“Why?”
“The more important question is, who? If we can find out who it is, we would know its motive.”
Rene stood next to Xuan. “What should we do?”
“We’ll camp here tonight,” said Jace. “Keep your protection shields up. Boost them if you can. If that old lady makes an appearance, we will try to get some answers out of her.”
After building a fire, they took turns keeping watch. The night passed without any visitors. At dawn, as they shared a breakfast of three-day old bread, and lumps of cheese, the old woman appeared again. She hobbled closer, peering at them from under her cowl, a half-smile on her face.
“Good morning, young ones,” she said, standing against the trunk of the tree where Xuan’s machete had destroyed her before. She stared at him with a defiant expression, as if daring him to do the same again.
The big man hefted his machete but didn’t move a muscle. They all knew it wouldn’t serve any purpose to destroy her. She wasn’t real. She was just a means for communication for someone who was toying with them for a purpose beyond their understanding.
“What do you want?”
This time she made no effort to pretend otherwise. Instead, she shrugged. “I’m just bored. You provide an interesting diversion.”
Jace swallowed the last of his breakfast. Their adversary was playing with them, and if they wanted to live, they would have to be smart. “We mean you no harm,” he assured her.
Her cackling laughter echoed in the silent forest. “Even if you wanted, you couldn’t harm me in any way. I am stronger than all of you put together. You are nothing but small, insignificant beings created for the amusements of the gods.”
If they could understand its nature, perhaps they could figure out a way to defy it. “What are you?”
As the sun rose on the distant, unseen horizon, thin beams of sunlight penetrated through the overhead branches and cast light on her familiar, wrinkled face. She sneered. “I am greater than you all. And the day shall soon come when I will walk this earth, seeking my revenge. Hear that,” she raised her head high, her eyes glittering in the dark, as if lit from within with a holy fire, “the earth rumbles already. My time will come soon.”
A slight tremor shook the earth, almost in time with her announcement. What was happening?
Allaja stood suddenly. He was a fire mage, and his powers were formidable. Nearly forty years of age, he had spent the last twenty years in the keep, honing his craft. There was little he couldn’t do with his element. He raised his hands, and three bright blue streams of fire shot through his hand. They surrounded the old woman. Streaks of fire cross-crossed until they formed an azure cage, entrapping her. “Let’s see what happens when she can’t return to her master.”
She banged the stick on the ground. The earth rumbled, and the ground beneath their feet lifted and tilted. A few of the mages rolled off their feet. Allaja swayed but his magic held true.
Unperturbed, the old lady banged her stick again. “I’ve no master, you fool. There is none better than me.” She banged the stick again, and the fiery cage shattered. The flames shot towards Allaja, and in an instant, he caught fire.
Jace could see that he tried to break the magic but failed to do so, his own power consuming him mercilessly as he shrieked in pain. Amjad, Jace, Rene and a few others ran to his defense. They tried to beat off the magic, to break it, but nothing worked. Their magic was nothing compared to the creature’s power. The acrid smell of burning flesh permeated the air. In desperation, Jace turned on the old woman but his magic wouldn’t respond. He could feel the power, but when he tried to bring it to bear, it frizzled out.
“Leave him alone,” he yelled, running towards her. If they could make her disappear, perhaps her hold on Allaja would fade. But before he could reach her, the earth tilted and he fell on the ground as the floor shook vehemently.
Xuan threw his machete at the old woman, but it fell on the floor at her feet. Without glancing at them, she banged her stick again. The fire that consumed Allaja disappeared. He fell down, the flesh on his hands, feet, torso and face blackened with the heat.
He was dead even before his body hit the ground.
The old woman lifted her lips in a smile. Her eyes gleamed with an unholy fire. “Let this be a lesson. You live only because I desire it so. Killing you is as easy as smashing ants under my feet. Don’t underestimate my power,” she said, her voice booming across the forest. “We will meet again.” Having said that, she disappeared.
Jace blinked his eyes. He looked around, as shocked by her sudden disappearance as he was by her brutal and merciless murder of Allaja. He looked at the corpse. Smoke still rose off it, the smell of burned flesh chokingly pungent. He didn’t know what to do, where to turn to for help.
“We’ll have to bury him,” said Rene. Tears spilled through her eyes. “We can’t just leave him here like this.”
“She killed him merely to show that she could squash us as easily as bugs. Just for that she killed him,” said Arife as he wiped a tear off his cheek. He’d been friends with Allaja. They used to play chess together during long winter evenings.
“And let’s not forget that she can kill us just as easily. We must not antagonize the creature,” said Jace. He was shaken by the brutal murder, and their own helplessness. Never before had he felt so threatened and so vulnerable.
“How does it manage to bind our powers?” said Amjad. “That’s never happened to me before.”
Jace recalled Princess Zo’s story about her own quest. She had been taken prisoner by ekeme, tiny, ancient creatures, similar to wood elves, who bound her power. It was only her fiancé’s quick thinking and bravery that saved her life. Was this creature’s power similar to ekemes?
He had no facts, but somehow Jace felt that they were dealing with an entity that wasn’t only alien, but also more powerful than anything they had ever encountered before.
“Why doesn’t she kill us all, and be done with it?” said Arife. He plopped down on the floor, and began to cry in earnest. Risa, a water mage, sat next to him and hugged him. There was little anyone else could say. None of them understood the motivation of this monster that had them trapped within this dead forest. No wonder no other animals dwelt here.
Patches of the forest were lit with sunlight, but most of the area remained in darkness. The day had begun, and they couldn’t afford to waste a moment of it. Jace used his magic to dig a hole. Now that the old lady was gone, they were able to tap into their magic again. Picking up the body, they moved it inside the shallow grave, and covered it with earth. Rene offered a prayer to the Goddess.
Jace picked up his pack. “Let’s just move on. We must find a way out of here if we’re to survive.”
The group moved on. Their food rations were nearly finished, and there wasn’t anything edible within the forest. Even if they were to find anything, none of them would have dared to eat it. The forest appeared deserted; all was silent except for a faint wind that whistled through the trees. Once again, they tried to use magic to find their way out, but their best spells failed to show them the way. At night, they were back again at Allaja’s grave site.
Each one of them found a place. No one said anything. Exhausted, they were at the edge of despair. Jace sat with his back against a tree, staring at the grave of his companion. How long before they would all be dead? If the creature didn’t kill them, hunger and thirst certainly would. Their water was nearly finished, and there was none to be found here.
Xuan and Rene sat next to him. “Jace,” said Xuan. “I’ve a plan to get us out of here.”
He was disinterested. Together, the mages were formidable. If they couldn’t find a way out, how could a blacksmith who had no magical powers manage to do so? “What?”
“Did you notice that the old lady allowed Allaja to use his magic, while all the rest of us were dissuaded to do so?” said Rene. “She did it on purpose. By making an example of him, she got us all in a position where we
would think ten times before attacking her.”
“Attacking her is pointless anyway. She is just a mirage.”
“Yes, that’s true. But she has a purpose. Do you remember the way she circled around us the first time she came. She assessed everyone’s strength, and through her, the creature knows. Whatever it is, it needed that contact to determine our powers,” said Rene. “Once it verified our gifts, it is able to manipulate our magic to confuse us. Our spells are not working because it keeps taking them apart. That’s why we can’t find the way out.”
The logic made sense. But how would it help them to get out of this damned place? “So?”
Rene slithered closer, her face shining with excitement. “How did Xuan manage to make her disappear the first time? She didn’t realize he could hurt her physically because she didn’t take him into account. He has no magic. To her, he was, and still is, inconsequential.”
Jace frowned. “That’s true, but how would that help us?”
“To the creature, anyone who has magic is insignificant. But Xuan can do a lot. He was able to destroy her illusion. He can also find a way out by simple means.”
“What?”
Xuan took out a stubbed white chalk from his pack. “I have this with me. I’ll mark each tree as we cross it. That way, if we circle back over an area again, we will know and we can backtrack.”
Jace shook his head. He had no faith in the simplicity of this plan. “That creature would detect our plan. It wouldn’t work.”
Rene put her hand on his arm. “I think the powers of that creature are limited. It visits us after a long time because it takes it that long to manifest itself physically. It does, and probably is, monitoring our magical activity even now. It has the power to stop us in our tracks. But what if we were to keep it busy with a lot of magical spells, and it might just overlook what Xuan is doing.”
Jace laughed. This was the silliest plan he had ever heard. But it was the best one they had. If Rene and Xuan were right, they could be out of this place soon, but if they were wrong, they would all be dead. But he thought the creature intended to kill them anyway, after it had its fun, so what difference did it make?
They had little to lose. “Tell everyone about our plan, but do it one by one so as not to raise the old lady’s attention. Tomorrow, each one of us is going to use magic to confound the creature.”
Xuan clapped him on the shoulder. He beamed at Rene. Jace didn’t have the heart to tell the big man that there was little chance they would be able to outsmart their adversary with a stick of chalk. He closed his eyes, forcing his body to take rest.
Whatever the case, they would find out the next morning. To their great relief, the old lady didn’t visit them again. Jace motioned for everyone to weave their spells. As planned, they initiated a great deal of magical activity. Inspired, Jace raked the earth, making a jagged trail through the floor, knowing that if the creature was trying to detect their magic, this would really set off its sensors. Xuan lead the group, discretely marking each giant tree as they passed through. Every time they crossed a marked tree, they turned in the opposite direction.
Many times their magical spells pointed in one direction, but Xuan led them another way. Blindly, they followed his lead, knowing that if he failed, they would all die in a spectacular manner. Khalifa, another fire mage, set a tree on fire. Its trunk smoked and turned blacker, but the flames soon frizzled off. Someone was monitoring them, making sure they didn’t damage the area.
To Jace’s surprise, the pale ribbons of light that were filtering through the trees intensified. The forest was becoming a little less dense, the trees separated from each other. This was a place they had not crossed before. No chalk marks could be seen anywhere.
Hope lifted in Jace’s heart. Was it really this easy? Had they outfoxed the terrible creature that plagued them for two nights? He raised his hand in jubilation, eagerly looking at the break in the tree. Ahead was a shallow valley, a dip that led to the next mountain.
Surely, nothing could harm them now?
Suddenly, the old woman appeared before them. She glowered, thumping the stick in her hand on the ground. With each thump, the floor shook. Leaves fell out of the trees and scattered in the wind.
“How dare you try to deceive me?” she hissed. “I will not be treated as a fool.”
No one said anything. Rene put her hand on Xuan, urging him to shuffle backwards. No one wanted to challenge the creature.
“You will pay the price for this reckless behavior.” She banged the stick on the ground, and the earth shuddered violently. Jace felt his protection shield being ripped apart as a force greater than any he had ever experienced. They were exposed now. “You will all die,” said the old woman. Bright webs of red fire escaped from her stick, aimed at them.
To their astonishment, a bright green curtain descended from the sky and stopped the fire in its tracks. The green filmy curtain extended and reshaped until it formed a large dome-shaped shield around them. Was it a cage? Had the creature trapped them?
To his right, he saw the girl appear. She wore the same shimmery, green dress and her hair shone in the sunlight. Even at this distance, her beauty was mesmerizing. She wore no shoes, and with a calmness that belied her tender age, she walked towards the old lady.
“This is not your place,” hissed the old woman. “Go away.”
Jace detected a note of fear in her voice. Was she scared of this tiny girl? Who was this person?
“You hold no power here,” said the girl. Her voice was gentle, but firm. “They have come out of your cursed forest. You cannot harm them anymore.”
“The accords don’t allow you to interfere in their lives,” said the woman.
The girl shook her head. “There is no interference. I seek to protect them from you, not from anything else.”
The old lady laughed. “How many will you save? My power extends far now. I sleep no longer, and soon, the world shall be mine. And you will all rue the day when you entrapped me.”
“That time has not arrived yet,” said the girl. “And if the gods are willing, it shall never come. Now, off with you.” She waved her hand, and the image of the woman scattered in the wind. She turned towards them. “You may leave safely. No one can hurt you anymore.” The shield lifted. “Do not pass this way again, for I cannot protect you if you fall into…the creature’s hand again.”
Jace stepped forward. He bowed. “Who are you, my lady?”
“Think of me as a friend, but I can’t help you all that much. You must reach Izba soon. Princess Alicia will need your help.” The girl vanished.
“Izba?” Why was Princess Alicia in Izba? She was supposed to be looking for the temple. Was the temple somewhere close to the northern kingdoms? “Are you sure, my lady?”
Jace was confused. He wanted to know more, but the girl wasn’t around to answer his questions. He stared in astonishment at the spot where she had been a mere moment ago. He looked at his companions. No one seemed to understand what had happened.
Rattled by the events, they moved out quickly, eager to be away from the lair of the monster that hunted this mountain.
At least for now they were safe.
Chapter Fifteen
Theodore surveyed the milling crowd with a look of disdain. The world was at the brink of a war unlike any they had ever seen, and King Amber found it necessary to hold a festival in honor of the visiting royals. Didn’t he realize that every day they wasted gave Vindha an opportunity to kill more innocent people?
It was close to midday, and the festival was already a huge success. Each kingdom had acquired one corner of the area designated for the occasion. Stalls were set up to sell wares and food. In the middle of the lot were fenced areas where archery, sword combat, and wrestling matches were being held.
It had been a week since he gave his message to the kings and queen, and still no answer was forthcoming. Perhaps he was wasting time and should go back. At least he would be able to aid King Sev
e in preparations for the war. Here, all he did was twiddle his thumbs while King Amber arranged to amuse his guests.
His stomach rumbled. Theodore looked around for Maya who accompanied him, but she was already lost in the sea of people. He shrugged and walked towards a nearby stall where honey and almond cakes were being sold. He bought a bagful of the warm cakes, and having nothing better to do, he made his way to the archery section. The competition was stiff; men and women contested against each other until only three were left standing. One of them was Queen Catherine’s personal guard. Theodore recalled seeing him around the queen. He’d often seen the queen in the palace. She was always surrounded by a handful of mages and guards.
Despite his earlier feeling that she orchestrated his stay in Izba, Theodore never had the opportunity to talk to her. Even if she saw him in corridors or the grand hall where he went every day, hoping to get a reply to King Seve’s message, she always ignored his presence.
He didn’t know why, but the woman set his teeth on edge every time he saw her. Despite her innocent looks, she was a devious creature—and a strong, political player. Although she was the only one of the royals who wasn’t a mage, he sensed that she was the one he needed to mind the most. There was something up her sleeve she wasn’t yet sharing with anyone, including her royal assemblage.
The competition came to an end, and the winner walked away to receive her prize from the royal tent that was setup in the middle of the ground on a large platform. Licking his fingers for the last crumbs of cake, he turned and nearly ran into Queen Catherine.
Suspicious by her unexpected appearance, Theodore took a hasty step back. How long had she been standing behind him? Stiffly, he bowed. “My lady.”
She inclined her head in a regal nod. “You seem surprised to see me, Theodore? You don’t mind I call you by name, do you?”
“No. Yes.” Theodore was flustered to see that she suppressed a smile. Was she mocking him? “Yes, you may call me by name, my lady. And I am surprised to see you. I thought the royal visitors were enjoying the festivities from their tent.”
The Warrior Mage Page 18
