by A. Evermore
‘I think we have interrogated Issa for long enough,’ Freydel said, clapping his hands together with finality. She gave him a grateful smile, she felt worn out.
‘One more thing,’ Domenon said. Freydel gave him a withering look but Domenon was staring only at her. She shifted uncomfortably under his heavy gaze. ‘It’s written in the Book of Ages that the Queen of Ravens will bear a mark, not a mark from birth or from battle, but one that comes of a sudden when she comes into her power. “The mark of the goddess, the mark of the messenger, the mark of the alter self.” Do you have a mark, Issa?’
She swallowed. She didn’t want to reveal her personal mark to these men. But rather than honour her dignity the wizards only looked on with more intrigue. Freydel gave her an apologetic look. She could lie, but they would most definitely sense it.
‘I do have a mark,’ she said after a long pause. This caused murmurs of surprise amongst the wizards. Perhaps that is what they needed to see to believe she was their fabled Raven Queen. A mark like a clear and unquestionable label detailing a product in a market stall. Maybe she needed that too, to believe in herself… ‘It was Karshur’s gift to me for fulfilling his purpose.’
‘I think we need to see it,’ Domenon said.
She felt herself colour and frowned her disapproval at him. It felt like a battle of wills, his against hers, and he’d won. He had exerted dominance over her and she hated it. She could not not show the expectant wizards the raven mark. It proved to them without question that she was the one spoken of in the prophecies. She was beginning to hate those prophecies. I am Issalena Kammy too, dammit! I have a life of my own, not just to fulfil the stupid old prophecies.
Trying to make nothing of it she reached up to the cords on her tunic dress and untied them. The wizards shifted uncomfortably, except Domenon. She pulled the neck of her tunic down just enough to reveal the shimmering blue mark on the centre of her chest.
Domenon seemed taken aback at that, and she suddenly realised he had not believed her the entire time. She smiled, the final victory was hers. In an instant and quicker than a bird the tall man jumped off his seat, strode over and gripped her shoulders. He stared closely at the mark. She was too stunned to move and his iron grip was painful and unyielding.
‘Domenon.’ Several shocked voices commanded the wizard at once. At the same time she felt the Flow suddenly jerk or snap. There was a flash of indigo light and through it Ehka burst into the circle. The big bird tumbled left then right, struggling to keep airborne as he fought to overcome his disorientation.
‘It’s a raven, it’s the mark of the raven,’ Domenon said in shock, not even noticing the squawking bird or the protesting wizards. He lifted his eyes and stared into hers with a penetrating gaze. Though it was he who was scrutinising her, for the briefest moment she saw something move within his eyes. Her eyes went wide in surprise and she strained to see further.
He released her suddenly and snapped his head away. Whether he was trying to prevent her from seeing anymore, or realised the error of his actions, she couldn’t be sure. Freydel steadied her as Domenon strode back to his seat without an apology, and sat there staring at the floor deep in thought.
‘I must apologise for our Master Wizard,’ Freydel said in a raised voice, glaring at Domenon. ‘He’s renowned for having strong emotions and acting on impulse, it’s both his power and his weakness. He will apologise at some point no doubt.’
Domenon ignored him and continued his deep reverie.
‘Are you all right?’ Freydel asked.
Issa retied the cord of her tunic, shaken by Domenon’s actions, and whatever he seemed to be hiding. One thing was for sure, he was not entirely human, and that was not just because of his supposed elven heritage. He didn’t feel elven at all to her.
‘I’m all right.’ She tried to compose herself. ‘Ehka,’ she called to the bird circling wildly above her. He landed quite unsteadily at her feet.
‘This is Ehka,’ she said and bent to stroke his neck.
‘It worked,’ Luren laughed aloud.
She smiled, surprised herself. Stroking his soft feathers and having him here immediately comforted and calmed her. Ehka looked at each of the wizards, stared hard at Domenon, then lost interest and began preening himself.
‘I think Issa has suffered us more than enough,’ Freydel said, and laid a reassuring hand on her shoulder. The other wizards agreed and began to stand. ‘I’ll help you return, but don’t forget to take the orb. It’s always better to return to the place you physically transported from with the stuff you left with. It creates calm and balance in the energies.’
She took note of his piece of advice and stooped to retrieve the Orb of Water. ‘Sorry, Ehka, looks like we’re going straight back.’ She scooped the bemused bird up into her other arm and said goodbye to the other wizards. She was very glad to be leaving.
Chapter 31
The Vote
RETURNING only took a moment. Freydel was part of the way through the spell he was weaving when the world turned hazy and a rush of air blasted through her. In a blink she was back in her room in Castle Carvon, swaying and utterly disorientated as Ehka squawked in her arm. Thank the goddess she was home and away from all those wizards. She plopped Ehka and the orb onto the bed, and sat down herself to stop the room spinning. But, after a moment, she conceded Freydel was right, this time she recovered much quicker. There came a knock at the door.
‘Who is it,’ she called out after a moment. She wanted to pretend she wasn’t here. She hoped it wasn’t Freydel returned from the Circle to ask her more questions. She wanted to be alone.
Asaph poked his head around the door and grinned. ‘I sensed you were back, or perhaps it was that noisy raven.’
She smiled at him, she hadn’t expected him at all. ‘Oh, it’s you. You can come in. I thought it might be someone else I’m too tired to talk to.’
‘You can tell me everything, and I promise not to get cross. I brought you some lunch,’ he said, coming fully into the room. He carried a tray filled with fruit, freshly baked rolls and ceramic pots filled with something.
‘Wow, I’m famished.’ She eyed the rolls, she hadn’t realised how hungry she was. Using magic always made her hungry. She patted the bed for him to sit beside her. ‘You seem better today,’ she said.
‘I’m sorry for my behaviour, I don’t know what came over me. Some strange sickness or just fatigue, I’m not sure,’ he said with a guilty look. ‘But I feel much better now.’
As they ate Issa told him what had happened at the Wizard’s Circle.
‘If I meet Domenon I’ll make him apologise,’ Asaph growled.
She giggled. ‘Hopefully he’ll feel guilty enough after today. He’s a strange one. I think I’ll keep away from him. Now the elf man Averen, he was nice…’
‘I don’t want to hear about the elf man,’ Asaph scowled. He caught her grinning at him, and then laughed. ‘I guess I fell for that one. When you’ve rested, why don’t we explore the castle and grounds? Coronos said to try to keep you in the castle until he’s back. So I thought this way you would satisfy your curiosity and I get to be with you alone. The river really does run right through the castle’s centre and their are these beautiful bridges going all over it.’
‘Sounds stunning, although I’m too tired right now. I don’t think I can rest with you here though can I?’
‘Are you sure?’ he bent closer to her and smiled in that way that made butterflies dance in her belly. His lips brushed hers and she parted them as her passion quickly rose. As they kissed that out-of-depth feeling began to grow and she felt herself tense up. Asaph must have felt it for he gently let her go, leaving her almost shaking with desire and confusion.
‘You can relax,’ he smiled. ‘I won’t over-power you. We can just rest together.’ He lay back on the bed and then drew her down with him.
Despite the desire she felt for him she could not seem to stay relaxed when they kissed, she began to wonder if i
t would always be this way. Would she always be afraid to let anyone get close to her like that? Would she shy away from intimacy? Ehka flew to the nearby chair with a strange caw. He sat there eyeing them suspiciously. Issa laughed and found herself relaxing.
‘I think you should take your belt and sword off though, it can’t be very comfortable to lie on,’ he said. He undid them and let them drop to the floor, then smoothed the creases on her tunic. His touch on her stomach made her tingle again, but instead of doing anymore he let his hand lie lightly across her and closed his eyes. She sighed and closed her eyes as well.
‘Bah, I have no time for prophecies and such nonsense,’ Drumblodd scowled. ‘But she definitely has mastered the Flow, whether or not what she said was true, about killing Keteth and all.’
‘She didn’t lie,’ Averen said, ‘I would have felt it.’
‘She didn’t lie,’ Haelgon seconded him.
‘I think little of prophecies too. I agree with Domenon, I’d rather be free from fate and destiny to forge my own future,’ King Navarr said.
‘We are all free to forge our own futures. The prophecies merely speak of one particular timeline that may be followed. There are many possible timelines,’ Freydel said. He wondered then if he had changed his own timeline by seeing Baelthrom in the past as Ayeth. Thoughts that certainly deserved more time to think upon.
‘So, let us finish why we came here, and decide whether to invite Issa to undertake the Wizard’s Reckoning and enter the Storm Holt.’ He said it curtly, wanting the dreaded outcome to be over. ‘We will first discuss any questions the Circle has, and then cast a vote - a simple show of hands. Are there any questions?’
‘What happens if she passes and wants to become a member of the Circle?’ Drumblodd dived straight in. The other wizard’s shifted and frowned at his words. ‘It may have been forgotten that not only have women not sat upon the Circle since the time of the Ancients, but neither have they been Orb Keepers. Issa is an Orb Keeper.’
‘I have considered this,’ Freydel began, ‘but to become a member of the Circle also requires an invitation. If we should reach that point it would also have to be decided in a vote. Those have been the rules since the Circle was created. But even so, there is another issue, upon whose seat would she sit? The Wykiry have no seat, not since the time of the Ancients or maybe never.’
The wizards began to chat amongst themselves, such questions had not been asked before.
‘How can we trust her?’ It was Domenon. He hadn’t spoken since his embarrassing actions towards Issa, and had instead sat there in brooding silence.
‘Explain,’ Freydel said.
‘I wonder if we should ever have brought her to the Wizard’s Circle, not with Baelthrom’s spies everywhere. You say the High Priestess may have betrayed Celene, may have joined ranks with the Maphraxies. But what if Issa has as well? It could be that Issa was captured on the Isles of Kammy, turned into a spy and then brought the Maphraxies to Celene.’
Freydel sighed. Why did he always have to cast doubt and waste time in meetings?
Averen shook his head. ‘I would have felt it, the taint of Baelthrom. We all would have.’
‘Even if she is genuine,’ Domenon continued, ‘it appears that the Maphraxies will stop at nothing to capture her. She is the one bringing us all this trouble. If it weren’t for Issa, Celene would still be with us. Why not just let the Maphraxies take her and spare hundreds, maybe thousands, of people?’
Gasps spread across the Circle.
‘Domenon, how can you say such things?’ Coronos said, a look of shock on his face.
‘I am talking about the greatest good for the greatest number of people,’ Domenon said, a touch of anger in his voice. ‘If they have her perhaps they will leave us all alone. It would give us much needed time to prepare the Feylint Halanoi, and spread the army to every major town along the shores of Western Frayon.’
Luren, ever ready to listen to Domenon, raised a thoughtful eyebrow on the subject, and the wizards began murmuring to each other again.
‘Enough.’ Freydel held his hands up and rested back control of the meeting. ‘We will not sacrifice anyone by sending them to their deaths. Such preposterous ideas belong to Baelthrom’s own.’ He glared at Domenon. ‘Now enough of this talk. Gentlemen, time wears on, let us cast the vote. All those in favour of inviting Issa to the Wizard’s Reckoning please raise your hands.’
Haelgon, Navarr, Averen, Drumblodd and Luren raised their hands. Coronos did not and, much to Freydel’s surprise, neither did Domenon.
‘Five against three, Issa will be invited to enter the Storm Holt. But the decision is hers, no one can force or deny her now,’ Freydel said. The end vote hadn’t surprised him, but at least he wasn’t the only one against it. ‘If I may ask, what are your reasons for agreeing to invite her?’
‘She is more than strong enough, and we need more adept wizards,’ Averen said passionately. The others agreed with him.
Freydel nodded, it was fair enough. ‘As you know I’ll have no part in testing Issa after sending her to Keteth. Coronos, what are you reasons for denying?’
‘I too believe she has proved herself more than capable. I only hope the Storm Holt will bring her greater peace of mind and understanding of herself,’ Coronos said.
‘Domenon? Please share your reasons,’ Freydel asked stiffly.
‘I don’t want to risk sending another woman into the Storm Holt,’ Domenon said. ‘The magic of the world is different of late, and it’s been many years since the Storm Holt was used. How do we know it hasn’t changed and become more deadly? We all know it is a gateway to the demon worlds, what if the demons have grown restless? There are too many unknowns.’
Freydel considered the man. Was there more to what he was saying? Domenon didn’t care about anyone else but himself, so why did he care about a woman going into the Storm Holt? Perhaps he didn’t want Issa to become more powerful. Perhaps he was already jealous of the powers he had seen in her. He already wanted the orbs, could he also want this raven talisman? He didn’t seem that bothered about the talisman, seemed more upset about the mark on her chest. Was he afraid the prophecies were true? Surely he would be pleased there was hope, a way to end Baelthrom. He dropped his eyes from the brooding man and looked at the others.
‘The vote has been decided, let’s end this meeting and return home. Navarr, Coronos and I will pass the invite to Issa and leave it in her hands. If she agrees we will call one more meeting.’ Freydel stood up. One by one the wizards left the Circle, with Coronos, Navarr and Freydel leaving together to return to Castle Carvon.
Freydel arrived in his room alone. Worry for Issa clenched his stomach. He slumped onto the bed and buried his face in his hands with a sigh.
I’m sorry Issa. I know you will accept the invitation. There is nothing I can do to help prepare you for the Storm Holt. I hope Zanufey can reach you there even if her moon cannot.
‘Yes,’ Issa said to a sombre-faced Freydel. ‘I accept the invitation to enter the Storm Holt. You know I couldn’t refuse.’ She spoke firmly.
‘I thought as much,’ Freydel nodded. She followed his eyes as he looked away out of the window at the darkening sky. The fire crackled in the hearth, and the room was dimming with the onset of evening. He stood up to light a few candles. He didn’t want her to go, that much was obvious. He really cared for her. She found it touching, and immediately didn’t want to be a cause of worry for him.
Coronos smiled at her. ‘I don’t think we have anything to be concerned about. Though all of us - me, Asaph, Freydel - would prefer you not to risk yourself.’
‘I’m touched by your concern, all of you. But we all know that I have to go,’ she said with a half smile. She would go, even if all the men she knew and cared about didn’t want her to. She had thought about it constantly, even before they’d invited her to the Storm Holt.
‘I have many reasons. I don’t care about sitting on the Wizard’s Circle. I don’t even
care about proving myself to anyone any more. Not after Keteth, not after the attacks on the karalanths, and certainly not after Celene.’ And she really didn’t. She had a good sense of her strengths and abilities now. What the wizards thought didn’t matter to her, only that they respected her enough. She’d like to prove her strength to Domenon though.
‘The demons from the Murk plague my dreams every time I sleep, or when my mind is still, and I don’t know why. There’s something important happening, or that I’m supposed to do, but I don’t know what. Through the Storm Holt I can reach the Murk, and find out why the demons are speaking to me,’ she trailed off. In the Storm Holt she would find her answers.
Freydel shook his head. ‘I think the demons speak to you because they know you will soon be in their clutches. Never trust a demon. Everything they do is two-faced and double-edged. As much as it pains me to see you put yourself in danger, passing the Wizard’s Reckoning will make you a stronger wizard, a stronger person.’
Issa didn’t really care about being stronger, though she didn’t voice her feelings. Since her friends and family had been killed, she cared less for herself than she dared to admit. It was either run away, or fight. She would either be a coward, or face everything that came her way until it killed her. Entering the Storm Holt was a way to be fearless and fight back. A way to vent her anger, frustration and vengeance when she could not take it out on the real enemy.
‘My biggest worry is telling Asaph. Perhaps I shouldn’t tell him,’ Issa chewed her lip. They’d had such a nice day exploring the grounds together, they’d really got on. She didn’t want to upset him or cause an argument. She wanted to spend more time with him, to let her feelings for him grow naturally. Maybe then she could relax in his arms.
‘You must tell him,’ Coronos said. ‘I understand how much he cares for you and wants to protect you, but the young man must learn that he cannot keep you under lock and key, or anyone else for that matter.’
