“Now, what have we learned, Pet?” Salynth said with a cackle. Taeben sat on the floor in a heap, a spell book open on the floor in front of him. She had the heavy chain that attached to the metal collar around his neck twined into her fingers, and she held it as though it was weightless. Now and then, she gave the chain a yank, nearly pulling Taeben over onto his face. He exhaled sharply, his eyes narrowed in anger.
“That you are a heartless…” Taeben cried out as he doubled over in pain. Mysterious symbols floated on the edge of his vision, red and angry, as they seemed to sear into his mind.
“A heartless what? Oh, I think we both already knew that,” Salynth said, clucking her tongue. “Now then, you’ve had a taste of my power, so I will ask you again…what have you learned?”
“Mesmerizing an opponent is the first step to charming,” Taeben replied, quoting the spell book. “First you must confuse your victim, then enchant. Then, in my case, burn,” he finished, a small smile dancing across his face as it followed the image of Salynth alight through his mind’s eye. She clapped her hands and laughed with glee.
“Yes! Oh, I can’t wait to see that in action,” she said.
“Me either,” Taeben muttered. “Will I have a chance to practice, Mistress?”
Salynth drummed her spindly translucent fingers on her chin. “I think so, yes,” she said, her face splitting into a terrifying grin. “I think I know just the subject: That cat in your room, Kazhmere. She will make a wonderful minion for you.”
Something deep inside of Taeben stirred, then fell silent. Was that…pity? He suddenly found that he could not rid himself of images of Kazhmere’s face, the happy smile that spread warmly into his bones as she healed the scars on his wrists, and those inquisitive eyes that drank in his every word as he told her about his time in Bellesea Keep.
She was just a young one... The window to the part of his soul that housed pity slammed shut. She was a young one and therefore would be an easy mark for practice. “Agreed, Mistress,” he said, and in that moment made a silent vow that he would never be in such a subservient role again. Kazhmere would see to that. Taeben beamed a complacent smile up at Salynth, who in turn giggled with glee.
“I do love a good cat fight,” she said, her voice trembling with maniacal pleasure. “Let’s go see what you can do, my Pet.” She yanked the chain around Taeben’s neck, pulling him to his feet roughly and positively skipped out the door and down the hall to the room where Kazhmere was.
“Mistress…” One of the shades that patrolled the halls of that floor, appearing as an empty suit of armor, blocked her path. To Taeben, those horrible creatures seemed to enjoy lying in wait with the other armor that was hanging from the wall and then jumping out at him as he passed, but they had never done that to Salynth. Something must be wrong.
“Not now, my Pet, I have matters to which I must attend,” she barked at the shade, attempting to push past it and continue down the hall.
“You may not pass, Mistress. There are invaders in the tower, on the lower floors,” the shade said, its voice barely an icy whisper.
Taeben felt the hair stand up on the back of his neck. More invaders? Salynth had forced him to practice his wizard magic on the last group and he had not yet been able to shake the image of the Qatu female he had removed from the tower with a transportation spell. Her eyes had locked on his, and the fear he saw there…the window of pity opened just a crack for a moment, and then slammed down shut again. “Fear is weakness. Weakness is death,” he whispered to himself.
“Then handle it,” Salynth said, her voice filling with rage. “Is this not why I keep you here? Is this not why I spared you from the cold and dark embrace of the Void?” The shade nodded its head and turned to float back the way it came. Salynth’s face changed as an idea occurred to her. “A moment, my Pet?” The shade halted and turned around.
Something in its manner of movement unsettled Taeben. It was as though an invisible puppet master that pulled and jerked the strings to cause it to move was controlling the suit of armor. However, this was no puppet master, invisible or not. This was the dark magic that Salynth possessed; the magic that she fed into the Tower as though it was a living being. The shade, the magic doorways, even down to the very stones that made up the walls, all of it was an extension of Salynth’s magical prowess. Taeben looked at her in wonder. Could he be that powerful one day?
“Yes, Mistress?” the shade said, again bowing its armored yet invisible head.
“Describe the invaders. Tell me; is there a Qatu with them?”
“Aye, Mistress, in fact there are two, a male and a female. The female was here before, just recently, until your pet wizard threw her back out into the snow.” Taeben’s vision began to turn red around the edges as he stared at the shade.
Salynth chuckled. “Pet wizard indeed! You’d be well served to show my Pet some respect, minion,” she hissed at the shade through a fangy grin. “I could let his magic loose and then where would you be?” Taeben thought he could just detect a mild shiver run through the suit of armor that hung in the air before him. Good, the shade feared him. “Is the male Qatu…the Rajah?”
“No, Mistress. It is called ‘Sath’ by its companions. There are two wood elf druids and two warriors, one dwarf and one gnome, in the party as well as the other Qatu,” the shade said.
“Ah, Sath, I do believe I know that name. Is the dwarf warrior called Teeand by any chance?” she said, eyeing the suit of armor.
“Aye, Mistress. The tiny one in green armor is Teeand, who did come here with Sathlir in the past and defeat…”
“Enough!” Salynth’s sudden outburst accompanied a bright shock of lightning that flew from her fingertips and absolutely incinerated the shade, armor and all. It barely had time to cry out, as it seemed to burn out of existence. She turned to Taeben who was staring at her with a combination of amazement, horror, and utter respect in his gaze. Salynth beamed a fangy grin at him. “Liked that, did you Pet?” she said, moving closer to Taeben as she yanked him close by his collar. He tried to fight back revulsion as her cold fingers caressed the side of his face. “I can teach you to do that, and so much more,” she whispered. “There is great untapped power in you, I can feel it.” Taeben nodded, swallowing hard. “Power to rule, to dominate, and to destroy. Is that your wish, my Pet?”
Taeben looked up at her, knowing that this moment would seal his fate. He clicked the lock on the metaphorical window that looked in onto his capacity for pity, compassion and love; and then faced the horrible red gaze of his destiny. “Aye Mistress, as you command,” he said. “I wish only to learn.” Images of Salynth begging for her life, alight with wizard’s fire, and then torn into thousands of pieces floated randomly across his mind as she dragged him on down the hall by his collar. “I wish only to learn.”
Twenty-Nine
Passing through the enchanted doors was a strange experience for a magic user, but for the two warriors it was downright torture. Hack clung to Elysiam’s leg as she sprinted along behind Sath, and Teeand held Gin’s arm in his hand as she crossed through the doorway, his eyes squeezed shut. “I hate magic!” the dwarf exclaimed as they landed, again in a heap, on the stone floor. They had made it to the fourth floor, which seemed to be a crypt.
Dark colored tiles that seemed to ooze and drip with a foul brownish substance covered the walls, floor, and ceiling. Here and there were sarcophagi, some open and empty, some sealed, and some broken apart as though the inhabitant had second thoughts about being entombed. Gin shivered a bit and unwittingly moved closer to Sath making him smile down at her and Anni growl low in her throat.
“We gonna cloak up to hide or suit up to fight?” Elysiam said, her annoyance clear. She had grumbled softly across floors two and three at their clandestine advance and was itching for a good brawl with the inhabitants of the fourth floor, but it seemed that someone had already put them to their final rest.
“I don’t see anything here to fight,” Anni said. “Tho
ugh I do remember a particularly nasty witch down the other end by the next doorway.” She shivered a bit and tried stepping closer to Sath, who patted her on the head in a most sibling-like manner and then shifted his attention back to Gin.
“Aye, that witch is a nasty one, that’s the truth! She’s got some dark magic in her and can pull up a whirlwind that will flatten you into these hard stone walls.” Teeand said as he glanced over at Sath, a wry smile peeking out from under his beard. “Remember, Cat?” he said, and Sath nodded gravely.
“A little less nostalgia, a little more action, please?” Elysiam said as she flipped her weapon up into her hand. “Fighting or hiding? Someone make the call before I take you lot on myself.”
“I guess it can’t hurt to fight our way through this floor can it?” Gin said, hoping against all hope that someone would disagree, and then they could just sneak past whatever horrible thing was resting in each of those stone coffins that littered the floor.
“We’ll be fine,” Anni said. Everyone turned to look at her. “I said the witch was nasty, but she doesn’t always come out to strike out against strangers in her den. My group was unlucky enough to witness her ire but we got past her and through the doorway at the other end.” Anni grinned. “The witch doesn’t have the magic she needs to get through the doorway to the other side.” Her gaze fell on Gin, ever the sycophant, who was staring worriedly at Anni’s Prince. This might be her chance to run on ahead with the druid! She had no doubt that Sath and Teeand and the others could defeat the witch, and she was certain that they had already passed through all the doorways in the past and were just letting her take the lead. Such an honorable soul was Sath. It only made Anni love him more.
Teeand folded his arms over his chest with some difficulty due to the heavy breastplate he wore. “Now I’m not saying that I want to run away from a fight, you understand, but do we really want to leave Kazhmere a moment longer than we must? If we can slip past this floor and the next one I think we will be getting close to where that demon dragonkind keeps her prisoners.”
Hack shook his head and tapped Teeand on the elbow. “I think we need to let Elys fight her way through here or she is going to flip out on us, Tee.” He deftly dodged a kick from the wood elf as she scowled at him.
“Oh, aye, Hack, I’m afraid you’re right,” Teeand said, looking at Elysiam’s scowl and wincing. “Right, let’s get this over with then, shall we?” The dwarf raised his axe and ran down the first corridor they found, shouting insults as he went, and then stopped for a moment to listen. The group gathered around him, eyes peeled in the semi darkness and ears pricked for any sounds.
“What is that?” Gin whispered. Sath looked down at her and smiled his best confident smile, but it did not go to his eyes. A low moan had started up in the dimly lit corridor ahead, past the open room with the stone coffins in all manners of opened states. A second otherworldly voice joined the first, followed by a third, all of them magnifying the off-pitch howl that was rising and bouncing off the tiled walls and ceiling.
“Healing magic at the ready, Gin?” he whispered and she nodded.. “Good girl. You are on that solo, I think, because Elys seems to have other plans.”
At the sound of her name, Elysiam turned to face them. Gin recognized the bloodlust in her sister druid’s eyes and frowned. “I think you’re right, Sath,” she said. “May you have nothing but luck,” she whispered in Qatunari, and he smiled at her pronunciation.
“That’s getting better, Gin,” he whispered back, clearly proud of her. Anni rolled her eyes at both of them.
“The phrase is ‘may fortune perpetually shine on you,’ Sath,” she muttered. Teeand looked over his shoulder and glared at her, so Anni gave him a “Who, me?” look and readied her instrument.
“You going to play them to death,” Teeand said gruffly, “or are you just planning to alert all the other floors above us to our presence?”
“You’ve never fought with a bard before,” Anni replied in curt tones. She strummed her lute and started in on a song with sharp, staccato notes. As she wound into that severe melody a softer, earthier tone, Gin started to feel a bit fuzzy headed. She shook off the sensation and concentrated her focus on Teeand and Hackort, as she knew they would be the first ones into the battle, but soon she was feeling almost sleepy. She moved away from Anni and into a corner, her normal spot so that nothing could sneak up on her, and went back to her spell work.
Sath summoned his magical pet immediately and sent the beast over to guard Gin while she healed the group. Elysiam, barely able to contain herself, was inches behind Hackort and Teeand as they advanced into the dimly lit corridor. “Move up to me!” Teeand called out, and the other three obeyed. Gin again found herself a comfortable little corner and readied herself to keep her friends alive, Sath’s pet positioned between her and the group for safety. Anni moved up next to Sath and intensified the earthier of the two melodies that now wound their way from her lute like snakes and wrapped themselves around Sath. The staccato melody stretched its influence over the two warriors, winding them up in a red cloud of bloodlust and the desire to fight, while it seemed to tickle at the back of Elysiam’s neck, causing the hair there to stand on end. There were almost no staccato notes left for Sath, which was Anni’s plan.
As she continued to weave the two melodies together into a healing harmony that drove listeners to battle, she added a third strain as her guild master had taught her to do. The third lulled the enemy and slowed them down, charming them into an enchanted sleep. Elysiam, Hackort and Teeand were positively chewing through the shades and phantoms that came from all directions as though they were made of paper, and Sath’s pet, who had moved up to his master, was keeping him from harm’s way, so Anni focused the third melody on Gin, still in her corner.
She watched out of the corner of her eye, as Gin rubbed her eyes and then focused on her healing. If she glanced Anni’s way, the bard would pull back on the strength of the melody. All she needed was for Gin to figure out what she was doing and alert the Prince. Anni concentrated again on the first two melodies, reigniting the fire in Elysiam’s attack and pushing Hackort and Teeand to bellow with new fury, pulling ghostly bodies out of their coffins with their words and force of will.
“Who dares disturb our peaceful rest?” bellowed a scratchy female voice that seemed to have a dozen or more deep voices echoing behind and through it.
“It’s the witch,” Sath whispered, anxiety clear in his voice. “She’s awake.”
“Awake and here,” said the same cackling voice from just behind Sathlir. She was a small woman with green skin the same shade as the walls around her. Her chin jutted out, causing her face to wear a permanent hideous grin. Sath braced himself as he turned, but the whirlwind hit him in mid-turn and he flew across the open room, bouncing off one of the walls and coming to rest half in and half out of one of the open stone coffins. Gin started toward him but his pet stepped into her path, snarling at the witch and bearing his teeth. Again, the wind rose up and the pet disappeared into a cloud of dust, reforming across the room. It shook itself hard and again lunged for the witch, giving Gin a clear path to get to the male Qatu whose breath grew shallower by the moment.
“SATH!” She screamed as she reached him. There was no answer. Gin did not wait, but put her hands on his chest and frantically spoke words of healing. “ELYS!” She looked frantically for Elysiam who was hurtling all sorts of fire magic at the witch, keeping it stunned, and made no move to help Gin. “Oh, no, please, come on, Cat!” Gin cried out as she continued pumping the healing magic into Sath’s body.
“Just…promise you won’t…singe my fur?” Sath murmured, groaning as he lifted one giant clawed hand and rested it on Gin’s head. She cried out and threw her arms around his neck. “Ow, careful you, don’t make me put you in my pocket.”
“The Mistress will not be pleased,” hissed the witch. “Not. Pleased.” She waved her arms and disappeared in a cloud of vile smelling green smoke.
&
nbsp; “What did she mean, the Mistress?” Elysiam said, breathing heavy as she got up from the floor and dusted herself off. “Salynth?”
Teeand nodded. “Most likely. She’s popped upstairs to tip that hag off that we are here.” He frowned and stroked his beard. “This is not good, mates. Not good at all.”
“No, it isn’t,” Anni said, but she was hardly talking about the situation with the sorceress. She could have driven Gin through the magical doorway and left her there, but then who would have healed Sath? Disgusted, she admitted to herself that that she needed the druid for the time being at least. The other one was no help when it came to healing, a fact that was abundantly clear. Her own healing songs were getting stronger but she was not skilled enough yet to keep Sath alive and safe and that, aside from rescuing Kazhmere, was the only thing that mattered.
“MISTRESS!” The witch ran through the corridors on the top floor of the Tower, its foul stench following her like a cloud. “MISTRESS!” It skidded to a halt as Salynth coalesced in front of it in the hallway.
“There had better be an extremely important reason why you have summoned me this way,” she hissed at the witch, who immediately bowed in front of its mistress.
“They are here, Mistress, and they are formidable,” the witch said, its voice a crackly whisper. “All of my minions, my brothers and sisters in death, they are all gone,” it wailed. Salynth reached down and lifted the witch’s chin in her fingers until the pitiful creature was looking her in the eyes.
“You left them to die so that you could come tell me what I would have found out anyway, did you?” The witch’s eyes opened wide for a moment, and then the preternatural light that cast an amber glow on Salynth’s hand snuffed out. “Pitiful really,” she said as she dropped the witch’s body. The witch had been kept alive for so long by Salynth’s magic that without it, its body shriveled and rotted before it had even hit the floor.
Wanderer Page 28
