Mindbender

by David A. Wells

  “No, she won’t. I’m going to kill her,” Isabel said with deadly seriousness.

  “Isabel, I know you’re angry. I am, too. That witch tried to kill me,” Abigail said, “but think about what you’re doing. She’s a high witch. Her magic is beyond you. Don’t do this.”

  “I have to. As long as Gabriella is alive, she’ll keep trying to kill us both. Sooner or later, she’ll succeed and then any chance we have of bringing the Reishi Coven and the Sky Knights into this war on our side will be lost. You know what Alexander will do if one of us dies here.”

  “Exactly my point,” Abigail said. “Gabriella’s dangerous. What makes you think you can beat her?”

  Isabel smiled without humor and touched her necklace. She hadn’t spoken to anyone except Abigail about the power Desiderates had given her and she wanted to be sure that no one found out about it until it was too late for Gabriella. Isabel’s plan hinged on Gabriella coming to the battle on her wyvern, and she expected as much. The rules were clear. Any and all weapons were permitted. It only made sense that Gabriella would come to the battle with everything at her disposal.

  “You’re playing a very dangerous game,” Abigail said. “I really wish you’d reconsider.”

  “There’s too much to gain in one stroke,” Isabel said. “If I defeat her, I will become a triumvir.”

  Abigail looked at her sharply. “Are you sure?”

  Isabel nodded firmly.

  “That certainly would change things,” Abigail said. “Magda seems like she’s willing to throw in with us already. With your voice on the triumvirate . . . still, are you sure you can beat her? If she kills you, all is lost. Alexander will destroy this place and everyone in it.”

  Isabel nodded seriously. “I know. That’s why I have to win.”

  “Take my bow,” Abigail said. “They said any weapon at your disposal, right? Well, it’s at your disposal.”

  “I hadn’t considered that,” Isabel said, “but I doubt I’ll be able to get to her with a normal weapon. She’s bound to come prepared.”

  “Take it anyway,” Abigail said. “Use it as a distraction or a ruse. She might think you’re desperate if you come to the field with a sword and a bow. My father always said the most powerful weapon on any battlefield is deception.”

  “You have a point there,” Isabel said, considering her strategy.

  Until now she had allowed emotion to drive her, and she hadn’t fully thought through her battle plan. Abigail’s bow would certainly add to her capability, even though she knew she would never win the day with weapons. Magic would be the deciding factor in this battle. She just had to trust in her newfound power.

  There was a knock at the door of the bedchamber and Lita peeked in. She stepped back and Magda entered, stood at the foot of the bed, and put her hands on her hips. She was angry.

  “Gabriella will kill you, Isabel,” Magda said. “She’s a powerful, intelligent, and very devious witch with years of experience. Let me fight in your stead.”

  “Thank you, Magda, but I can’t.”

  “Why not?” she demanded.

  “Because there’s much more at stake here than just my life,” Isabel said. “If I defeat her, then I take her place on the triumvirate, is that not correct?”

  Magda frowned deeply and nodded. “Yes. But she will kill you!”

  “If you fought in my stead and she killed you, what then?”

  “I doubt she would defeat me but I see your point,” Magda said. “Still, there are other options.”

  “Perhaps, but none get me what I need most,” Isabel said.

  “And what is that?” Magda said.

  “You and your Sky Knights to fight at my husband’s side in this war,” Isabel said firmly.

  Magda blinked and then shook her head. “Your life is not the only one at stake. If you die here, I fear Alexander will destroy this island. My sisters don’t believe he can but I’m not so sure.”

  “I wouldn’t bet against him,” Abigail said. “He doesn’t make empty threats.”

  “You could run,” Magda said. “I can get Kallistos to the launch bay and you can both ride out of here.”

  Isabel stood up with anger flashing in her green eyes. “No! There are people dying out there, right now! I need to help them. My husband is raising an army to make war against Phane and his followers but their numbers are too great. I need to bring an army to stand with him. The Reishi Coven and the Sky Knights will stand with us against Phane or I will die trying to make that happen.”

  They stared at each other for a long moment as if engaged in a battle of wills. A little smile slowly spread across Magda’s face and she gestured to a chair. “May I sit?”

  Isabel took a deep breath and let it out. “Of course.”

  Magda took the chair from the corner of the room and pulled it closer to the bed. “All my life, I’ve lived to protect the Seven Isles from the threat the Sovereign Stone represents. Our coven was created by Aliyeh Reishi to prevent her own son from using the Stone to harm the people of the Seven Isles the way her husband did. We never foresaw Alexander. We never imagined that the Stone would be recovered by someone loyal to the Old Law.

  “There are many who believe that such power will eventually corrupt the one who wields it and if not him then his son or his grandson as the Reishi proved with Malachi. They argue that the Stone should be hidden away or destroyed to prevent it from bringing such darkness to the world ever again.”

  Isabel nodded, “I understand your concerns. In truth, there are precious few that I would entrust with such power and Alexander is first on that very short list. I’ve seen his soul and I know he is true to the Old Law. I can’t speak for our children because they haven’t been born yet, but I have to believe that we will do everything in our power to leave the world a legacy that is loyal to the Old Law.

  “The Reishi reigned for two thousand years. For most of that time the Seven Isles enjoyed peace, prosperity, and stability like nothing seen before or since. Consider the state of the world the day before Phane awoke. There was open war on Karth, tyranny on Andalia, Ruatha was a disparate collection of territories with only a handful of them respecting the Old Law, Zuhl was in a constant state of border wars, Tyr was ruled more by pirates than anyone else. Only Fellenden and Ithilian enjoyed stability. The Old Law is meant to govern those who govern the people. Without someone with the moral character and strength to keep the kings and nobles in line, they will continue to run roughshod over the rights of ordinary people.

  “The Reishi Empire ended badly, no question, but there was a period of eighteen hundred years where an average family could live in peace without fear that some noble would come and take everything they own, or worse. The Reishi recognized that those who desire power cannot be trusted with it, so they set themselves up as the defenders of the people against those who would rule. It wasn’t perfect but it was far better than what we have now.”

  “And what of the future?” Magda asked. “What if you’re successful and Alexander reconstitutes the Reishi Empire and brings the Seven Isles back under the rule of the Old Law? What happens when a sovereign comes along who follows the same path that Malachi Reishi did?”

  “Those who love life and liberty as much as we do will face him and defeat him,” Isabel said. “The Old Law cannot defend itself. It must have a champion. If the people of the Seven Isles become blind to the beauty, power, and simple rightness of the Old Law, then they will face the consequences of their failure. We can’t protect them from themselves, we can only show them the truth and hope they have the wisdom to see it.

  “But more importantly, you speak of possibilities and distant futures, let me ask you another what if. What if Phane kills Alexander and takes the Sovereign Stone, right now. What if, in the coming months, Phane conquers the Seven Isles? What then?

  “All I am asking of you is that you fulfill your purpose—protect the Sovereign Stone by protecting the one who bears it. He’s carrying a great a
nd terrible burden, a burden that he doesn’t want, a burden that has been thrust upon him without his consent.

  “Many would kill to have the power that Alexander has amassed in such a short time, but I know his heart as well as any and I can tell you with certainty that he would give it all up right now if he thought the world would be safe and he could go back home and herd cattle. He doesn’t want to be the Sovereign. What better qualification for such a terrible duty can there be?”

  Abigail nodded her agreement. “She speaks the truth. My brother never wanted power, not even to be the head of Valentine Manor. He told me his dreams. They’re simple and honorable. He just wants a plot of good land and a herd of cattle.” Abigail paused for a moment as she collected her emotions. “He used to read about battles fought long ago. After we’d been running from Phane for a few weeks, after he’d killed men with his own blade, he told me that those stories were all lies. The glory, honor, and splendor of those stories were all wrong. He doesn’t see any glory in killing, he sees only sadness.”

  The room fell silent for a moment before Abigail continued. “You know, he has his homestead picked out. He found a little hillock overlooking a meandering stream that runs through the northern part of our family estates. He knows right where he wants to build his house. He even took me there once and described what it would look like, where the barn and paddock would be, even which direction the porch would face.

  “He never wanted power, but now that he has it, he can’t escape it. He either wins or he dies and he knows it. If he fails, then everyone in the entire Seven Isles will lose. Please, help him!”

  “You both make compelling arguments,” Magda said. “For my part, I believe you. At least I believe that you believe what you say, but you are both very young and idealistic. I have lived for many years and I have watched power twist and warp the souls of good men and women until they were little more than a shadow of their former selves. Gabriella is a prime example. A century ago she would never have challenged you for something as petty as vengeance but a hundred years as a triumvir has altered her mind. She now believes that her station makes her desires more important than other people’s lives.

  “She challenged the previous triumvir, her own mother, mind you, because she had become corrupt and was working behind the backs of the coven to advance her own ambitions. Gabriella offered her mother quarter in that battle but her mother attacked even though she had been bested. Gabriella struck her down then spent a month locked in her chambers crying. She was inconsolable.

  “When she took her place on the triumvirate, she was a voice of temperance, reason, and compassion. She agonized over the consequences of our decisions and thought through all of the ramifications that she could foresee before casting her vote for any course of action.

  “Over the last century I’ve watched her lose touch with her sense of duty and cling to her own self-importance. She has come to see power and station as her due rather than a privilege or a duty.

  “The Sovereign Stone is the ultimate symbol of power in all of the Seven Isles. How can you be certain that Alexander won’t succumb to the temptation to use that power for his own selfish reasons?”

  “I can only tell you what I know in my heart,” Isabel said. “Alexander will reign with wisdom and temperance. He will stand against those who would wield power for the sake of wielding power and he will leave the people alone to live their lives.

  “I can only offer one piece of objective evidence for my belief in him. Phane offered him the rule of Ruatha, safety for his friends and family, and assurances that war would not be fought on Ruatha if he would only bow before Phane and serve him. He made this offer well before Alexander recovered the Sovereign Stone. Alexander refused. If he wanted power, he could have had it.”

  Magda smiled gently. “Your belief in him has quelled many of my doubts, though I still fear the power that the Stone represents . . . in anyone’s hands. Given the choices before me, I can only hope that Alexander lives up to your faith in him.

  “That still leaves a profound challenge before you. Gabriella is skilled and powerful. She will offer no quarter or mercy. You are young and without training. How can you hope to defeat her?”

  Isabel looked down as she composed her thoughts. She was still holding the secret of her connection to the wyverns close and couldn’t risk Gabriella discovering her capability, but she needed to give Magda a credible explanation for her confidence in the coming battle.

  “During our travels I’ve come into direct contact with both the realm of light and the netherworld. The experiences left permanent connections to both places within my mind. I discovered how to access the power of both the light and the dark during my mana fast. I used that connection to the light to heal Abigail. I’m hoping I can learn how to use those connections to fight Gabriella.”

  “You risk much on an untested ability,” Magda said, “but perhaps I can help you prepare. As the one challenged, you have the right to set the date of the battle, within reason. It’s quite common to choose a date a week or two away to give yourself time to put your affairs in order and to make preparations. Given the power you brought to bear when you healed your sister, it may be possible for you to learn a spell or two that will help you fight, although I’m not optimistic about your chances of success.”

  “I’m confident that, with your guidance, I will prevail,” Isabel said. “I have to.”

  Wren burst into the bedchamber with a look of wild fear. She stopped short when she saw Magda but couldn’t help herself. “Is it true? They say Mistress Gabriella has challenged you and you’ve accepted.”

  Isabel nodded and Wren burst into tears.

  “She’ll kill you,” Wren said through a sob. “You have to run. Take Abigail and Kallistos and leave here. Go back to Alexander and forget this place. It’s the only way you’ll survive.” She broke down sobbing and sank to her knees in front of Isabel. “Please don’t die. You and Abigail are my best friends. I can’t stand the thought of either of you dying,” she said through her sobbing.

  Isabel pulled Wren’s head onto her lap and smoothed her wispy hair. “It’s all right, Wren. I won’t die, but I have to do this. It’s the only way.”

  “I don’t understand,” she sniffed. “You were just ordained into the coven. How can Mistress Gabriella challenge you? Why would she do such a thing?”

  “Gabriella’s husband died when the Sky Knights attacked us on the Reishi Isle,” Isabel said. “She wants revenge for her loss.”

  “But she’s a triumvir, she’s supposed to be above such things,” Wren said, composing herself. “She has a duty to protect the Seven Isles.” Wren turned to Magda. “Doesn’t she know what it will do to Alexander if she kills Isabel?”

  “I’m afraid she does, child,” Magda said gently. “I fear she’s counting on it. It was Alexander’s blade that killed her husband’s wyvern and led to his drowning. She wants him to feel the pain she lives with.”

  “But if Alexander’s heart is broken, he won’t have the will to fight Phane,” Wren said. “How can Mistress Gabriella risk everyone’s future over her own grief when she has sworn to protect the Seven Isles?”

  Wren’s fear was transforming into indignant anger. She stood up and faced Magda.

  “How can you let this happen? All my life I’ve been told that I must do my duty for the greater good of the Seven Isles. I’ve never complained, even when I was treated wrongly by those of higher station, even when I learned that my own dreams would never be realized, I did my part because I believed in the duty of the Reishi Coven and the Sky Knights. Was it all a lie? Does this place exist to protect the Seven Isles or does it exist to feed the egos of those who rule here?”

  Magda sat impassively as the waifish young serving girl railed at her. When she stopped, Magda raised one eyebrow. “Are you finished?” she asked calmly.

  Wren shrank a little but held her ground.

  “Child, I do not condone Gabriella’s decision and I
intend to help Isabel prepare for this challenge in every way that I can. Like you, I have suggested that she run, but she has stubbornly refused. As for your question about the purpose of this place, I believe we have a vital role to play in defending the Seven Isles, although I must admit that there are those who have come to value their station and privilege more than their duty.”

  “How is it that I can see the folly of Mistress Gabriella’s decision when I’m just a serving girl and she can’t when she’s a triumvir?” Wren asked quietly.

  Magda sighed. “Humility tends to see and accept moral clarity more readily than does power.” She gave Isabel a pointed look.

  Wren frowned. “If powerful people can’t see what’s right or wrong, then how can they be trusted with their power?”

  “That, child, is the question at the heart of humanity’s struggle,” Magda said as she stood and looked at Isabel. “Think on what we’ve discussed. You have options until you set foot on the battlefield.”

  Magda left them alone and the room fell silent for several long moments before Wren sniffed away her tears and tried, unsuccessfully, to smooth her unruly hair back into place.

  “Are you hungry?” she asked with a small voice.

  “I am,” Abigail said. “Some lunch would be wonderful, Wren.”

  “All right, I’ll be back in a few minutes.” She left quietly with her head down, clearly still preoccupied and filled with emotion.

  “If I fall in this battle, you have to run, and quickly,” Isabel said. “With me gone, Gabriella will move against you, so be ready to leave.”

  “First you tell me you’re going to win and now you’re telling me to be ready to run. Which is it?” Abigail said.

  “We have to be ready for any outcome. I have every intention of killing her, but she may surprise me with something totally unexpected. Just be ready.”

  “Lita says I’ll be able to ride in a week or so,” Abigail said. “Either way, we won’t be here too much longer.”