by J. K. Barber
“Rise,” she spoke in a commanding tone. It got its hands underneath itself and got off the table. It stood before her obediently, its robes in torn rags. “I am your Mistress. You and your kind will do only as I command. Go to your elder.” It went to stand next to the other Shadow Walker. “Now, both of you go get me the other four bodies. A half dozen of you should do.” They regarded her with expressionless eyes for a moment and then left the room.
The Ice Queen repeated the process four more times and was near exhaustion when she was done. She stood and looked over her new creations. “You,” she pointed to her eldest. “Clothe your new brothers and equip them. Train them as you have been trained. You have one week. Return to me after you have done so.”
It nodded, moved to a shadow and disappeared into it, and the new Shadow Walkers followed its example. Before the Shadow Walker that in life had been a sorcerer entered the darkness, the Ice Queen grabbed his arm.
“You stay. I will teach you myself,” she said. “Stay here. I will rest and return for your training.”
It nodded and went to stand in one of the many shadows in the lab. The Ice Queen knew he would stand there motionless until she returned.
Sighing heavily but smiling smugly, the Ice Queen left the lab and went upstairs to where the main door of the tower should have been. She spoke two words, “Reva Porta,” and the thick wooden door shimmered into existence. She undid the bar that bolted it shut and opened the door. Captain Ra’thet was there waiting patiently, bathed by the smell of the soap on his skin, and his equipment was polished back to its usual glossy black. She then smelled burning flesh in the air and saw ashes flitting and spinning on the night breeze.
“The bodies of the dead are burning then?” the Ice Queen asked.
“Yes, Empress, exactly as you commanded,” Ra’thet said, as he knelt before her with his helm in the crook of his arm.
“Your men will behave without you this evening?” she asked with a hand on her hip.
“Yes, Empress,” he said, trying to hide a grin.
“Then enter,” she beckoned him in and he re-bolted the door for her. He followed her up about a hundred stairs, and she stopped at a door, opening it and ushering him inside. The room was plush in every way, used for noble guests visiting the tower. A four poster bed carved from a rare rosewood stood in its center. The drapes and rugs throughout the large room were a rich red design. The bed’s canopy was a sheer crimson as well. The Empress went to the bed and stood waiting at end of it, while Ra’thet closed the door and removed his sword from its back sheath and leaned it against the wall. He faced her and paused, as if looking for permission.
She smiled at him, lust plain on her face. “Embrace me, my pet.”
He covered the distance in one long stride and took his Mistress into his arms, his lips and tongue eagerly lapping, kissing, and licking against hers. They ripped at the bindings to each other’s clothing and armor.
Chapter 30
Jared’s room was fairly big for an inn the size of the Dancing Griffon. In fact, it was the biggest room in the inn, with the exception of the common room on the ground floor. However, the conversation they were having was not for the common room below, so everyone had moved to Jared’s spacious accommodations. Despite the size of the room, Katya couldn’t help but notice that Jared had wedged himself into the corner. Under normal circumstances, there would be plenty of space for Jared to walk around in, which is, Katya suspected, why Jared chose this room. The hunter was used to the outdoors; if he chose to spend any time indoors, it only made sense that he would select the largest room possible.
The room now seemed much smaller, packed as it was with eight people. When everyone had entered, Jared had immediately taken the chair from the small writing desk, moved it to the corner and sat. He was there still with the huge dog, Jugger, lounging in front of him, like a living shield between the hunter and the chaos that had erupted in the room the moment the door had shut behind everyone.
“We have to warn the King,” Mala stated in a manner that brooked no dissent. Katya recognized the look of determination on the swordmistress’ face. She had decided a course of action and would not be moved from it. Luckily, everyone agreed with her on this point. It was not the what but the how that was the cause of the disagreement.
“No one is disputing that,” Branden replied. “But how do we get there the fastest way possible?” Ever practical, the smith’s, deep resonant voice filled the room, even when he was talking in normal tones. The young sorceress had heard her father’s voice roar from his barrel chest in anger before and shuddered at the thought. The blacksmith was not angry, only frustrated at their inaction. Much like Mala, once Branden had decided on a course, deflecting him from that course was like trying to move an ox.
Stepping forward, the balding veteran, Talas, raised his hands to quiet Mala and Branden. Turning his attention to the young Nhyme girl, Chyla, where she rested atop a pillow that sat on the small writing desk, he questioned her further.
“Lady Chyla,” Talas began. “You said that The Administrator from Snowhaven contacted your father and told him that the Empress of Ice had returned, and she was planning to attack the capital. Is that correct?”
The diminutive woman had recovered rapidly from her wounds, after being tended to by Niko and devouring a surprisingly large amount of cheese. Strangely enough, the innkeeper Carl did, in fact, have a cupboard in the back of the kitchen where he stored his most expensive cheeses for special occasions. A few quiet words and silver royals from Jared had convinced the corpulent man to part with his special reserve.
“Yes sir,” Chyla responded with certainty. “Father, when he was young, knew the Ancient One and became friends with him. It was through this bond of friendship and the crystals of Snowhaven and Blodwood that the Ancient One was able to send a message to my father. As you now know, the Empress of Ice has taken Snowhaven. She plans to use the crystals, located in Snowhaven and the capital of Illyander, to open a portal and send her army through it.” Katya was still getting used to the Nhyme referring to The Administrator as the Ancient One. She knew that the Nhyme’s lifespan far surpassed humans. How old was the Administrator for someone as aged as Razorik, the fifth Elder of the Nhyme, to refer to him as Ancient? She thought.
“Why hasn’t she done it already then?” Jared asked from the corner. Mala and Branden started at the sound of the hunter’s voice. Katya suspected that they had forgotten he was there. The young sorceress looked to her sister Sasha, who sat on the bed listening intently to the entire conversation. The twins shared a quick smile between them.
“Jared brings up a good point,” Talas said. “If the Empress has this ability, why has she not used it yet?”
“According to Father,” Chyla said, “she has to establish control over the crystals themselves. She has to somehow link them, so that they can be used together.”
“How does she intend to do that?” Sasha asked. “I assume that the crystals in Aeirsga are guarded. It’s not like she can just walk in and start casting a spell over the crystals, without anyone noticing and trying to stop her.”
“I don’t know,” Chyla replied. “Father’s conversation with the Ancient One, the one you call The Administrator, was short. Father said that the Empress had him captive, and he was only able to send a short message.” That was another bit of information that Katya had trouble wrapping her head around. The Administrator was immensely powerful. She had heard of him performing sorcery with the wave of a hand that would have taken her hours to accomplish and left her exhausted afterwards. Then he’d continue on as though nothing had happened. Who could hope to hold someone like that captive? The thought chilled Katya’s blood.
“Maybe she plans to make the crystals sick,” Niko said from his perch on the pillow next to Chyla. “She could teleport in, sneeze all over the crystal and then teleport out. Then she could wait for the crystal to get sick too and…” Niko’s voice trailed off, as he realized everyo
ne in the room was looking at him. Quickly ingesting a cube of cheese, Niko apologized through a full mouth. “If waf juft a suggefion.”
“It could work,” Katya found herself blurting out. Every head in the room spun towards her. Feeling her face flush, Katya forced herself to continue. “The crystals that I saw in Blodwood are just like the crystals I saw in the Sorcerers’ Tower in Snowhaven. They’re like…” Katya searched for the words, causing her eyes to wander the room and to settle on Jared in the corner. “Magic,” she finished. Swinging her gaze back to the rest of the people in the room, she continued. “Pure magic, and by pure I don’t mean powerful, which it is, but that’s not what I’m trying to say.” Struggling with the words Katya pushed on. “It’s like… like…”
“Pure water from a mountain stream?” Jared asked.
“Exactly!” Katya shouted. Embarrassed, Katya quieted her voice. “Exactly,” she continued, speaking more evenly. “It’s like the magic is clean and pure. If the Empress can corrupt the crystal in Aeirsga, make it dirty or sick, as Niko put it, maybe she can establish a connection between the two?” Niko beamed from his pillow, proud that he had come up with a viable suggestion.
Mala and Talas wore expressions of calculation. “If she could do that…” Mala began to say.
“Then she would be able to move her armies around Illyander on a whim,” Talas finished the thought. “No one would be able to stop her. Nowhere would be safe.”
“Again,” Jared asked from his corner. “Why hasn’t she done this before? What is different now?”
“Snowhaven,” Sasha replied. “She’s never taken Snowhaven before. She needed a staging point to attack Illyander. We all assumed that it was Snowhaven, because it is the choke point between the Empire and Illyander. What if she took Snowhaven not for its strategic location, but because she wanted the crystal in the Sorcerer Tower?”
“That would make sense,” Katya continued. “One of the first things she tried to do was kidnap a sorcerer. Maybe she had planned to turn that sorcerer into one of those things that has been attacking us.” Katya felt an actual chill go down her spine, as she thought of becoming one of the creatures that they had fought. “We sorcerers draw on the magic energy that’s all around us, and I’ve noticed that the energy is stronger around the crystals in Snowhaven and Blodwood than any place else. There is a connection there. Maybe that’s what the Empress is trying to take advantage of.” Katya looked visibly shaken. I had almost been that captured sorcerer, she thought glumly.
Sensing her sister’s unease, Sasha rose from the bed and sat on the arm of the chair, in which Katya sat. Placing a protective and comforting arm around her sister, the red-headed swordswoman kissed the top of her twin’s head. Leaning into the embrace, Katya noticed that Jared was looking at her, an expression of concern and… anger on his face. Katya didn’t have time to consider what that may have meant before the conversation resumed.
“Which brings us back to our original point,” Branden stated. “It’s all well and good that we may have figured out how the Empress is going to invade Aeirsga, but we still need to figure out a way to get to the capital and warn the King.”
“If he even believes us,” Talas chimed in.
“That’s why Father sent me to find you, Branden,” Chyla broke in. “Father said that the Ancient One told him that you used to be in the King’s Guard, and that King Morgan would listen to you.” Katya felt her eyes widen. From the stiffening of Sasha’s body next to her, the sorceress was certain her sister’s face held the same shocked expression that hers did. A quick glance around the room showed the same look of amazement on almost everyone’s face as well. Only Chyla and Mala seemed unsurprised. Niko simply looked confused.
A loud sigh escaped Branden’s massive chest, and Katya saw her father’s shoulders slump slightly. “That was a long time ago. I don’t know that the King would listen to me anymore.”
“Maybe that’s why Father sent me to find Mala, too. He said that she’s a…”
“Member of the King’s Army,” Mala quickly put in, talking over Chyla’s small voice. “I hold a notable rank. Maybe the Elder thought that my voice added to Branden’s would be enough.”
“Though that is plausible, I doubt it,” Talas said.
“Why?” Jared asked.
“The word of a King’s Guard is like the word of the King himself,” Talas said. “Former or not, a King’s Guard takes an oath, before the Great Mother and the King, to speak only that which is true and to guard the King and his family for eternity. The oath that is taken is even supposed to transcend death itself. Many of the priests in Aeirsga theorize that the souls of departed King’s Guards surround the King while he lives and even guard his spirit on his journey to his next life, only resting when the King is reborn.” Talas’ eyes moved to the slumped figure of Branden. “It begs the question of why you were in Snowhaven and not in Aeirsga, blacksmith.” Talas put a strange emphasis on the last word, reiterating that he knew that Branden’s most recent profession hid his former station. It was also fishing to see if the twins’ father had deserted.
The twins jumped to their feet, ready to defend their father, but Branden silenced them with a raised hand. Taking a slow step towards Talas, Branden looked intently into the former priest’s face.
“I did not forsake my oath, if that is what you’re implying,” Branden said, his voice quiet but tempered with steel.
“I meant no such…” Talas tried to reply but was cut off, when Branden continued as though the veteran had not spoken.
“I asked to be relieved of duty, so that I could marry and start a family. The King granted me this boon and gave me his full blessing on the matter. My oath is still intact,” Branden stated.
Talas paused for a second before replying. “I am sorry to imply that it was not,” the former priest said, his voice kind and apologetic. “It is, however, unusual for a King’s Guard to be relieved of his duty by anything other than death, and even then...”
“Let us just say that His Majesty owed me a boon and move on, shall we?” Branden said in a tone that implied it was not a question.
“Excellent idea,” Mala said, placing a hand on Branden’s chest, allowing Talas and the blacksmith to take a step back from one another without one having to back down. “We have a theory as to how and why the Empress is going to attack Aeirsga. Now, how are we going to stop it?”
“Couldn’t we just send him a letter?” Niko asked.
“We could,” Mala answered. “But what would we say? ‘Pardon me Your Majesty, but we thought we should tell you that your city is going to be invaded. We don’t know exactly how, where or when, but we think this woman, who was supposed to be dead, is going to use some crystal hidden in the capital and flood your city with orcs.’”
“That could work,” Niko said, completely unaware of how silly the theoretical letter sounded to the rest of them. Katya couldn’t help but smile, as she and her sister took a seat once again.
“If only we knew what Gregor had been working on before he died,” Jared said, half to himself. “We might have some more information that would help us convince the King of the danger to Aeirsga.”
“Who?” Mala asked.
Jared informed the swordmistress and the rest of his companions about the scholar’s murder, his encounter with Breaker in Mica, and his discovery of the black dagger hidden beneath the scholar’s floorboards. He also told them of the subsequent destruction of Gregor’s house.
“My investigation of this murder is what led me to travel with Sasha in the first place.”
“You never told me that,” Branden said, looking first at Jared and then his red-haired daughter.
“You never asked,” Jared stated bluntly before continuing. “I recovered one of Gregor’s journals from his home, before whoever burned the place to the ground in an attempt to cover their trail.”
“Excellent,” Mala said. “What does the journal say?”
“We have no idea,�
�� Katya chimed in. “Jared showed it to me shortly after we first met, however, all attempts to decipher the journal, magical and otherwise, have proven fruitless. The book was written in Gregor’s own personal cipher. Given enough time, of which we have had precious little, I may be able to be decipher the journal. For now, it’s beyond my abilities.”
“Regardless of what the journal says, someone wanted to make sure that whatever he was researching was kept quiet,” Jared said but paused for a moment to think before continuing, “Gregor is a dead end at this point. Going back to Chyla’s message for the King, I think The Administrator knew we wouldn’t be believed,” Jared said. “That’s why he had the Elder send Chyla to find Branden and Mala. The King would listen to them.”
“But why not go himself?” Sasha asked. “Surely, the King would listen to The Administrator.”
“Maybe he couldn’t,” Katya suggested. “I can’t imagine the Administrator being held against his will, but we don’t know how powerful the Empress is.”
“I suspect,” Mala suggested, “The Administrator has other issues and duties to attend to. He trusted that we could take care of this matter ourselves.”
Katya wanted to ask more, but Mala continued before the young sorceress could voice her inquires.
“Katya,” the swordmistress said. “How is it that you traveled from Snowhaven to the Bloodwood?”
“I don’t know,” Katya replied. “I was… pulled into a vast void of nothingness. I was surrounded by darkness and cold. I managed to kill the creature that took me, and then I thought that I was going to freeze to death. I tried to draw some energy to warm myself but was instead pulled along towards the energy I felt. It was like being thrown into a river made of molten light. Then I passed out. The next thing I knew, I awoke in the Nhyme village and several days had passed.”
“So you don’t think you could travel that way again?” Mala asked after Katya had given her description.
