Sevenfold Sword: Shadow

by Jonathan Moeller

  Tamara nodded and followed Ridmark and Third into the yard of the Javelin Inn. The yard was deserted, and she heard the chickens clucking in their coop, louder than usual. Perhaps the birds realized that something was very wrong. Ridmark pushed open the door to the common room, and Tamara and Third followed him.

  “Lord Ridmark!”

  Tamara looked around the common room and swallowed.

  Her father slumped against the wall, snoring, and her brothers lay scattered around him. Prince Krastikon stood at one of the tables, a wide smile on his face, his gray eyes unfocused. Kyralion stood next to him, his hand hovering near his sword hilt.

  “Kyralion,” said Third. “Are…”

  “I am awake,” said Kyralion. “I am not sure why. Everyone else I have encountered seems to be asleep or…”

  “Sleepwalking,” said Ridmark, voice grim.

  “Welcome,” said Krastikon, still smiling. He gestured at the empty air. “You remember my wife.” He gestured at another empty space. “And my father. I know you were enemies, but all have been reconciled. My father now rules Owyllain with a firm and kind hand…”

  “He is dreaming,” said Ridmark, his voice quiet, “if he thinks Justin Cyros would ever have shown kindness to anyone.”

  “Remember Telemachus?” said Third. “He thought his son Simon had returned from the dead. Perhaps the dream creates the illusion of the heart’s desire of its victims.”

  “A cruel thing,” said Tamara. She remembered when Telemachus’s son had been killed fighting the dvargir. Telemachus had rarely smiled after that day.

  “Yes, cruel,” said Ridmark. “The dark elves loved cruelty. They appreciated it as an art. And it seems the Maledicti learned that skill from their former master.”

  “The Maledicti?” said Tamara, flinching. “They did this?”

  “Probably,” said Ridmark. “Calliande and I wondered if one of the Maledicti had the power to control and erase memories. It seems the Maledictus realized that we were a threat and decided to act.”

  “Then if we find this Maledictus and destroy him,” said Kyralion, “perhaps we can break the spell and awaken the town.”

  “Perhaps,” said Ridmark. “Let us check on the others. If we have to fight a Maledictus, the more allies we have, the better.”

  Ridmark led the way to the guest rooms, and Tamara, Third, and Kyralion followed him.

  “Tysia!”

  Sir Tamlin stepped from one of the guest rooms, a wide smile on his face, his eyes unfocused.

  “Sir Tamlin,” said Tamara. “Are you…”

  He stepped past Ridmark, cupped Tamara’s face in his hands, and gave her a gentle kiss. Tamara froze in surprise. It had been a long time since anyone had kissed her, and she was surprised by how…familiar Tamlin’s touch felt.

  How pleasant, for that matter.

  “Tamlin,” said Ridmark.

  “I need you to meet someone,” said Tamlin, ignoring Ridmark. Most likely he hadn’t even realized that Ridmark was there. He took Tamara’s free hand and led her into the guest room, gesturing at the empty chair. “This is Sir Aegeus of the Arcanii.”

  Tamara looked at the empty chair, at Tamlin, and at Ridmark.

  “His best friend,” said Ridmark, voice grim. “Killed fighting the Necromancer in Trojas.”

  “You remember Aegeus?” said Tamlin, still smiling. The logical failure of asking if she remembered Aegeus five seconds after introducing Tamara did not appear to occur to Tamlin. Yet dreams were never logical. “We all escaped from Urd Maelwyn together, just like we always hoped.”

  Tamara swallowed, looked at Ridmark again, and then back to Tamlin.

  “Husband,” said Tamara, putting her hands on his shoulders. “Could you…could you wait here for me? I need to check to make sure that dinner is coming. I will be back shortly.”

  Tamlin smiled and sat on the bed. “Yes, of course.” He laughed and looked at the empty chair. “Yes, you’re right, Aegeus. She could have done much better.”

  Tamara stepped back. “I’ll return soon.”

  Tamlin squeezed her hand. “I love you.”

  He was staring at her like the rest of the world had ceased to exist.

  Tamara didn’t know what to say, so she squeezed his hand, stepped back, and closed the door behind her. Hopefully, he would be safe in his room and would not wander about the town and injure himself. Tamara was frightened for her father and brothers and everyone else in Kalimnos, but she realized that she was also frightened for Tamlin.

  “Anyone could take the Sword of Earth from him in that state,” said Third.

  “Do you think that is the reason for this attack?” said Kyralion. “The enemy wishes to reclaim the three Swords we have?”

  “It might be,” said Ridmark. “I don’t know. We…”

  A groan of agony filled the corridor.

  Ridmark whirled and hurried several doors down. He came to a sudden stop, his eyes wide with surprise, and Tamara joined him. One of the doors stood open, and beyond it…

  Her face warmed with embarrassment.

  Sir Calem lay naked on the bed, his face red and sweating. Lady Kalussa straddled him, her hands braced against his shoulders as her hips rolled, her long blond hair hanging around her head like a cowl. Kalussa’s groan had not been one of agony but of delight. Tamara’s stunned, embarrassed mind fixed on odd details – the hideous scars on Calem’s legs and arms as if he had been stabbed by rows of spikes, the way the muscles of Kalussa’s back and legs kept clenching, how Sir Calem’s chest heaved with his breath.

  Some part of her shocked mind noted that she hadn’t even known that the woman could go on top.

  Ridmark stepped into the room. Tamara wondered what he was doing, but Ridmark waved his hand in front of Calem’s face. Neither Kalussa nor Calem noticed him, and the Shield Knight stepped back into the corridor with a grimace, closing the door to the room behind him.

  “They’re both dreaming,” said Ridmark. “I doubt they would realize it if the inn burned down around them.”

  “The dream spell must have removed their inhibitions,” said Third.

  “Should,” said Tamara. She swallowed and worked moisture into her throat. “Should we not separate them?”

  “Short of tying them up, I doubt we could,” said Ridmark. “And at least this way, they’re not hurting anyone. Kalussa has the Staff of Blades, and Calem has the Sword of Air. If the dream changes so that they think they’re surrounded by muridach warriors, they could kill everyone in the town.”

  “God and the saints,” said Tamara.

  Another groan came through the closed door.

  “We need to find Calliande,” said Ridmark.

  He strode down the hall to the final door and threw it open.

  Calliande Arban sat upon the bed, a gentle smile on her face, cradling something in her arms. No, she wasn’t – her arms were in that position, but her hands were empty. She looked up as Ridmark entered the room, and her smile widened.

  “Ridmark!” she said. “You’re back. We missed you.”

  “We?” said Ridmark, his voice cautious.

  “Joanna and I, of course,” said Calliande.

  A brief flicker of pain went over the Shield Knight’s hard face, and then his expression returned to calm.

  “Joanna,” he said, his voice neutral.

  “Gareth and Joachim are in the carpentry shop with Dieter,” said Calliande. “I know you told them not to bother him, but Dagma said she didn’t mind.”

  “I suppose not,” said Ridmark. “Calliande, I need you to do something for me.”

  “Of course,” said Calliande, concern going over her face. “Anything.”

  Sudden magic flickered against Tamara’s senses, strong and insistent. Puzzled, she looked around the room.

  “Stay here and look after Joanna,” said Ridmark. “Don’t leave this room. I have to…I have to talk to the High King, and I should be back from Tarlion in a few hours.”

&nb
sp; The magic pulsed against Tamara’s senses once more, and she looked down.

  A peculiar steel bracelet lay on the floor, its sides adorned with crystals. Every few heartbeats, the crystals gave off a pale white glow.

  “I’ll wait here until you return,” said Calliande, her arms shifting as she rocked the child that only existed in her delusion. “I’ll have Dagma and the cooks prepare a fine meal. You and I and our sons and our daughter are together again. It will be just as it should be.”

  “Yes,” said Ridmark, his face a mask. “Just as it should be.”

  The bracelet flashed again.

  “Lord Ridmark,” said Tamara.

  He looked at her, and she saw the pain in those hard blue eyes. Whoever this Joanna had been, her name had shaken him.

  “That bracelet,” said Tamara. “I think…I think it’s doing something.”

  Chapter 14: The Apprentice

  As Ridmark watched Calliande cradle the memory of their dead daughter, he was at a loss about what to do next.

  He had feared something like this for the last year. Calliande had all but collapsed into herself after Joanna’s death. Combined with her physical illness, he had worried that she might never recover or that her sanity might give way. To see her sitting there, cradling a nonexistent child, was something he had feared since she had grown sick during her pregnancy. He had to remind himself that it was the effect of the spell that had taken hold of Kalimnos. Prince Krastikon was talking to his dead father, and Sir Tamlin was conversing with Sir Aegeus.

  Yet what if the spell could not be reversed? The mind was a fragile thing. What if the delusion was a permanent one?

  Then Tamara spoke.

  “The bracelet?” said Ridmark, looking at the floor.

  Calliande had dropped her bracelet, likely forgetting about it in the spell-induced delusion. The crystals set into the delicate bracelet flashed with white light on a regular basis. From what Ridmark had seen, the crystals only did that when Antenora and Calliande were using the Sight to speak across long distances.

  Tamara gestured, purple light flickering around her fingers. Ridmark recognized the spell to detect the presence of magical forces. “It’s…radiating magical power. I’m not sure what it’s doing, but I think…”

  “Antenora is trying to contact Calliande,” said Ridmark.

  “Who?” said Tamara.

  “The Keeper’s first apprentice,” said Third. “She devised the bracelet as a means of communication, and then gave it to me to carry to Owyllain.”

  “I wonder,” said Ridmark.

  He stooped and picked up the bracelet. Calliande paid no attention, humming to herself as she rocked a nonexistent child. She had done that with Gareth and Joachim when they had been infants. She was so good with babies, and Ridmark felt a flicker of grief that she would never have another one.

  Ridmark forced aside his emotions. Brooding would solve nothing, and allowing emotion to impair his judgment right now could cause disaster.

  “I wonder,” he said again, “if Antenora could speak with someone other than Calliande.”

  “I do not know,” said Third. “Antenora said that the bracelet would work for Calliande. She said nothing of anyone else…but she might have prepared for that possibility.”

  “Only one way to find out,” said Ridmark.

  He took a deep breath and slid the bracelet onto his right wrist, so it touched the bracer of blue metal on his right forearm. Antenora had created that bracer to help bear the burden of the power of the Shield Knight. Ridmark had the sudden idea that the two magical items might strengthen each other.

  Nothing happened.

  “It must only work for Calliande,” said Ridmark. “Maybe if we put the bracelet on her, Antenora can break the…gah!”

  Pain exploded through his head, and Ridmark staggered a few steps back. Third caught his elbow, helping him to keep his balance.

  “Lord Ridmark?” said Tamara, her voice high and frightened.

  “Lord Ridmark?” said another woman’s voice, but it was different from Tamara’s.

  For one, it was deeper and throatier.

  For another, it was entirely inside Ridmark’s head.

  “Antenora?” said Ridmark.

  Third raised her eyebrows.

  “Ah, good,” said Antenora’s voice. “The link did work. I was not entirely sure that it would. One of the bracer’s spells follows Oathshield’s position, and that lets me speak inside your thoughts, even though you have no magical ability.”

  “It worked?” said Third.

  “Yes,” said Ridmark. “I can hear Antenora.”

  “I can also use the Sight through your eyes, Lord Ridmark,” said Antenora. “I believe the Keeper is in considerable danger.”

  “She is,” said Ridmark.

  “Tell me what happened,” said Antenora.

  “Third and I were scouting our route to the east,” said Ridmark, looking at the others. “As we returned to Kalimnos, we saw a column of mist rise and engulf the entire town and the nearby hills. When it cleared, most of the townsmen were asleep, and those who were still awake seemed to be…sleepwalking, for lack of a better word. They were trapped in a delusion or a waking dream.”

  “I feared something like that might happen,” said Antenora. “Please show me the Keeper.”

  “Very well,” said Ridmark.

  He turned and looked at his wife as she cradled nothingness. Would she remember to eat and drink and look after herself? Or would she sit there wrapped in false bliss until she died of thirst?

  Again, rage pulsed through Ridmark’s mind. Whoever had done this to her would regret it.

  “What does Antenora say?” said Third.

  “She can use the Sight through my eyes,” said Ridmark. “She’s looking at Calliande right now. Hopefully, she can discern the nature of the magic around us.”

  “I may be able to do so,” said Antenora, her voice grim. “Please turn in a slow circle.”

  Ridmark complied, turning in a circle so his gaze swept around the room.

  “What can you see?” said Ridmark.

  “It is as I feared,” said Antenora. “There is a powerful oneiromantic spell affecting everyone within the town, and it is originating from the Tower of Nightmares…”

  “What does she say?” said Tamara.

  Ridmark raised a hand. “I cannot believe that I am about to say this, but please give me a moment to converse with the voice in my head.”

  Tamara nodded and fell silent, her face tight with fear.

  “All right,” said Ridmark to Antenora. “What can you see?”

  “The oneiromantic spell is radiating from the twisted wards around the Tower of Nightmares,” said Antenora. “Depending on the individual victim’s strength of will, they will either fall into a deep, dreaming sleep or remain awake but be in the grip of a waking dream. Exactly like a sleepwalker, as you said. I suspect the wizards of the gray elves intended this ward as a defense. Any attacking army would fall asleep and dream until they died of thirst.”

  “But it didn’t work for the gray elves,” said Ridmark.

  “Apparently not.”

  “Did we activate those defenses by accident?” said Ridmark.

  “No. Based on the shape of the spells and what the Keeper has told me, one of the Maledicti activated the wards, channeled the power, and directed the attack at Kalimnos,” said Antenora.

  “I see,” said Ridmark. “Then this was a trap the Maledicti set?”

  “Most probably,” said Antenora. “After the Battle of the Plains and the defeat of the Necromancer, it seems the Maledicti have realized that you and the Keeper are a serious threat to their plans, and laid a trap for you. That was why I tried to contact the Keeper. She set me to researching the ancient oneiromancy of the dark elves in the library of the Tower of the Keeper.” Ridmark had seen that library, full of ancient books found nowhere else in the realm of Andomhaim. “After the Keeper told me of the Tower of Ni
ghtmares, I realized the danger the damaged ward presented and tried to contact her. Unfortunately, I did so too late.”

  “None of us saw the danger,” said Ridmark.

  “You are immune to the effect because of your link to Oathshield,” said Antenora. “The soulblade is shielding your mind from hostile intrusion. Was anyone else able to resist the spell?”

  “Third, Kyralion, and Tamara,” said Ridmark.

  “Tamara?” said Antenora. “The seventh shard?”

  “Yes.”

  “Please show them to me.”

  Ridmark turned and looked at the others. Third stood behind him, and Kyralion and Tamara waited in the corridor. Kyralion, at least, had the wit to keep watch on the corridor, and Ridmark felt a flicker of chagrin. He should have thought to do that. But seeing Calliande sitting there, thinking that she cradled their dead daughter in her arms…

  Anger came after the chagrin, and Ridmark forced it aside.

  “You know why they’re immune?” said Ridmark.

  “I do not think Third is actually immune,” said Antenora. “Rather, her great age makes it harder to use any mind-controlling magic on her. The older a mind becomes, the harder it is to use oneiromancy upon it. I enjoy something of the same benefit myself. As for Kyralion, the Keeper believes he is immune to all forms of magic save for spells empowered by the mantle of the Keeper or one of the Seven Swords themselves. And Tamara…”

  Antenora was silent for a moment.

  “I do not know why she is immune,” said Antenora. “Her aura is…baffling. I see something of the effect that the Keeper described to me.”

  “The mirror broken into seven shards?” said Ridmark.

  Tamara swallowed as Ridmark said that.

  “Yes,” said Antenora. “I have never seen anything like it, and I have possessed the Sight for a very long time. It…yes, the Keeper was right. It does look as if Tamara was shattered into seven shards, the same soul split among several identical bodies. And if Tysia could use water magic, Tirdua air magic, and Tamara can employ earth magic…”

  “Water, Air, and Earth,” said Ridmark. “Just like the Seven Swords.”

  “Yes. Yet another mystery. But I think there are more immediate problems.”