Knowing that there was little else she could do, she mounted her horse and moved away. It was terrible to simply walk away, but there was little else she could do for the dead. Her life, her concentration, and ability were meant to be used to save those who still lived. Perhaps one day, she or someone else would make Vindha pay for all the lost lives, but for now she had to be content with doing what she was meant to do.
The fields soon gave way to wide, open plains. This time of the year the grass was withered and dry. Her mare galloped across the land, leaving dust clouds in its wake. At mid-afternoon the plains gave way to sparse, thorny bushes, but up ahead she saw the thick line of trees, the forest of dryads. Knowing that she would need all the time possible in the forest for what she intended to do, Alicia stopped the mare. She ate quickly and fed and watered the horse. Leading the mare by her reins, she began the short walk towards the forest.
As opposed to the cloyingly humid heat in the plains, the forest was cool. The trees grew close together to prevent most of the sunlight from penetrating inside. The ground was dotted with patches of lush, soft grass and flowery bushes. A bird twittered somewhere high above. Overhead she heard the chatter of a group of monkeys but was unable to see any. They hid too well in the thick, leafy branches. For quite a long time she walked, but no matter how much she marched forward, she remained at the edge of the forest. Each path led her back towards the place from where she started.
Alicia stopped to ponder over the matter. Some kind of magic was at work. She raised her hand and muttered an incantation. Ahead a path materialized. It glowed with a silvery sheen. Alicia walked on it, leading the mare. As they moved deeper into the forest, the shadows lengthened. It seemed almost as if it was late evening. The light that emitted from her magical path shone luminously, illuminating the way ahead. The mare nickered softly, trying to move towards a patch of lush, soft grass.
Alicia pulled at the reins. “I’m not sure if that’s a good idea. Come, move on.”
“She can graze on it,” said a soft voice.
Alicia peered into the dense forest. At first she couldn’t see anyone. Then as her eyes grew accustomed to the dark outside her path, she found herself staring at a young girl, dressed entirely in a garb made of leaves. She was standing against the trunk of a tree.
She had never met a dryad before, but having seen hand-drawn pictures in old tomes, Alicia was fairly sure she was in the company of one. “Who are you?”
“Selina,” she said. “The queen wants to see you. You can leave your mare here. She will be safe.”
Alicia began to tether the horse to a nearby bush, near the patch of soft grass. “I will just…”
“No need. She won’t go away,” said Selina.
Leaving the horse untied, Alicia followed the dryad. They left her silver path, and Alicia allowed the magic to fade. She could always find her way back to the horse if she needed to.
The tiny creature walked quietly, but with infinite grace, among the tall trees. Often she ran her hand over the trunk of a tree, as if greeting an old friend. Alicia couldn’t see anyone else besides Selina, who led her deeper into the forest. Yet, she knew, she was being watched by several more dryads and other creatures that inhabited this jungle.
At last they reached a clearing. It was almost a perfect circle, slightly elevated than the rest of the surrounding area. In the center of it grew an old ash tree. Its trunk was as wide as a small cottage. The bark was ridged in a diamond-like pattern. Under it sat a woman. She was dressed entirely in a leafy dress similar to Selina, except hers almost reached her ankles. A thin circlet of green leaves adorned her forehead.
Selina bowed. “My lady, I’ve brought the guest.”
“Thank you,” she said, looking up at Alicia with a serene expression on her face. “Please join me.”
Seeing no choice, Alicia sat opposite her on the grass. “I am pleased to meet you, my lady.”
“You recognize me?”
“I have read about you. You are the queen of dryads.” It was a statement, not a question.
The lady smiled. “Amelia. That’s my name but I am called by many other names also. And this is not a kingdom. We’ve no kings and queens here, like you humans do. You could say that I am the mother of all dryads who live here.”
Alicia stared at the ash tree. Although most dryads were attached to their trees, they could live separate from them for short periods of time. A hamadryad was different; it was said that if she moved away from her tree, or if the tree was cut, she died instantly. Hamadryads were rare, and yet she was sure that Amelia was one.
“Thank you for seeing me. I’ve need of someone who would speak on my behalf to the dryads.”
“We don’t allow humans to enter our forests,” said Amelia. “Our magic prevents anyone, mage or non-mage, to remain on the fringes of the forest, unable to find the way inside. And yet, you managed to do so. How?”
“The trees are denser as one moves deeper into a forest. Rather than trying to find a way in, I simply directed my magic to find older trees. It was a simple matter to let nature guide me inside,” said Alicia.
Amelia lifted her lips in a brief smile. “That is quite brilliant. No one has ever been able to do that before. You’re an accomplished mage. What do you want from us?”
Alicia had thought long and hard about the conversation she was about to have. “As you are well aware, there is a war going on in the world. We are trying to bring peace back to the kingdoms. King Vindha and his army must be stopped before they wreak destruction upon the free world. We need your help.”
Amelia tilted her head. Her expression remained unchanged. “We are aware of the events transpiring outside our forest. But the dryads have a long standing treaty with humans. We don’t interfere in their affairs, and they don’t invade our forests. It would be against our promise to take sides in such matters.”
“Do you think Vindha will respect that treaty? Once he has the world under his control, he will not leave the dryads alone.”
“His minions try to scour our forests. We have prevented them from doing so.”
Alicia folded her hands in her lap. “For how long? He is too strong. You must ally yourself with those who oppose him. To protect the innocent, isn’t that the duty of all those who have the power to do so? The world needs your strength.”
Amelia shook her head. “I will discuss your concerns with my daughters, but we can’t take sides in the matter of humans. For centuries we have upheld our end of this bargain, and we will not break it now. You must leave now. It is not allowed for your kind to be amidst us for long. Your persistence amused me, and hence I asked to see you, but it’s better for you to go. Even now the trees are agitated with your presence in our sacred land.”
Alicia stood. It was a wasted trip. She had hoped that the dryads would agree to form an alliance. Their magic was strong, and they were known to be good fighters if they made the effort to do so. It seemed though that her effort was in vain. “Thank you for seeing me. If you change your mind…”
“We will find you if such a thing happens,” said Amelia with the same serenity. She didn’t get up. “Before you leave, I must warn you…the balance in the universe has been changed for some time now. The effects of it can be felt all over the world. It won’t be long before you will be able to witness the transformation of the world of magic as we know it now.”
Alicia frowned. “What do you mean?”
“The demons who have escaped will not go back. Their presence in this world is against the natural order of things. They will change many things; magic, life, and maybe death.”
The demon mages Vindha had created were the product of a vicious, powerful spell. Their birth was against the will of the Goddess and their presence a blight on a peaceful life. “Surely that is all the more reason for you to help us?”
“We can’t help, only warn. But it’s too late already. Things are in motion that you can’t change. The world as we know it will soon com
e to an end,” said Amelia. “You may leave now.”
Did that mean that they couldn’t win this war no matter how hard they tried? What did Amelia mean that the world as they knew it would end? What was about to change? Though she longed to ask more questions, to perhaps better understand the threat to which Amelia referred, Alicia knew her time was up. The trees all around her were almost shouting, begging her to leave. It would be hideously rude to ignore their pleas. She wasn’t wanted here. She wasn’t needed.
Turning her back on Amelia, she walked away. It was time to go on, to move on the next phase of her journey. There was so much more to do.
Chapter Five
Alicia sat under the outcropping of a rock, stirring a spoon in the pot of stew that sizzled on the fire. Her mare was tied to a wooden post she had hammered into the ground. The gentle animal grazed on the soft grass that grew in a wide patch with an air of utter contentment.
Dusk was upon the land. A light wind whistled through the boulders and rocks that spread throughout the area. An owl hooted somewhere, and in the far distance she heard the howl of a wolf. Alicia covered the pot and took it off the fire. After banking the fire, she unrolled her blanket and slept for a while, drifting in and out of dreams. As the moon rolled across the sky in the shape of a pearly white crescent, she awoke. Leaving her supplies and the mare, Alicia emerged from behind the shelter of the rock and faced the nightmare for which she had deceived her siblings.
Within a circle of boulders and stones lay a tunnel that led into the deep, underground caves. The caves of succubi. Alicia planned to enter their domain and rescue their prisoner. With this intent, she had lied to her brother and sister, and insisted on coming here alone so that she could access this dangerous arena without anyone holding her back.
The young King Kayleb was imprisoned within the muddy tunnels and caves that housed the dreaded succubi. Although she hadn’t known whom she was meant to save when she began her journey, Alicia learnt of his fate during her stay at the inn. Two fellows in the stable where she bought the mare were talking about him. For days images of him surrounded by his tormentors haunted her sleep. Tonight she intended to descend into the caves and free him.
To do that she required a great deal of energy and a complicated illusion spell. She would become a succubus, a beautiful yet terrible female creature who drove men crazy with her unrestrained sexual appetite. King Vindha had given Kayleb to the succubi, and if she didn’t do something to save him, he would die in great agony within these underground caverns.
Refreshed by the nap, Alicia raised her hands and uttered the incantation she had practiced and perfected ever since Leo came to tell her about his strange visions. The air rose, embraced her, and became a part of the illusion. Slowly she crafted the image of a pale, naked woman and built it around her own body. Ready, she glided over the stones and entered the black maw that led into the caves.
As she dropped down in the hole, Alicia landed on a soft bed of moss in a wide cavern. The caves were darker than the silent night above. The succubi had no need for light as they were blind. Driven by lust, their needs were few and met through sensory inputs. Despite their blindness, they were extremely dangerous creatures because the rest of their senses were honed to perfection. Rather than risk making a light, Alicia chose to use magic to follow the trail of the prisoner.
She got her bearings. Three tunnels led off from the cave. Each reeked of decay and death. As she walked over the muddy floor, bones crunched under her shoes. These belonged to previous victims of succubi. Some of them were probably lured into the caves, others kidnapped, and a rare few thrown in. From what she little she knew, it was a life of immense pain and humiliation, and none had ever survived for more than a few weeks.
Maintaining a firm grip on her illusion, Alicia glided into the next cavern and came across a throng of succubi. They were slipping and sliding over each other, their naked bodies glowing in the dark cavern. The soft moans and sounds of rapture that escaped their lips, echoed in the underground caves. Long after she escaped into another tunnel, Alicia heard the sibilant whispering reverberating through the filthy passageways.
From one tunnel to another, she searched, and if it wasn’t for her magic, she might have lost all sense of direction and purpose. Finally Alicia slipped into a small cave and found King Kayleb.
Her magic allowed her to see despite the complete darkness, and what she saw chilled her bones. Naked, caked with mud and filth, King Kayleb was tied to the floor with thick ropes. Three succubi surrounded him, their hands and tongues caressing and licking his body. The touch of succubi brought immeasurable pain to the human body, even as it gave immense pleasure to the succubi. Kayleb was close to delirious, the whites of his eyes showing as he rolled his head around in anguish.
The succubi panted with lustful gratification while he whimpered and groaned with agony.
Alicia’s magic, pure and strong, blasted through the tiny chamber and ripped the succubi into thin ribbons of gore and bloody remains. Kayleb raised his head, nearly fainting with the sudden release from the constant torture to which he was subjected in the past few weeks. Alicia walked over, and although his eyes clouded with fear, she put her hands over his chest and infused him with a healing spell.
After carefully studying the silver chain wrapped around his neck, she used her magic to break it. Alicia tucked the chain in her belt for study later on.
“You…?” A single word escaped his dry and bloody lips.
“I am going to get you out of here,” she whispered. “Trust me.”
Time was of the essence. More succubi could come in at any moment. With her arm around him, she helped him to stand. Weakened by weeks of abuse, he swayed on his feet. Alicia extended the illusion and molded it around his body, making him a part of her. Now they were joined in magic.
With careful, deliberate steps she guided him out of the chamber and into the tunnels. They sneaked through the dark passages, ever mindful of the danger that surrounded them. Sweat dribbled down Alicia’s forehead. The magic was taking its toll. The spell was intensely draining, and now with the additional effort of cloaking him with her illusion, she was barely able to maintain her grip on it. Luckily they didn’t run into any more of the vile creatures, and soon Alicia led him to the wide hole that would lead them out of this living hell. Looking up, she could see the dark sky, and the stars that shone in it.
Behind her, in the darkened tunnels, she heard loud sounds. The succubi were screaming and yelling. Kayleb’s absence was discovered. Unwilling to let go of their prize catch, the succubi were chasing him. If they were caught, there would be a battle and Alicia was already too drained to put up much of a fight.
She dropped the illusion. It wasn’t needed anymore, and now that the succubi were aware of intruders, they would sense the magic and be drawn to it like moth to flames. Moreover, her strength was needed for something else. As a mage with dual power of earth and air, Alicia had tremendous magic at her disposal but to maintain spells required energy, and hers was failing fast. With the last remnants of her strength she called upon the earth to help her. The floor she was standing on rose at her command. Slow and steady it kept on rising, blocking the tunnel behind them and taking them up towards freedom.
Keeping her will focused on the earth beneath their feet wasn’t easy, especially because she could hear their pursuers racing to catch up to them. Alicia had practiced this particular spell many times before, but never under such challenging circumstances. This was a matter of life and death. If the succubi caught them, they would make every effort to kill her and take Kayleb prisoner again.
To make matters worse, the earth under the caves consisted mostly of rocks, and while it took effort to move earth, it took a considerably greater effort to move the heavier and denser rocks. Soon she was bathed in sweat. Her hands and legs began to shiver as the spell depilated what little reserves of power she had left. Still, determined to not give up, Alicia continued to focus her wil
l on the spell.
About ten feet down from the surface, her strength failed. The mass of rocks and mud that was rising at her command began to shrink back down. She tried to summon her magic, but for the first time in her life it failed her. She was simply too tired to continue. Inch by inch the mound on which they were standing became smaller until they could see the top of the tunnel opening. Pale white hands poked out, trying to grab their ankles.
Leaving Kayleb propped against the wall, Alicia jumped to catch the edge of the pit. If she could pull herself out, she would be able to help Kayleb up. Despite her repeated attempts she was unable to get a good grip on the lip of the pit. They slipped down another couple of inches as the earth settled back into its former position. Alicia glanced at Kayleb. He was staring at the visible opening of the tunnel. The succubi were pressed against the earth, their lips peeled back against pointed teeth as they climbed over each other in their efforts to grab him again. He pressed his back to the earth, eager to get as far away from their prying fingers as the confined space would allow.
“Help me,” she yelled as she made another attempt to clamber up the wall, but he didn’t appear to hear her as he stared at the grotesque expression on the faces of his nemeses. “Push me up,” she pleaded as the earth slipped back down another inch.
One of the succubi lunged forward. The front half of her body slipped through the opening and she lay on the floor, trying to crawl on her hands as she made an effort to pull herself all the way out of the narrow opening. Soon others would follow.
Alicia yanked at Kayleb’s hand. She kicked the succubus on her back. “Come on. Push me up,” she screamed.
The succubus managed to grab his leg and, using him as an anchor, tried to free herself from her sisters who were each trying to get through the opening. Maddened by the scent of him, they were all screaming at the top of their voices. As the succubus tried to stand, Kayleb kicked her in the face. She fell down, her legs dangling from the opening.
The Warrior Mage Page 5
