“We need to go,” Sari whispers before waving to the guards. “Luke is being tortured, so every second counts.”
Kira stiffens and is about to walk away when she lets her temper get the best of her. “The party will continue without me and my former partners will pay for it all. Consider this a retirement celebration because I’m enacting my right to dissolve my father’s council and create one of my own. Seems none of you thought I’d take the time to read your contracts, including the hidden clauses. Enjoy the deals you’ve made because they are now all you have left. At least until I rescue my fiancée and set my sights on outbidding you. Let this be a lesson to everyone here that you do not try to manipulate or bully Kira Grasdon. The flirty, empty-headed ditz is dead and buried, so you better get used to the new me. Let’s go, Sari.”
The two women leave the stunned council behind and are nearly at the door when the guests break out in applause. Many of the younger nobles are openly laughing at Kira’s former partners, who are loudly arguing amongst themselves. The swordsmen have returned to their posts, but are more relaxed since protecting the pompous group and listening to them fling insults at their real employer is no longer one of their assignments. Within minutes, nobody pays attention to the partners and the party continues with a lot more excitement. Kira smiles at the sight of expensive bottles of wine being ordered and makes eye contact with Lord Skyblade, the man nodding a silent promise that he will look after the guests. Turning to follow Sari, the giddy heiress only makes it a few steps before nearly trips over into Zephyr.
“If Luke is in trouble then I’m helping too,” the young boy declares, his face showing that this is not open for negotiation.
*****
Standing among the palm trees in Grasdon Manor’s biggest courtyard, Nyx works to draw Luke’s residual magic from Zephyr. There is a moment of resistance from the bard, his fear and natural instincts causing his body to try and reclaim the aura that is being extracted. Not wanting to hurt the child, the more experienced channeler lets his power flow into her and gently redirects it back into the boy. Moving the ritual focus to Kira, Nyx discovers that part of Luke’s energy refuses to leave the heiress’s body. Determined to get every drop, she attempts to dig a little deeper into the other woman’s core. The sensation of a beast threatening to bite her in the throat forces Nyx to back down and settle for whatever she can claim. Taking a final look inside the heiress, she searches for the missing piece and finds nothing more than a path that is tempting her to probe further. She is about to take the bait when a distant growl warns her that it is safer and smarter to pull back.
Resting nearby, the other champions try to ease their aching muscles while eating their first decent meal in days. The food is nothing more than fruit and cheese, but the platters are welcomed reliefs after subsisting on old rations. Only Delvin remains on edge, the warrior prepared to catch Nyx in case she collapses like she did in the Caster Swamp. He is repeatedly tapped on the shoulder by one of his friends, who brings his attention to the meal that is starting to attract flies. Everyone is surprised when the transfer ends with a low hum instead of a flash of light or anything that would signify coming closer to saving Luke. The champions clear a seat, so Kira and Zephyr can help the yawning half-elf to where a plate of food has been prepared and covered with a napkin.
“We’re going to have to leave soon,” Delvin announces as he puts an arm around Nyx’s shoulders. He moves a lock of her hair to reveal that the point of her right ear looks more like Luke’s than her own. “I guess a side-effect of this ritual is that you take on the target’s physical appearance or at least a few notable aspects. Hoping this doesn’t affect your magic because we’re really going to need it if the Baron strikes. Thank you for the ship, Kira, but we’re going to be using the temples. Helgard can get us to Pallice and we can get to Visindor and the academy from there. Then, hopefully with Selenia as an escort for the first part, we’ll take the Spirit Well to the Garden of Uli and walk to Haven after that.”
“Not a bad plan,” Kira replies while she writes a note and hands it to Eileen. The calico bows her head and hurries to deliver the message, the agile assistant leaping onto a nearby elephant in order to reach a second floor balcony. “The only problem is that you missed an important location. I’m guessing you focused entirely on the good parts of Luke’s life. His first adventure, his fiancée, his temple, and his hometown are all good choices. Yet, I do know of a place you’re forgetting where we might be able to find a lot of residual magic.”
“You sound like you’re plan to come with us,” Dariana interrupts before a headache makes her pause. The feeling of a vice crushing her skull makes her fear for Luke’s life and she reaches up to find indents in her temples. “I’m sorry if this is the wrong thing to say, but I believe you should remain here. Coming with us puts you in danger. Now that we have taken what we need, my father should have no reason to come after you. So, I would urge you to stay where it is safe.”
“If the Baron wants to make Luke suffer then Kira is still a target,” Sari insists, cutting off the heiress’s argument. Noticing the angry glare from her former rival, the gypsy clears her throat and licks her lips. “I think I made my point already. Probably should let our host speak for herself and tell us where we went wrong. After all, we don’t want to be rude. Though, I know I’m right about her still being in danger.”
Kira heads for a circular blind that two of her butlers have finished erecting, the structure protecting her privacy as she changes into more comfortable clothes. The dress is delicately handed to one of the men along with another note that he hands to his companion. After a brief exchange, they head off in different directions, the one with the list practically sprinting toward the front of the manor. The champions are forced to patiently wait for the heiress to finish and get the feeling that she is also trying to compose herself. Still able to see her silhouette, they notice she randomly freezes and the shuddering of her arms are barely noticeable. Whether it is anger or sorrow that is infecting her mood, the interruptions and threat of being left behind have done nothing to help her remain calm. So, her guests are not surprised when Kira returns and wipes a few tears from her cheeks. The heiress adjusts her green shirt to make sure the spots with chainmail sewn into the underside are over her vitals. She tightens the belt around her waist, which holds a container designed to protect thin vials and a pouch that jingles with coins. The young woman’s chain and sickle weapon is draped over her shoulders and crossed in front of her body like a deadly scarf. Taking her seat, she claims a pomegranate and puts her booted feet on the corner of the table.
“As I was about to say, we need to go to Freedom,” Kira explains while she wipes a loose thread off her pants. Shifting in her seat, she winces at the feeling of chainmail on her bare skin and makes a mental note to put on an undershirt. “Luke went through a lot there. It was where he was betrayed by one friend and lost another. Not to mention Luciana Silverstar is about to have a birthday party. That means Kellia and Aedyn will be there. If you’re getting aura from close friends then those two would certainly have some. I had Eileen send a message for them to remain in Freedom until we arrive. All I said is that it is an emergency and Luke’s life is in danger, which will be enough. I’m sorry if I overstepped my bounds here, but all of you look exhausted and stressed. That’s another reason I should come along. You need somebody who can think clearly and I can be that person. At least after I have a good cry in private later. Nobody here can fault me for needing a release like that since I’m trying really hard to hold myself together. There’s only so many times I can fire my useless business partners to take the edge off.”
“I heard what you said at the party and was very impressed,” Timoran admits with a wry smile. The barbarian pats Fizzle on the head and leans back in his chair, which threatens to fall apart. “Kira brings up a good point about Freedom and Sari is also correct that she is still in danger. It may be best to keep her with us. For no other reason t
han we will know where she is at all times. Last thing we need is to find her being tortured alongside Luke and then be forced to choose between them.”
“My father would certainly do that,” Dariana states in a gravelly voice. Her headache has stopped, but now she feels like a rasp is being run up and down her throat. “The torture is increasing in cruelty and severity. Perhaps it is to make us move quicker or simply to prevent me from focusing my telepathy. I’m sorry for letting myself be weakened during this time. Given that we have limited time, having another warrior would help us. You have been silent for a while, Delvin. Please tell us what is on your mind.”
The swordsman is jolted out of his trance and takes a few seconds to get some food into Nyx’s mouth. “I was only thinking about how easy this feels. We figured out where Luke is and how to get him back within hours of the attack. Nyx made a near perfect list of where we had to go after getting permission from the gods, which required very little persuasion. Almost like Gabriel knew the request was coming before she even considered it. Maybe I’m being paranoid, but I feel like we’re missing something. Almost like the Baron has another plan that we’re bringing to fruition by following this path. Could be that I’m simply tired and worried that Nyx will go comatose after every transfer.”
“That would make me rather paranoid too,” Kira awkwardly admits while biting on her lower lip. Stretching her arms, the heiress nearly falls out of her seat when she spots a small cabin on the far side of the courtyard. “What in the world is that doing here? I haven’t touched the pocket cabin in nearly a year. Please tell me everyone sees it sitting there. Didn’t even hear it open, which usually sounds like a house being built for a few seconds.”
“I am unfamiliar with these things,” Timoran says while he stares at the mysterious structure. A carving is on the front door, but Dariana and Sari grab his wrists to prevent him from getting a closer look. “What does this have to do with our quest? I assume that is the only reason it would appear without warning.”
“The pocket cabin was where Luke and I would go for some privacy when we were attending the academy,” the heiress answers as she frees her weapon. Fearing an attack, her eyes dart in every direction in search of suspicious movement. “It was our special place where we got to know each other without people spying on us. Our last night together was spent in there before he left to escort Kellia home. Everything changed after that. It never felt right to use the pocket cabin again after we graduated and he began his adventures. So, I packed it up and put it in my personal vault. It should still be locked away since I never told anybody where I stored it and there’s no reason for it to be here.”
Sari snaps her fingers when she sees a dreamy haze coming over the heiress. “That is definitely a trap. We should stay away until we know who set it.”
Everyone jumps to their feet when Nyx disappears from her chair and reappears on the pocket cabin’s porch. The channeler’s hand reaches out for the door while her friends race to stop her from setting off the trap. Fizzle gets to her first and wraps his tail around her arm, but a jolt of magic plunges him into her trance. Dangling from Nyx’s arm and under her control, the drite unleashes a fast-moving flood of his enchanted breath. Too close to escape the billowing spell, the others are enveloped by the mist, which rises high enough to touch the tops of the palm trees. A stiff breeze clears the courtyard to reveal the adventurers standing in a line, their arms hanging loose at their sides and their emotionless faces locked on Nyx. She opens the door and watches her friends walk inside while Luke’s energy flowing into her body through the initials carved into the wood. The young woman’s right eye changes from violet to a chocolate brown with golden specks as she steps into the building and erases the entrance.
3
The inside of the pocket cabin is sparsely furnished with only a large bed and a single dresser against the back wall. Hanging crookedly above the bed, a portrait depicts a lush forest that merges with a vivid desert. A simple kitchenette is in the corner and the vapor drifting from an enchanted icebox helps to cool the entire building. The door to a washroom remains open to reveal a collection of aromatic flowers nailed to its backside. Circular patches are on the ceiling, their edges pulsing with a faint light that intensifies whenever the area is touched by a flowing shadow. Multi-paned windows are on the front and kitchen side walls, but they show nothing more than a desolate landscape of stone and fire. Creatures roar in the distance and winged beasts fly among the thundering clouds, which pelt the ground with crimson lightning. A serpentine Eblem slithers by the structure, two of her four arms tapping the locked window with poison-dripping blades. The hissing demon quickly loses interest in the pocket cabin, so she continues on her way. With a gentle swish, dark yellow curtains fall across the windows to block the Chaos Void from view. The sudden appearance of birdsong tempts the awakened champions to take a peek, but they find that the thin fabric is frozen in place.
Standing with her arms crossed, Nyx refuses to move away from the entrance and all attempts to budge the channeler have failed. After a few minutes of pushing and pulling the warm half-elf, they discover that her boots have melted and the hardened remains have fused her feet to the floorboards. Her unblinking eyes stare ahead while trails of magic flow into her body, the effect keeping all of her friends on edge. Cracking his knuckles, Timoran tries again to move Nyx by grabbing her by the waist and lifting, the barbarian gradually using more of his immense strength. The moment the floor creaks in defiance, a burst of wind hurls the towering man across the cabin. He lands in the bathroom and the door slams shut before he can get to his feet and escape. The others hear their friend draw his great axe, but the washroom opens up to allow invisible hands to gently place his stolen weapon and ring on the bed. Hold by more for of the unseen limbs, Timoran is flipped upside down and shoved against the far wall as he is locked inside again.
“I am alive and well, my friends!” the barbarian shouts through the door. The frame shudders when he slams into the wall, the impact followed by a grunt. “I believe I am in what some people call a time out. This is oddly humiliating.”
“I’ll get you out in a minute,” Sari says as she kneels in front of the bathroom. Her picks tap the lock, causing the door to fly open, strike her in the face, and close again. “That’s it! I’m getting a frying pan and hitting Nyxie over the head. We can apologize to each other later, but we don’t have the time for this.”
“Calm down and don’t antagonize her,” Delvin replies, examining Sari’s nose. He tries not to cringe at how broken it is while he carefully sets the bone. “We don’t know what’s going on here, so we need to be careful. Either this is a trap set by our enemies or Nyx summoned the pocket cabin herself. Maybe she’s become so attuned to Luke’s aura that she’s sensing it without any effort. I do admit that her physical changes are a little disconcerting. Is she getting leaner and more toned as she absorbs his energy?”
“Fizzle think taller too,” the drite says with a yawn. Shaking his head clear, the tiny dragon makes himself comfortable on a pillow. “Fizzle little worried. Nyx become Luke. What if ritual not right? No summon Luke. Make new Luke.”
Kira and Delvin stare from Fizzle to Nyx, the two having the same disconcerting thought about their future. Sari cannot stop herself from laughing at the matching expressions, but her broken nose screams in pain from even the slightest jerk of her head. The gypsy is surprised when her face is abruptly gripped by invisible hands and she is lifted to the ceiling. Pressing her hands and feet against the rough wood, she fights against whatever is yanking on her. The ear-wrenching sound of tearing fills the air before she is dropped on the bed and left staring at scraps of ragged flesh being pulled through a crack. Sari reaches up to touch her face and fears that she has been mutilated, but all she touches is perfectly smooth skin and a perfect nose. Glancing around the room, her eyes fall on Dariana who is huddled in a corner and bleeding from her nostrils.
“I don’t know how you did that, but no us
ing powers on me without asking,” Sari snaps as she approaches the telepath. She stops at the sensation of walking through an invisible wall, which sends a prickling discomfort over her sensitive skin. “That’s new too. Look, I’m sorry that I got angry, but I’m still not comfortable with you playing in my head. How about you give me the broken nose back and we’ll forget this happened?”
“But I didn’t do it,” Dariana states while she turns off her pain receptors. With a loud sneeze, she ejects a spray of bone shards that have an odd, blue tint. “I can already feel my body healing. I don’t know why, but somebody transferred your injury to me. Considering the roughness of the spell, I doubt it was Nyx. That means we are being watched. I’m sorry, but I can’t track the spy. My telepathy is unable to pierce the wards that surround the pocket cabin. All I hear is that Timoran wants to be let out of the bathroom.”
“Has to be Yola,” Delvin says as he heads to the kitchen. Running his finger along a line of mugs, he scans the building for signs of the mischievous immortal. “If we can figure out how she’s spying on us and block her then we should be able to escape. Are you okay, Kira? You’ve been really quiet.”
“Sorry. Being in here and knowing Luke might never see it again is getting to me,” the heiress replies with a forced smile. Opening the icebox, she pulls out a decanter of water and takes a sip to steady her nerves. “Nyx transforming into Luke isn’t helping. From what you explained, she’s messing with a ritual that Windemere hasn’t seen in centuries. There’s no telling what the side-effects are. What if Fizzle is right and this ends up turning her into a new Luke while the real one is left with the Baron?”
“It isn’t like you two can both marry Nyxie,” Sari rudely interjects. The gypsy backs away from the pair of icy glares she receives and accidentally bumps into Zephyr. “Let’s ignore all of the potential trouble and concentrate on getting out of here. I vote for waking Nyxie up. She’s probably what Yola is using to keep us trapped, so we need to break the connection. Physical force doesn’t work and Dariana is too battered to attempt telepathy. I’d suggest magic, but Fizzle and I are the only functional casters here. He looks exhausted and Nyxie’s power leaves me in the dust unless we’re using illusions, which aren’t going to help us.”
Ritual of the Lost Lamb Page 6
