Distaste flashed briefly across Maggas’ face before he realized it, and schooled his expression. The look on Baalnar’s face was more of anticipation and………satisfaction, almost likes a wolf that had spied its next meal.
“These women are influential and quite resourceful, as you can imagine. They hold positions of authority and influence inside the city,” she waited for that tidbit to sink into the men’s thick skulls. “You will be cooperating with them, since they are extremely enterprising and can aid us greatly in our mutual cause,” she said flatly.
Allysix didn’t like either of these men’s attitudes towards women. Maggas seemed to despise women to a certain degree, except Allysix of course. To Maggas, Allysix was the only woman he needed, and no other had any use.
Baalnar on the other hand, was somewhat arrogant, and thought all women fancied him. He took pride in thinking he could make any woman swoon for him with his looks and cleverness. Both of the men’s attitudes were rather irritating to Allysix.
“I have just come from a meeting with these women, and we have devised a plan which you will help carry out,” Allysix announced impatiently. “And you will cooperate fully with them.”
“Of course, Great Mistress,” in concert, came the reply from the two men. At least they were not fool enough to question her.
“We need a few men to carry out some special tasks as part of our plan. Do we have any……clever men among our disciples? Any who have half a brain, and can be at least somewhat tactful and discrete?” Allysix asked contemptuously.
Baalnar’s expression seemed to say that he was a clever man, but at least he was clever enough to keep his mouth shut about that.
“We need some men to infiltrate the fisherman and dockworker’s guilds,” Allysix continued before either could offer themselves as potential candidates. “We need plain men that can blend in, preferably ones that have actually worked as fishermen or dockworkers, if at all possible. It will not do us any good to have unskilled men fumbling around the nets or boats pretending to know what they were doing. They would be discovered, and make it even more difficult to infiltrate.”
Anyone could be a dockworker, but they needed to possess at least a little tact and good judgment in order to pull off what Allysix had planned.
“How many do you require, Great Mistress?” Maggas asked diffidently.
“For now, we will need at least five…….no make that six men, for our plan. Bring to me six of the most intelligent, clever men we have at our disposal. They need to be able to be discrete, not flamboyant, whereby drawing unwanted attention to themselves. The key here is for them to be able to blend in without raising suspicion.”
Allysix’s hopes were not high to say the least. After all, they only had less than fifty among their numbers at the moment, and she would be surprised if they found one or two good men. She had seen and dealt with many of them, and most had less than half a brain in her opinion.
To Allysix’s surprise, Maggas and Baalnar actually cooperated in discussing a list of names between them, before narrowing it down to six names. The two men only disagreed on the last, but Baalnar insisted on a man named Talvin as the final candidate, and Maggas finally conceded.
After the two men had made their decision, Baalnar went to the door and spoke softly with the guard outside before returning to take his seat. “They have been sent for and will be here shortly,” he said, with at least a little respect.
The lack of Great Mistress, once again was apparent. Allysix thought to herself that she might need to knock Baalnar down a peg or two fairly soon. The man was much too full of himself, and pushed the boundaries of propriety far too often.
After several moments there was a knock on the door, then the guard peeked his head through the opening to say, “The men you sent for are here, Great Mistress.”
“Send them in,” Baalnar said, before Allysix had a chance to respond. Allysix cast Baalnar a dangerous look, which he didn’t even seem to notice.
The door opened wider and six men filed in to stand before Allysix. They all wore looks of frightened animals, and shifted uncomfortably on their feet at the sight of Allysix. It was good that they were nervous, just as they should be in the presence of the Blood Witch. All were wary except one, who appeared to be more alert than frightened. Allysix had a suspicion that this was Talvin, which the two men had been in disagreement on including. She eyed the men in turn for several moments before saying, “Are you all faithful followers, willing to do whatever I ask of you?”
“Yes Great Mistress,” came the staggered responses from all six men, who bowed deeply as they spoke.
“I have called you into service this day. You have been chosen for a……special task,” she paused to gauge their reactions. Most seemed excited and proud at being chosen personally by Allysix for some special task, but the only exception was Talvin. He was able to conceal his expression well, but now Allysix was able to sense his apprehension and unease at the special attention he was receiving.
What are your names and your trades?” Allysix asked curtly.
As it turned out, three of the men, Jaal, Ker, and Benciago, had actually been in the fisherman’s guild at various times, although they hadn’t lasted long. It seemed they didn’t like the smell of fish, or the hard work involved. When asked, they didn’t think anyone in the guild would recognize them, and they would be able to meld back in without much trouble, although they didn’t seem overjoyed at the prospect.
The other two, Carlio and Fornus, were to enter employment in the dockworkers guild. Their job was to subtly, gently introduce discord and suggestions to aid in widening the rift that was beginning to form among the factions, just as the three in the fisherman’s guild were to do. Allysix had her doubts about these last two. They seemed to be a few straws short of a full bale. She really hoped that they had been chosen because of their experience working on the docks, and not because they were the most clever available to her.
The sixth man, Talvin, she saved for last. Allysix knew he was not what he seemed to be. The man said that he had been employed in several of the guilds but none for very long. Allysix took extra care in questioning him to get to the truth of matters. Talvin was actually quite an extraordinary man as it turned out. No matter what Allysix questioned him on, or how she tried to trip him up in his words, he never faltered. She could not entangle him in his own lies. Allysix knew he was not what he said he was, but Talvin was expert in double talk and deception.
On further probing, Allysix eventually discovered that Talvin was actually a spy sent by the assassin’s guild to infiltrate the Black Brotherhood and report back to see if they were a threat. Talvin had also been given the task to kill Maggas, if given the opportunity.
Maggas was furious with the revelation and wanted to kill the man right then and there. Allysix forestalled the mage by saying they could make better use of Talvin other than to kill him. Talvin had been caught up in the events surrounding Allysix arrival, and had now seemed to have changed his loyalties to her, claiming that once he learned Allysix was the Blood Witch, he had given himself completely into her service, and forsaken his former oaths.
Allysix was extra careful with Talvin, and gave him added incentives to make sure he remained loyal to her. In the end, she was confident that he, out of all of them, would be a most valuable asset. Allysix then sent Talvin off to find Mistress Gilda, who was in charge of serving meals at the council meeting of the guild heads with the Magistrate. Talvin was more than capable of dropping a few words here, instilling doubt there, and whispering in ears. There was no doubt in Allysix’s mind that he would be more valuable than the other five put together.
Once Allysix had set everything straight, and sent everyone off to their respective duties, she sat back to relax with a nice glass of wine. Everything was turning out quite well, she thought to herself. She was enjoying the moment when a knock came at the door. Before she even had a chance to give permission to enter, the door opened and
Baalnar burst in. “You have a messenger,” he announce haughtily.
Once again, the lack of formal address, and the fact that he didn’t even wait for her permission to enter, was infuriating, but her curiosity got the best of her. “A messenger? From whom?” Allysix asked.
“The man said he is from a village called Gloryvane. I was going to send him away, but he insisted that you would want to hear the message he is carrying. He was adamant that he would either wait, or come back every day until he was allowed to see you. I figured I should at least ask you before I sent him away.”
“Wise decision,” Allysix said dryly, “send him in.”
After a moment the door opened again and a tall young man of thin build entered the room. He had dark hair and eyes, and rather striking features. Baalnar followed the young man into the room and began to close the door behind him.
“That will be all, Baalnar,” Allysix said dismissively. Her tone left no room for argument. Baalnar stopped in mid-stride, with a look of dismay on his face, which became anger, before he turned and left the room.
The dark young man strode forward and bowed formally, “Great Mistress, I have news from Gloryvane.”
“Gloryvane?” Allysix said in dismay.
“Ahhh………pardon Great Mistress, it was Cag when you were last there,” the young man said tentatively. The name was changed to Gloryvane shortly after you passed through.”
“Cag?” Allysix couldn’t hide the anticipation from her face. Had they captured the boy Jak for her? Did this man have Jak with him? Allysix discovered strange foreign feelings arising inside her at the prospect of seeing Jak again. She let herself reach out and feel for him. No, to her disappointment, Jak was to the east of Cag and still a long ways off, not unless the villagers of Cag had secreted him away awaiting her command.
Just feeling the boy’s presence, as far off as he was, gave Allysix an unfamiliar feeling of…….. comfort? This needed to stop. He was only a boy, a tool she could use to further her purpose, nothing more. Allysix needed to stop herself from thinking of Jak in this strange and unfamiliar way.
“What word do you have from Cag? Do you have the boy?” she asked angrily, already knowing the answer.
“Ahhh…….no….a……….he was not alone when he came to Glor----umm Cag,” the young man said, taking a step backwards as he caught the flash of anger in Allysix’s eyes.
“There were three others with him. A girl not more than seven or eight, a balding old man who wore a brown robe and a huge warrior were all with the boy.”
The young man paused for a moment swallowing hard, “We fed them and put viserat root in the wine to make them sleep. But the boy would not drink the wine. Once the others were well and truly asleep we tried to take him and kill the others, but…..he ….he killed everyone.”
Allysix sat up in her chair, now intent on the young man’s words. This was wonderful news to her. She cared nothing for the villagers, but Jak….. “How did he kill them?”
“Ahhh… he… he just killed them… with his hands and tables and things like that,” the young man said uncertainly, not knowing what she was asking.
“Was that all? Did he do anything else, anything unusual in killing them?” Allysix asked expectantly.
“Well……there was one…. My….. my sister Jissera. I thought she had persuaded him….to………they were starting to…..I though he would kiss…… But then he bit her neck, and seemed to………drink her blood. She was dead all the same, but I have never seen anything like that. It was almost like a wild animal.”
So Jak had fed after all. That was fantastic news indeed! The boy Jak had fed at least once. That was as much as Allysix had hoped for. Well…she actually hoped it would be more than once. But once was better than not at all. It would aid in his turning. Once he got a taste for the blood, he would no doubt want more.
“Where are they now?” Allysix demanded.
“I followed them, keeping out of sight of course, down the North Sanchi Road until they came to the old road that leads east into the Achii Mountains. There, they turned and followed that road east,” the young man finished in a rush.
What was the boy Jak doing? He could undoubtedly feel her pull on him. Why was he going east? There was nothing that way that Allysix knew about except mountains and the East Sea if you went far enough. Why was the boy Jak not coming straight to her? The thought made her a little angry, and something else she could not put her finger on. Was it jealousy? Was she jealous that he would not run straight to her?
“Who else knows about this?” Allysix asked.
“No one, Great Mistress,” the young man answered, “everyone else there in…Cag…is…..dead.”
“Have you told anyone here this news since you arrived? Or anyone along the way…any of it?” Allysix asked, lowering her gaze.
“No, no one. Nothing… I have not told anyone any of what I saw, except for you, Great Mistress.” The young man replied with pleading in his voice.
“Good,” Allysix said in a mild, soothing voice. “You have done well, just as I commanded.” His face brightened a little with the reassurance. “Come here to me…you deserve a reward.”
As the young man approached, Allysix took his hands and placed them around her waist. Then she slid her arms around his neck, pulling him close. He was hesitant at first, not knowing what she was doing, but when he felt her body pressing against his, then his base instincts took over, and he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close against him. Men were so predictable, Allysix thought to herself.
The look on the dark young man’s face said he was receiving the grandest reward anyone could ever receive. His eyes stared rapturously at nothing, and he wore a smile of pure ecstasy and joy on his face, which continued until his eyes glazed over, and he fell lifelessly to the floor.
Allysix stepped back and looked at the young man lying there on the floor. She was somewhat pleased with herself for some reason. After all, she wasn’t heartless, not completely anyway. She had rewarded the young man for his actions, and kept the boy Jak a secret at the same time. The young messenger’s last moments of life were the most sheer ecstasy and pleasure he would ever know. For some reason that made her feel good.
Chapter 12
Jak was actually looking forward to a good peaceful nights rest tonight since they were going to stay at an inn for once. They had ridden hard for two days, and reached the village of Hellstone just before sundown. Hellstone seemed to be a quaint village a little bit larger than Kragston. It apparently had gotten its name due to an incredibly large stone that sat just to the east of the town. The odd stone didn’t look like a mountain, exactly; it looked more like an enormous boulder had just been placed on top of the ground outside of town. It appeared to be one gigantic rock, and somewhat out of place in its surroundings.
The past two days on the road had been long and hard because they were all more than eager to quickly get as far away from the valley where the graywraiths had attacked as they could manage. This meant they would set off at first light, and wouldn’t stop until it was too dark to go any further. The first night after the attack everyone’s nerves were on edge. Jak didn’t sleep well at all that night, tossing and turning, and waking at every little sound he heard. The others didn’t fair much better being on pins and needles themselves.
Benjim didn’t know if the graywraiths would follow them out of the mountains or not. They were still quite a ways from any civilization, and the night was dark and ominous, making it necessary to keep the fire burning brightly. The old man seemed to think that the graywraiths would not follow this far, but his uncertainty showed on his countenance, and he was just as nervous and on edge as everyone else.
Benjim speculated that the stone marker they had seen on their way up the mountain had actually been a warning sign telling people not to pass that way. Perhaps the graywraiths had always been there in that valley. and would not, or could not leave the place. Or maybe the marker had nothing
to do with the graywraiths at all ,but the speculation still did nothing to ease any of their paranoia.
The second night wasn’t nearly as bad as the first had been. They had moved south out of the foothills of the Achii Mountains, and were now in more open rolling hills. The trees were patchy and further between, and in many spots there were large expanses of rolling grassland where no trees grew at all. But the memory of the beasts, and their terrifying attack was still fresh. Jak wasn’t sure he would ever completely get over it, and be comfortable in the wilderness at night again.
But tonight it seemed Jak would not have to worry about graywraiths or sleeping on the hard ground in the dark. The Big Elm Inn was the only one in the small town of Hellstone. It was however, fairly large, and had ample rooms. Merchants would come to Hellstone on occasion from Yilavo City to buy and sell goods. The merchants would take rooms at the inn for several days at a time while they did business before heading back south.
Yilavo City was two days ride further south down the North Sanchi Road. Jak was fairly certain that was where the witch…….and perhaps Brigette was located. His feeling of being drawn in that direction hadn’t changed in quite some time. The pulling remained constant in the same direction, just growing a little stronger the further south they traveled. Jak was filled with a mix of apprehension and excitement at the prospect of getting to Yilavo City since he wanted to find out what had happened to Brigette. Was she alright? Did the witch have her captive….…..or….worse? But at the same time, he dreaded the thought of seeing the Blood Witch again, and hoped he could find Brigette and avoid seeing the witch altogether.
The Blood Witch (The Blood Reign Chronicles Book 1) Page 25
