by Philip Blood
Making a quick decision she turned to the knights and gave her orders, “I think the Darknull beast has been within the palace, but it has departed. Hetark and Gustin, you wait here with Michael. Drake, I want you to go just outside the Main Door and watch for trouble. If something happens, give a signal to Hetark and Gustin, who will then bring Michael upstairs toward my apartments. Becaris, you come with me.”
The knights accepted her orders without question and began taking their positions. Elizabeth didn't wait; she immediately started up the stairs with Becaris following close behind. Using her aura senses Elizabeth followed the foulness that stained the passages of her home. The concentration increased as she neared her rooms. When the door to her chambers was just ahead she turned to Becaris and whispered, “Stay here, but if you hear or see anything wrong, retreat to Michael and defend him until I return.”
“Unto death, milady,” said Becaris, placing the gauntlet of his clenched right hand across his chest in salute.
Elizabeth turned and continued toward the foulness alone. She gathered her emotions and settled into a calm state of readiness. She was prepared to use her aura powers for the salvation of her husband, or if too late, the protection of her son.
She entered her sitting room and relief washed over her like a torrential rain on a fire, she saw Jatar’s unmistakable back sitting in a chair, but words of relief froze on her lips when she sensed the foulness emanating directly from Jatar. Fear returned like the freezing chill of winter. Dreading what she would find, Elizabeth extended her perceptions to read her husband’s aura patterns. She knew his aura as well as her own, but to her dismay her aura gaze revealed a strange set of patterns; and that confirmed the worst, this man was an imposter. The import of her discovery shocked Elizabeth and she staggered back a step and bumped into the door as she thought: This isn’t possible… the body is the aura and the aura is the body, no invading aura should be able to inhabit a body without changing that body… unless… unless the body was vacant… which means, oh G’lan… Jatar!
Time seemed to move slowly as the being that possessed Jatar's body turned toward the noise she had made when she hit the door. There was a flicker of surprise on Jatar’s face, but that was quickly masked and his familiar voice said, “Elizabeth, I didn’t expect you back for some time. Where is your son?”
He said, `your’ son'! Elizabeth thought as she used her special sight to inspect the aura showing around her husband’s body, but she finally admitted that the body before her held no trace of her husband’s spirit. The answer was clear, her husband was dead. Elizabeth knew of nothing else that could completely remove a person’s aura. The hideous taint of the Dark Plane continued to assault her aura senses. There was little doubt that somehow a necromancer had gotten within her beloved husband’s body. Finding her voice she fought to compose herself and the rigorous training at the Kirnath School came to her aid. She held onto outward control by force of will as she said, “Michael was tired, so I came home early and placed him in the nursery to sleep,” she lied, Michael always slept in the small chamber reached through this very room, as the real Jatar would have known.
“Very good, so, ah, what’s our plan for the rest of the evening?” CAracusS, the necromancer, asked as he thought furiously, What happened? She was supposed to be killed by our assassins! I’m too weak from the Darknull summoning to fight with a Kirnath adept. I’ll have to delay her until Von Dracek gets here, between his aura powers and my link to the Dark Plane, we should be able to overcome the powers of the sorceress.
Elizabeth spoke as calmly as she could feign, “I just wanted to tell you I was back, but I need to finish putting Michael to bed. I’ll return in a half bell or so.” Elizabeth fought to keep her voice steady, she desperately wanted to let loose her fury in a fierce blast of aura power that would disintegrate this foul creature, but she could not afford to start a battle with Michael unprotected and she didn’t know if the Darknull was still within call of the necromancer.
“Fine, I’ll wait for you here,” he said, but his thoughts were quite different. The necromancer planned to enlist Von Dracek and prepare a trap since he now believed that the sorceress was not as sensitive as Von Dracek believed. He thought he had her completely fooled.
The old necromancer looked at her through Jatar's young eyes and found her features exquisite and he abruptly decided to make use of his new young body. She thought him her husband and he figured there was always time to kill her after sampling her treasures.
Elizabeth sensed his disgusting desires and to keep from giving herself away by displaying her deep revulsion, Elizabeth turned and departed from the room. Her mind was spinning, but her thoughts went to her small child: I must save my son, you foul creature, but don’t rest easy because I swear to you now that I will totally destroy you and your kind for what you’ve done to my beloved husband.
Elizabeth walled off grief into a portion of her mind so that she could deal with it later when her son was safe.
The sorceress left the room and quickly went down the corridor to Becaris. With a motion of her hand she signaled him to follow her to the main entrance and once there she grabbed a pen and wrote a message, which read:
To those commanders and servants who are loyal to the Ardellens, take heed.
While we were away at our various celebrations on this day of Michael’s birth, a necromancer used a Darknull beast to slay Lord Jatar’s spirit but left his body intact.
A necromancer then took over his body, probably using a cathexis artifact. To your eyes and ears, he looks and sounds like your true Lord, but he is not. By use of my Kirnath powers I can see from his aura that he is no longer Jatar, he is a murdering impostor.
I know this is hard to believe because most of you know little beyond the legends of cathexis. Let me give you the facts quickly, there are nineteen known artifacts made from cathexis metal, and they come in many shapes, knives, swords, shields, rings, circlets, earrings and some unknown others. Each, large or small, has the unique property of imprinting a person’s aura. That includes their personality, virtually everything that makes an individual who they are. The object then retains this psychic imprint permanently. When combined with a person’s aura and the circumstances are correct, it can sometimes take over another person’s body; for example: when the body is empty of aura because the spirit was destroyed.
This is not a myth, it is truth. I have seen and touched cathexis metal myself and spoken with imprints of the past owners. I tell you now that this evil spirit in Jatar’s body cannot let those who knew Jatar well continue to live, he will have to kill you all lest you give away his secret. I must protect the heir, so I cannot take the risk of staying here to try and convince you, or to battle the necromancer. At your first opportunity flee for your lives, and meet me in a year’s time in the deep glens of the great Gellern forest. Ask for 'Ember' and you will be brought to me.
I swear to you as the wife of your deceased ruler, I will avenge my husband. Michael will take his rightful place on the throne of Lindankar. I do not have time to write more, soon that evil thing in Jatar’s body will discover that I have fled and he will attempt to kill me and the heir. For the safety of Michael, I must go.
G’lan save you all.
Lady Elizabeth Ember Ardellen.
“Becaris,” she said, gaining his attention when she was done writing. “Michael and I will be leaving. I want you to give this letter to our personal servants, retainers and the main commanders of the military and guard, secretly yet quickly. Let them read it and then take it to the next. Do not let Jatar or any strangers read the letter or see anyone else reading it, do you understand?”
“Not really, milady, why can’t Jatar read it?” the knight asked reasonably.
“You will understand later. I don’t want you to read it until every household servant and commander you can find before midnight has read the message. Once you read the message do as it says,” she commanded.
“All ri
ght, milady, if you say so. It doesn’t tell anyone to do anything... wrong, does it?” asked the worried and puzzled Becaris.
“No, it is what Jatar would want. Delivering this message may save countless lives, but it is not without risk; will you do it?” asked Elizabeth looking into the young man’s intense brown eyes.
“Of course, milady, but is Michael going to be safe?” he asked, concerned about his charge.
“Delivering this message will help protect him,” Elizabeth replied and then added, "I'm taking Michael away from here because no one who remains will be safe, but this message must get out.”
“Then I will carry your message,” promised the Knight Protector, and left to begin his assignment.
"Hetark, I want you and Drake to take Michael to the stables where you are to prepare eight mounts for a long ride. Gustin, go and get provisions for five people to last two weeks and meet us in the stables. Let no one see you or know what you are about; now off with you."
Elizabeth turned and went back up the stairs toward her rooms. She slipped quietly into the chamber next to her sitting room and procured clothing for her and Michael. She quickly changed into leather riding gear and then packed up two bundles of clothing. She soon left the palace proper and headed toward the stables.
Dubar, the assassin, lay in the hay of the loft overlooking the stable. From his vantage point, he could see three of Michael's Knight Protectors below: the large one was saddling the horses while the blond bearded one was provisioning the packs and the short one was holding the Lindankar heir.
Dubar and his men had been hired by the third conspirator to kill Lady Ardellen and her son. Having missed their opportunity at the church when Elizabeth departed early, their employer had brought them to the palace within his royal coach. He told the assassins to wait for Elizabeth in the stable and then departed.
Dubar had no idea how the nobleman had known that Lady Ardellen would be coming out to the stable after just arriving a few minutes before, but he had been right. As soon as he spotted some of the knights entering the stable holding the young heir he signaled his men to get ready. They had orders to attack at his command. Where her son went, the Sorceress could not be far behind.
Dubar took out the vial of Etterine poison and carefully worked out the old cork stopper. Once he had it free he took the bolt from the loaded crossbow beside him and dipped it liberally into the gray cloudy liquid. Once satisfied, he replaced the bolt in its slot and then eased the crossbow carefully into position in the hay in front of his body. He sighted down the shaft toward the double doors across the length of the barn and waited for his chance.
As Elizabeth neared the stable her mind was occupied by her worries about the necromancer within her husband's body. She kept her attention and powers concentrated in his direction in case he started to use his connection to the darkness.
Elizabeth reached the stable and opened the door a body's width before slipping inside.
Dubar saw her step in and took careful aim with his poisoned bolt. With a squeeze of his finger, he let the deadly bolt fly. The moment he pulled the trigger he whistled shrilly and then scampered to his feet. He scooped up the large battle ax he had ready and leaped down to a pile of hay below.
Although Elizabeth's concentration was on the palace and the necromancer, her powers were active, so she sensed more than saw the deadly bolt streaking for her heart. Desperately the sorceress tried to raise her shields and move out of the way, but she felt as though she were swimming through brown syrup; there just wasn't enough time. She barely managed to turn before the bolt hit with stunning force, driving its way into the far right side of her chest. Time sped up and Elizabeth felt herself slammed against the wooden door. She slid to the ground as her knees gave out. Desperately she tried to regain control of her pain-wracked mind.
From places of concealment, the other assassins hurled forward in a surprise attack on the unsuspecting knights who were only now starting to realize that something was amiss.
Dubar had given his men quick and terse instructions, they were to keep the knights busy until he could finish Lady Ardellen. He ran lithely past the battling knights with his eyes locked on the stricken Kirnath Sorceress. As he ran he lifted the heavy ax with which he planned to strike her head from her shoulders in one massive blow. He figured that even a sorceress couldn't heal herself from such a terrible wound.
Gustin saw three dark shapes baring naked blades rushing forward, so he bellowed with his considerable lungs, "We're under attack!"
The massive knight let one hand release the saddle he was holding and slapped the horse before him on the rump; it leaped forward knocking down one of the approaching men.
Hetark's blond bearded face was calm as he stepped from behind the horses into the path of the two other oncoming assassins. He swept his sword from his sheath in a fluid motion. "Keep Michael SAFE!" he exclaimed to Drake. The smaller knight stood holding the bundled little boy a few paces behind Hetark.
The leader of the assassins reached Elizabeth and prepared to strike with his raised ax.
Inside her body Elizabeth was fighting a battle. She had regained her concentration and reached past the pain with her aura powers. She sought the wound and the metal bolt that transfixed her lung, but then she felt the effects of the Etterine poison. It ate at her concentration like acid. Elizabeth strove to concentrate her muddled thoughts and marshal her powers of healing. She ignored the bolt and bent her power on changing her poison-tainted blood back to normal. She knew she could deal with the bolt once her mind was entirely free of the poison's effect. With her mind absorbed with the internal battle, she had no idea that death approached on the edge of a hurling ax blade.
Gustin looked toward Elizabeth and saw her on the ground; a man was nearly to her and he was brandishing a huge ax. With no time to reach them before the ax fell, and having no bow or sling, Gustin did the only thing he could; he threw the heavy saddle with all his strength. It flew the full forty feet that separated them and just as the ax began to fall the saddle struck the man in the back with great force. The impact of the heavy leather knocked him and his ax against the wooden frame of the stable door with a loud 'thump'.
Gustin trusted Hetark against the two opponents charging him, and he noted Drake retreating with Michael. With his charge safe for the moment, Gustin turned his full attention on Lady Ardellen. The big knight ran toward her assassin like a charging hoofhorn.
Hetark didn't wait for the two assassins to attack; he leaped toward the nearest man, thereby reaching one opponent before the next could arrive. With blinding speed and utter control of his body, the knight sidestepped the man's thrust and slashed the attacker's throat open with a quick pull of his blade. The man fell gurgling to the soft floor of the stable while Hetark stepped clear of the dying man and faced the next opponent.
The man attempted a foolish slash with his sword, which Hetark parried and then coolly ran him through. It wasn't for naught that Lord Jatar had searched the entire Kingdom to find his son's Knight Protectors; they were the six greatest fighters in the land.
Just as Hetark finished off his second opponent the assassin's third henchman recovered from the glancing blow of Gustin's horse, and leaped for Hetark's back brandishing his sword.
The attacker never made it to Hetark because Drake threw a dagger with his free hand while holding Michael safely with his other arm. The throw took the last attacker in the center of his back and he dropped instantly.
Dubar was only momentarily stunned from the impact of the saddle. The assassin quickly regained his balance and started to raise his ax, but even though Elizabeth was right before him a huge man was only strides away and coming fast. Dubar turned and raised the ax to finish the approaching knight, he thought the Sorceress helpless from the poison.
Gustin was concentrating so hard on arriving in time to stop the assassin that he had not even pulled a weapon.
As the man swung the ax down toward Gustin's head the kni
ght reached up and met the shaft of the plunging weapon with his open palm. The hardwood smacked into the center of his hand with a meaty `thwack'. The heavy ax was brought to an instant halt. Gustin wrenched the ax from the other man’s weaker grip with a heave of massive muscles built up nearly from birth on the anvil of his father's smithy.
Dubar was momentarily stunned; nothing should have been able to stop the weight of that ax, certainly not a man's arm.
Gustin brought the flat of the ax back around in a cross swinging motion that struck the assassin on the side of his head. The massive weight of the ax broke Dubar's skull and he fell dead at Gustin's feet.
Dubar's body fell next to Elizabeth just as she finished pulling the bolt from her chest while healing her wound with her aura powers. Now that she'd neutralized the weak poison it was easy for her to match her wounded aura colors to her normal patterns and her body changed to match the repaired aura. The ugly wound in her chest closed and then gradually vanished.
Gustin had seen the bolt stuck in her chest as she'd fallen, and now he knelt to see if there was anything he could do to save her life. Worry creased his large face into a map of lines; yet as he took hold of her she looked up and said, "I'm all right Gustin, is Michael safe?" The worry for her son was very evident in the tone of her voice.
Gustin gaped at the blood on her clothes, but the bolt lay in her hand, not embedded in her as he thought he had seen.
"Are you not wounded, milady?" he asked.
"No longer Gustin, I'm fine."
"Michael is safe, milady," Drake explained, having just approached. He extended the young boy who was reaching to get to his mother and started to cry when his efforts were in vain.
Gustin helped Elizabeth stand. She looked at the bolt she still held in her hand and then tossed it to the ground a few feet away. She bent down to the body of the dead assassin and searched his pockets and soon came up with the vial of Etterine poison.
