Mindbender

by David A. Wells

  Jataan managed to keep his feet and his wits even in the face of the sudden detonation. He darted between them with such speed that Alexander only caught a blur before the battle mage cleanly decapitated the revenant that had fed on Evelyn. In unison, the other two screamed again from somewhere in the darkness of the magically tortured sky. The world lit up again as another bolt of lightning struck the ruins on the right rear corner and shattered part of the building into rubble.

  Jataan stood, sword in hand, and watched the sky for any sign of a threat as Anatoly and Boaberous charged up to the site of the brief battle.

  “Take them to the light,” Jataan commanded.

  Anatoly didn’t miss a beat; he scooped Alexander up and tossed him over his shoulder, then turned and ran for the light flooding the magic circle. Boaberous carried Evelyn. Jataan followed. They lay them both down and moved away to stand guard while Lucky went to work on their wounds. He slathered healing salve on Alexander’s neck, then did the same for Evelyn, handing Conner a bandage before he returned to Alexander to bind his wound. Evelyn woke with a start and tried to struggle with her brother for a moment before she realized who he was. Then she collapsed into his arms and wept.

  Alexander schooled his mind and conserved his strength. He kept his eyes closed but assessed the scene with his all around sight. They had succeeded in drawing out the revenants. All that was left was to get into the dungeons beneath the ruins. Then they would have the time they needed to recover their strength while the enemy faced the revenants.

  He reached up and grabbed Lucky’s robe to pull him closer. “Into the ruins,” he whispered with a great effort.

  The revenant had sapped so much of his strength that he felt unconsciousness claiming him in spite of his struggle to remain awake. As he slipped into darkness, the world shook again in a brilliant white flash.

  Chapter 25

  Lacy held her breath. They’d been fleeing south for the past week with soldiers always just behind them. Wizard Saul had used his magic to deceive their pursuers several times, buying them precious hours to gain distance from them. The week had been terrifying and exhausting. And now that she was so close to the Fellenden family crypt, the enemy had caught up with them.

  She and the wizard crouched behind a moss-covered rock at the edge of the forested area surrounding the entrance to the crypt, the location of which had been chosen at the end of the Reishi War. It had been built overlooking the battlefield where Carlyle Fellenden had died defending the Old Law against the ambitions of Malachi Reishi and his armies. In the intervening centuries, the family had expanded the crypt to accommodate the kings of Fellenden that had died since.

  It was built mostly within the stone of the rocky hilltop, the only entrance being a simple but solid stone archway and heavy door. Lacy felt in her pocket for the key and took small comfort that her father’s last request was still within her reach.

  She and Wizard Saul had been riding hard until Lacy’s horse came up lame not a league from the crypt. They just made it on foot before the platoon of soldiers chasing them arrived on their heels.

  Now they were trapped. The thirty men on horseback had immediately separated into squads of six. No doubt, they knew Lacy and Wizard Saul were on foot. The only place to hide was in the woods that covered most of the butte, giving the soldiers a limited area to search. It was only a matter of time.

  Six of the soldiers were milling around the entrance of the crypt, looking for some sign that their quarry was nearby. Sounds of the other soldiers could be heard off in the distance as they searched. Lacy didn’t know what to do. She had followed the lead of Wizard Saul for the entire week as he worked with magic and cunning to preserve them. Now there was nowhere left to escape, and she still had to get into the crypt before she could make her way to Ithilian.

  She was exhausted, bruised, and sore. In her whole life she’d never exerted herself like she had over the past week. Before her life had been turned on its head, she was prone to losing her temper when she didn’t get her way but now that the stakes were real, she found there was no time for her emotions. She had to think clearly and make good decisions or she would die, and badly.

  Oddly, she found that she was stronger than she would have ever imagined. Once the initial fear had worn off and the pain of loss had settled on her, she discovered that she was angry. Not the simple petty anger at her dress being hemmed wrong but a righteous anger that fueled her and drove her to accomplish things she would have never thought possible. The people of Fellenden had done nothing to warrant the atrocities that were being inflicted on them. She was angry that they were being made to suffer, she was angry that her family had been torn asunder, but mostly she was angry that she was powerless to stop what was happening.

  Over the course of the week, an idea had begun to take shape in her mind and then take root in her soul. If she survived this ordeal, she would do whatever was necessary to gain the power to protect her people.

  Power had always seemed like such an abstract thing. Her father had power. People did as he told them but he never used his power for anything great or sweeping. Mostly, he concentrated on the mundane things that made life in the city possible: the supply of food, the removal of waste and garbage, the flow of water to the people and the fields. He paid attention to the army, but not a lot. He was far more likely to put great effort into negotiating with neighboring territories to avoid conflict.

  The past week had taught Lacy that there was a whole different dimension to power. It could be used to destroy or it could be used to protect the innocent from those who would destroy them.

  On one occasion, three days into their journey, a scout had located them. He tried to flee to tell his superiors where Lacy and Wizard Saul could be found, but Saul killed the man with a spell. It wasn’t fancy or flashy, but it was effective—Wizard Saul caused the man’s horse to lose control and throw him. The scout broke his neck when he fell. Saul didn’t blink at what he’d done. Instead, he searched the man’s belongings and took a good knife, some food, and two waterskins, along with a pouch of silver coins.

  Lacy stood watching Saul search the freshly dead man with a growing sense of horror. When she confronted the wizard, he just shrugged and said that war was ugly. She thought a lot about that as they rode. By the time they reached the crypt, Lacy had promised herself that she would learn how to fight so that she could defend her people—she just had to survive first.

  The six men fanned out in the area around the crypt entrance. Then one started coming straight for them.

  Wizard Saul touched Lacy on the back of the head and she heard his words in her mind even though he didn’t speak aloud.

  “Remember your training, let it guide your hand. When the opportunity presents itself, open the crypt. I’ll be right behind you.”

  She processed what he had said even as he started whispering words of power. At first, she couldn’t imagine that he would attack six armed soldiers . . . but he was a wizard. When she thought about it for a moment, the fear of battle subsided and the anger she’d been nursing rose to the surface. These men had come to her homeland and killed her people. They were trying to kill her. She drew her knife.

  Wizard Saul stood abruptly. The soldier that had been heading toward them stopped for an instant and then called out to his companions. The other five men turned as one and pulled their horses around. Saul planted his staff in the ground and spoke the final word of his incantation. The tip of his staff grew bright with a yellowish light. The light arced from the tip and hit the first man squarely in the chest. The crackling yellow fire maintained an arc from Saul’s staff to the first soldier, then leapt to the next nearest soldier and then to another and finally to a fourth. The spell ran its course in the span of a few seconds, leaving four men dead with holes the size of a grapefruit burned through the center of their chests.

  The remaining two soldiers called out for help as they charged. Lacy waited until their horses had enough momentum to m
ake changing course difficult and then darted for the crypt. One of the soldiers pulled his horse around wide and tried to lash out at her, but he was too slow. The other soldier headed straight for Saul who was softly muttering words of a long-dead language. The soldier’s horse reared and threw him to the ground before he reached the wizard.

  Lacy fumbled for the key to the crypt as she raced for the door. She could hear the hoof beats of the horse as it came around and headed for her. The shouts of other soldiers in the distance frightened her and made her rush and she dropped the key.

  “Watch out!” Saul called to her.

  Lacy turned to see the soldier quickly dismounting and heading straight for her. His face was scarred and pockmarked. His teeth were yellow and crooked. His hair was stringy and greasy. And the look in his eye told her in a glance that he would have his way with her before he killed her.

  She faced him in a low stance with her knife drawn and waited for his attack. He grinned as he stopped just out of range of her blade and sneered at her. Suddenly, he looked behind her and smiled. Lacy whirled to see if another man was coming, then realized her mistake in the same moment. There was nothing behind her but the door to the crypt. When she turned back to face her attacker, he grabbed her wrist with one hand and slapped her hard with the other. She was dazed for a moment while he wrenched her knife free and shoved her into the door.

  When Saul called out a challenge to the soldier, the man spun to face him. Saul had just killed the man on the ground and was speaking words of power forcefully as he advanced toward the soldier threatening Lacy. But the soldier had a knife in hand. As he flipped it around and drew back to throw it at Saul, Lacy drove her boot knife into his back. He stiffened in surprise but couldn’t even muster a scream. She twisted the blade the way she’d been taught so long ago and the man slumped forward off her blade to his knees.

  “Well done, Lacy,” Saul said. “Now open the crypt, quickly.”

  For a moment, she stood mesmerized by the spectacle of death caused by her hand, but her trance broke when she heard the shouts of soldiers approaching. She snatched up the key and thrust it into the lock. A tingle of magic raced over her body as she turned the key and heard a muffled click. The door swung open to reveal inky darkness beyond. Saul led two horses into the darkness without a word and motioned for her to follow. Once inside, he quickly shut the door to the crypt and spoke a few words of power in the darkness. A faint magical light leapt from the tip of his staff and traced around the outline of the door, then faded. He held up his staff and the tip glowed brightly, revealing the entrance to the family crypt of Fellenden.

  Lacy had never been here before but she had heard of it in stories about her ancestors. The antechamber was about twenty feet square with a high arched ceiling and a single door on the wall opposite the entrance.

  Saul whispered a few words and touched each horse in turn. They calmed and stood quiet and still. He motioned for silence and led Lacy to the door. Once they were through and the door was closed, Saul breathed a sigh of relief.

  “When they discover two of their horses missing, they will assume we have taken them and fled. Hopefully, they will attempt to pick up our trail and leave this place while we search the crypt for the correct tomb.”

  “Won’t they try to search the crypt?” Lacy asked.

  “They may try, but I’ve spelled the door. Without a wizard’s help, they won’t be able to open it. Come, it’s been many years since I was here last, but I believe I know the way.”

  “What’s in this box and why is it so important?” Lacy asked as she trailed behind the wizard in the dark.

  “The legend says that the last Reishi Sovereign created an item of such power and malice that it could bring darkness to the entire Seven Isles. To ensure he retained control over the device, he created a number of keys. One of those keys was stolen by the Rebel Mage during the war and given to the House of Fellenden for safekeeping. It was placed in this crypt and has remained here, hidden from the world and from magical detection, for all this time. It cannot be allowed to fall into Zuhl’s hands. If he discovers it and learns of its power, he may be able to use it to his ends.”

  “What is this item? Could we use it against them?” Lacy asked.

  Saul stopped and turned to face the princess. He held her with a very stern look for a long moment before he answered. “No, the legend says that Malachi Reishi’s greatest and most terrible creation would mean the doom of the world. As for what it is precisely, we don’t know. The Rebel Mage was careful to ensure that its true nature remained a secret.”

  He gripped her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “The greatest duty of your entire bloodline is to prevent this key from falling into the wrong hands. Do that and you will preserve the world.”

  Lacy swallowed hard then nodded. Her father had entrusted her with this task. She would honor him by living up to his trust.

  Wizard Saul turned and resumed the winding path through the ancient tombs in search of the oldest sarcophagus in the crypt.

  They found it after an hour of searching. The sarcophagus was made of marble and carved with an intricate scene of Carlyle Fellenden’s final battle. With a great effort, they pried the heavy lid loose and slid it open. The bones had long ago turned to dust, leaving nothing but a small box resting just beneath where Carlyle’s feet would have been. It was black as night and had no markings, hinges, or keyholes anywhere on its surface. Lacy lifted it from the tomb and inspected it carefully. Her curiosity burned to look inside but she didn’t know how to open it, even if her father hadn’t forbade her from doing so. She wrapped it in a piece of cloth and put it in her pack. Then they replaced the heavy lid of the sarcophagus and made their way to the antechamber where their stolen horses waited in a magically induced state of calm.

  “Have something to eat and get some rest,” Saul said. “We’ll have to wait here at least for the rest of the day, so we might as well take advantage of the time and safety.”

  They stayed in the darkness of the antechamber until well past sundown before venturing forth. The woods were quiet when they opened the door and led their horses out. Lacy resealed the crypt with the ancestral key before mounting up.

  They headed out into the night, moving quietly and carefully to avoid any soldiers who might have remained behind. The plains surrounding the butte were wild grasslands with no cover for miles. When they reached the base of the butte, a man standing in the middle of the trail waiting for them. Saul stopped and searched the surrounding area for any sign of other enemies but saw none. Lacy wasn’t sure what to make of the single soldier standing in the middle of the path—until he spoke. There was something about his voice that wasn’t quite right, almost like he was being tortured from within.

  “Give me the keystone and I will permit you to live, for now,” he said with a hint of menace.

  Saul started muttering words of power. The man began to advance toward them, not quickly, but like a man who has the advantage and knows it. Saul released his spell and a burst of invisible magical force caught the man in the chest and knocked him back ten feet, crushing his chest in the process. He was dead when he hit the ground.

  What happened next threatened to overwhelm Lacy’s sanity. A shadow rose up from the corpse and looked straight at her. Its eyes glowed with malice and it began sliding through the night toward them. Saul gasped with sudden realization of the enemy he faced and the cost of it gaining the treasure that Lacy carried.

  “I won’t be here to protect you anymore, Lacy,” Wizard Saul said with a slight tremor in his voice. “You must go on alone now. The shade will take me and I can’t stop it; I carry too much guilt from past deeds. If you see me again, run, I won’t be myself. That thing,” he pointed at the shade moving toward them, “will be in control of my body and my magic. No matter what happens, protect that box and know that I believe in you, as did your father.”

  With that, Saul drove his dagger into the neck of his horse and
slipped off the dying beast to face the shade. As it reached him, he broke his staff and tossed the pieces aside. The shade flowed into him. They struggled against each other for several long seconds.

  Lacy sat atop her horse, frozen with a mixture of curiosity and horror as she watched a beast beyond her imaginings destroy her protector.

  When Saul looked up at her, she could see the eyes of the demon through his and the sound of his voice was somehow wrong when he spoke.

  “Give me the keystone and you may live, for now,” he said.

  “What are you?” Lacy asked.

  “I am Rankosi. Now give me the keystone!”

  Lacy kicked her horse into a gallop and charged into the night away from the terrifying creature. The scream of rage that rose up behind her was not of this world.

  Chapter 26

  “You’re going to do what?!” Abigail said.

  “I’m going to fight Gabriella to the death,” Isabel said firmly.

  She was still angry at the turn of events. It was clear now who was behind the attempts on their lives during the time they’d been on the fortress island. If for that reason alone, Isabel was happy for the opportunity but there was much more at stake. Gabriella was a triumvir. If Isabel killed her in a challenge, she would take her place in the triumvirate. That would give her a voice in deciding the course of the Reishi Coven and the Sky Knights. They would make powerful allies and add to Alexander’s army a capability that was difficult to match. She knew she was taking a terrible risk but it was well worth it, considering the potential gain if she succeeded—if she survived.

  “She’ll kill you,” Abigail said as she started to get out of bed.

  Isabel stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Abigail was still bruised and beaten up from her fall into the ocean. Her recovery was coming along better than anyone had any right to expect but she was still stiff and weak.