandfather, it was terrible!”

  Fear poured through Elodan’s veins. “Sasha? What’s happened to her?”

  Alyce’s big eyes turned towards him, begging for forgiveness. “We went shopping—it seemed like a good way to spend the day. I thought Sasha might like a companion, another woman to talk to. At first everything was fine, but then someone from the Order came! He spotted Sasha immediately, before she had time to run. She was in the middle of a crowd—she couldn’t risk fighting him. So she...she surrendered.”

  Even afraid and horrified, Elodan felt a spark of pride for her. It was so like Sasha to think of the safety of others before her own. “Then what happened?”

  “I knew I had to let you know what had happened as soon as possible, so I pretended that I wasn’t with her. The mage never even noticed me—he was too busy gloating over her. They took her and put her in the back of a cart, then drove off as fast as they could. I didn’t dare draw attention to myself by running, so I had to dally in the market before making my way back here.” She shook her head in frustration. “It took too long! They have too much of a head start!”

  Githsed patted her arm gently. “Don’t blame yourself. If you had been captured, we wouldn’t know what had happened, and the delay would have been even greater.”

  “Yes,” Elodan forced himself to say. “Thank you, Alyce.”

  “What are we to do?” the young woman asked.

  Elodan started for the door. “You two stay here. I’m going after her.”

  “No!” Githsed put one frail hand to Elodan’s shoulder. “You can’t. This is the same trick Arath used fifty years ago, using someone you care about as bait in a trap. You know he’ll be waiting for you to come to her rescue.”

  Elodan gently removed his old friend’s hand. “I know.”

  “Then don’t go.”

  “I must. I love her. Without Sasha, I might as well have stayed in limbo forever. If the worst happens and we don’t return, I leave it to you to do what you can against the Order.”

  “But without you, our chances will be so much worse!” protested Githsed.

  “Without her, I have no chance at all,” Elodan replied.

  His friend sighed and shook his head. “Stubborn as ever. Then if you won’t listen to me, at least take one of our horses. That way perhaps you won’t arrive too late to do anything.”

  Elodan grasped Githsed’s arm in thanks, then turned and ran out.

  They have a huge head start, he thought, even as he made for the stables. God and Goddess, if I ever needed your help it is now. Please let her be all right. Speed me to her.

  Within minutes, a huge black horse raced out the gates, Elodan on its back. The sun was setting in a swath of blood, and the Dark Mage leaned low over his mount’s neck and prayed that the color was not an omen of the future.

  * * *

  Despite her fear, Sasha’s exhaustion got the better of her, and she dozed on the stinking straw mattress. Gradually, however, she became aware of a small sound at the door to her cell. Startled, she sat up, and saw Jacie’s face peering in through the iron grate.

  “Jacie!” she exclaimed and rose hurriedly to her feet. Then it occurred to her that her friend might not welcome too much familiarity, given the secrets that Sasha had hidden from her.

  “Sasha!” Jacie called out, and the desperation in her voice dispelled Sasha’s doubts. She ran to the grate and clutched at her friend’s fingers through the small openings. So close, she could see the tears streaking Jacie’s face, and she wished that she could offer a hug for comfort. “They say you’re going on trial tomorrow! They say that you...that you unleashed the Dark Mage.”

  Sasha sighed. She could do nothing but tell Jacie the truth, even if it turned her friend against her. “It isn’t that simple,” she began. “Elodan isn’t evil, Jacie, no matter what the First says. You have to believe me.”

  “I was so worried when you disappeared. Did he...kidnap you?”

  “I’m sorry, dear one. I didn’t want to worry you. Elodan didn’t kidnap me—I went of my own free will.” She leaned her head against the grate tiredly. “He had...come to me before. I thought he was a ghost. I wanted so badly to tell you, but I didn’t know how to explain the feelings he awoke in me.”

  Jacie’s lips trembled, and more tears spilled free to trickle down her cheeks. “There are things I wanted to tell you, too, Sasha. But I was too afraid. Things to do with...with my sessions with Arath. I feared you might think I was lying, or report me.”

  Fear touched Sasha’s heart, and she remembered the sudden change that had come over her friend after her special study sessions with Arath had begun. “What is it? You can tell me anything, Jacie.”

  “Arath...he didn’t want to help me learn to become a better mage. He...he touched me and...did things to me...and then he said that it was my fault, that I was an evil temptress possessed of the Hag. He said that I was unclean, and that only his touch could drive out the filth. And then, after you went to him about me, he turned violent. I’m so ashamed!”

  Fury burned Sasha. “Listen to me, Jacie. You don’t have anything to be ashamed of. Arath took advantage of his power as the First to rape you! He’s the one who’s evil, not you.”

  Jacie had turned her face aside, unable to meet Sasha’s eyes. “Then why do I fe
el so unclean?”

  “You’re blaming yourself for something that isn’t your fault.” Sasha gently tightened her grip on Jacie’s fingers. “Arath is a liar and a monster. You probably aren’t the first girl he’s raped, but no one has ever dared to accuse him because of his power. He’d destroy anyone who did so. I’m so sorry, honey. I wish I could have been here to help you.”

  Jacie smiled wanly. “I don’t know what you would have done. I just wish you hadn’t been caught, or that I could free you now. I can’t open the door, though—the spell on it is too powerful.”

  “It’s all right.” Sasha tried to summon a smile of her own. “If you can, flee this place. Go to Elodan. He’ll help you.” Her throat tightened with sudden grief. “H-he’s a good man.”

  “I will. Thank you.” Jacie wiped tears away. “I have to go before someone finds me here.”

  Sasha nodded, knowing they would put Jacie on trial beside her if she was found here. “Good luck, Jacie. Just...believe that there is happiness in the world. There is joy. And that all men aren’t like Arath.”

  After her friend left, Sasha sat back down on the straw, but sleep was now far beyond her. She had seen the signs that all was not well with Jacie—if only she could have done more, either before or even now. Poor Jacie. Perhaps, if all went well, she would someday find a man who would treat her the way she deserved and who would help heal her pain. A man like Elodan.

  Elodan. Sasha sighed and leaned back against the wall. She ached to see him one last time. Closing her eyes, she pretended that his arms were around her even now. He would hold her close, make her feel safe and protected no matter what the circumstances. His long-fingered hands would clasp her shoulders gently, while he placed teasing little kisses on the back of her neck. Then he would slide his hands down to her breasts, tweaking her nipples lightly between his thumb and forefinger.

  Eyes still closed, she let her own hands trace the path she imagined for his. There was no one to see, so she unlaced her top, caressing her breasts beneath the loose fabric, circling her nipples with her fingertips, scraping the nail very, very lightly against sensitive skin. Imagining all the while that it was Elodan’s touch.