Arto's Enchantress

by Morgan Henry

  Ori then punched her on the side of the head. Valina fell to the ground, unconscious.

  “Hold her.” This time the man gestured to Cella.

  Cella tried to struggle, but Ori grabbed Cella’s arms and twisted them painfully behind her. Ebir snapped a collar around her neck. Cella felt instantly ill and dizzy.

  “It’s a Torquin collar of compulsion. You will be unable to use your powers as long as it is around your neck, which will be until you die. Sit your ass down in that corner and don’t move.” Ebir gave her a push into the corner.

  Cella staggered to the corner and collapsed.

  The collar rendered Cella helpless. She had heard of the collars, but had never seen or experienced one. The few minutes she had been wearing this one were far too long.

  She looked up, trying to find who was wearing the ring.

  “Looking for this?” The tall man, not Ori, held up his hand. There was a silver ring on his pinkie, and she knew it was the match to the collar.

  “I am Riem, your new master. At least for now.”

  Cella looked at him. He reminded her of someone. It teased at her subconscious, the face of the person just out of reach.

  Riem smiled at her and she gasped. That pointed jaw and half twist to his mouth—he looked like Mogren!

  “What’s the gasp for, little whore?” he asked.

  “You, you look like Mogren,” Cella stuttered.

  “I should. He’s my brother. For now, you’re our property, and you can open your legs for us like you did for the Duke. And God knows how many others.”

  “Why? I don’t understand why it had to be me? There are so many others that would have been easier to get.” Cella knew part of this must have to do with her being the niece of the Vizier, but she didn’t have enough information to put it all together.

  It was Ebir who spoke. “You’re to become the property of the Emperor and the Vizier will be told that Graydon sold you for the release of some Kerban prisoners. The border between Kerban and Jorval will destabilize and Kerban’s defences on the Torquin border will weaken.”

  “Shut up, Ebir,” commanded Riem. “Property does not need to know these things.”

  He looked from Cella to Valina and back again, then faced Ebir.

  “You stupid woman. Why did you bring the other one? I have only one collar to keep the kerfios-using bitches under control!”

  “It couldn’t be helped. They’re together all the time. Besides, she has meagre abilities at best. Ori has likely knocked them out of her.”

  Riem grunted and was silenced for a moment.

  “How close is it to nightfall?” he asked Ebir in a clipped fashion, like a man used to having his whims obeyed.

  “An hour or so until full dark,” she replied sulkily.

  He grunted again and went and sat on the bench that jutted from the wall all the way around the cell. Thede’s body caught his eye.

  “Remove that,” he ordered Ori. “Put it in one of the other cells. Bring that other torch in. No need to announce we’re here.”

  Ori did as he was told. Cella carefully knelt and pulled Valina closer to her. She cradled her unconscious friend’s head in her lap.

  “We should just kill Valina,” stated Ebir suddenly.

  “I don’t think so,” said Riem smoothly. “Ori can keep her in line on the journey. I’ll bet that she won’t want harm to come to her friend and we can sell her, though her ability may be meagre.”

  Ebir smiled, a look of satisfaction on her face. “By all means, we should take her, then.”

  “Oh, I’m so pleased I have your permission.” Heavy sarcasm laced Riem’s words. He continued in a sterner tone. “You are not in charge here, maid. You will be compensated when we reach Torquin. You work for us, that is all. Now, shut up!”

  With that, the cell became silent.

  Cella frantically tried to think of what to do. There was no escaping the collar, as far as she was aware, but perhaps she could free Valina somehow. If she only knew what the plan was!

  She looked down at her friend, fighting the panic that rose up inside her.

  It started low in her belly and wanted to expand and expand, pulsing up and taking over her lungs. The collar felt so tight, and if she let that panic fill her any further she would have no breath left.

  With a shaking hand, she stroked Valina’s brow, willing her to wake. Cella desperately wanted her friend by her side. Together they could find a way for Valina to escape, then Cella might have a chance.

  Valina stirred a little.

  Cella held back her cry of relief.

  When Valina’s eyes opened, Cella held her finger to her lips. She wanted Valina to save her strength. Cella was sure they would need it.

  * * * *

  Arto couldn’t help the feeling of foreboding that plagued him.

  He tried to push it away. He was here in his own, very secure, home. His own, handpicked security was looking after Cella. Away from whomever it was that tried to harm her. She was safe.

  He pushed away from his desk and abandoned the paperwork he was reviewing. Annual taxation summaries were not able to hold his attention.

  Not when this restless, unsettled feeling threatened to take over.

  He grabbed his cloak.

  His long legs carried him to the stables where he soaked in the soothing smell of straw and horse, then beyond to the paddocks that held the new horses he acquired on the trip to Jorval.

  They were beautiful. Long, powerful legs atop perfect hooves. The hooves were wide and round, with a thick wall and wide frog. The heel grew straight out of the foot, not under-run as was all too common. People always underestimated the worth of a good foot on a horse. It was the basis on which the legs were able to work. If the feet were compromised, so was the performance of the animal.

  Arto didn’t have a reputation for being a first-class breeder because he ignored the details.

  The details were nagging at him now. The only person close enough to have tainted Cella’s food, and only her food, was Graydon or one of the people at their table. Or perhaps Suro…

  Yet, it couldn’t have been Suro who tried to push her off the ramparts. He knew that because he encountered the annoying woman in the hall as he returned to their suite.

  He had been held hostage as she preened, stroked her neck, and practically shoved her breasts into his eyes. She had cornered him for at least a quarter of an hour at the time Cella was being pushed over the wall, before he finally gave up on being polite and left her.

  No one they dined with could have tampered with the billet strap on the way to Kerfaen. They weren’t riding with his party.

  Movement near the edge of the forest caught his eye.

  A flash of white.

  His eyes narrowed and his hand went to the sword on his hip.

  The horses smelled something in the air. They grew restless, one of them raised its head in the air, nostrils flaring, scenting something. They gathered in a group, stamping, tails up.

  Arto leapt the fence, heading toward the woods.

  A white tiger bounded out of the trees and leapt the fence, running toward him.

  Arto was shocked immobile for a moment. Then he raised his sword, preparing to defend himself. Running from a tiger would be useless, he realized. The cat was barely loping and could have easily outdistanced him.

  As he watched the beast bound across the field he noticed something odd. It appeared there was a bag of some sort around the tiger’s neck.

  A bag?

  As it approached, the beast shimmered, and suddenly there was a man standing naked in the field.

  It was Dochir.

  Arto could only gape at this point. He had watched a tiger, an enormous white tiger, turn into a man he knew. He saw the glimmer of kerfios around the beast as it transformed, but couldn’t make out how the magic had been used.

  Dochir approached, his hands up, the leather bag slung over one arm.

  And the man was still nak
ed.

  “Please, Your Grace. I come with a message from the King. May I give it to you?” Dochir asked, stopping a few feet from Arto.

  This must have been the secret Dochir and Graydon were hiding.

  “Only if you put on some pants,” Arto responded.

  The briefest grin flashed across Dochir’s face. He opened the satchel and pulled out a pair of linen trousers and a small tube. He tossed the tube to Arto and put on the pants.

  Arto caught it easily and recognized it. It was a metal tube, one end welded shut and the other sealed with wax. The wax was impregnated with the King’s seal and Arto could feel the kerfios lock as well. Only Arto could open the tube.

  “I take it the tiger was your big secret,” Arto said. He broke the seal on the tube.

  “There is a little more to the story, but yes, that is a big part of it,” Dochir replied. “You need to read that and quickly. While we are walking to the Keep, I think.”

  They began to walk across the pasture as Arto read the note.

  My friend,

  We have found Mogren in collusion with Ebir. Suro poisoned Cella as a prank, not truly intending to harm her, but Ebir has been in the pay of Mogren. She erred badly by pushing her off the ramparts—the Torquin do not want her dead. The only reason Ebir is still alive is that it worked in her favor by sending Cella closer to the Torquin border. Ebir will lead Cella to a small force that will take her to Torquin. Several Kerban prisoners will be released, making it seem as though we sold Cella to the Emperor.

  I am through with diplomatic relations with the Torquin. Mogren will be hanged in the morning and I will exile Armad to Hermios on the next ship.

  I have had the Head of the Mage Guild in Kerban examine the billet straps from Cella’s saddle. He found nothing, nor is there any evidence of physical tampering. It must have been a true accident.

  Dochir is Srian, they are a shape-shifting race. He also has an ability to sense danger to certain people. He knows they are going to harm Cella and should be able to help you further. I trust him completely and I ask you to do the same, for Cella’s sake.

  Good Luck,

  King Graydon de Parred

  Arto began to run toward the Keep.

  Chapter 21

  “So, you can sense that Valina is in danger and that she is tied to Cella?” Arto repeated.

  “Yes,” Dochir answered sharply. “I know we have no time to waste. Where were they today?”

  “So it’s really Valina you’ve been protecting all along. Why Valina?”

  “It’s complicated. Where are they?” Dochir growled. It was truly an animal sound, which surprised Arto. Once he reflected on it, he realized it should not have.

  “They went to the village with a guard. What have you found?” he snapped at the man who entered the room.

  He had already sent men to comb the surrounding area, looking for the small force Torquin had sent.

  “Ebir is nowhere to be found, Your Grace. But Sir Beris saw them heading back to the Keep from the village with Ebir. Thede was with them.” The man bowed and waited for his Duke.

  “Where exactly did he see them?” asked Dochir, suddenly intent, his gray eyes boring into the footman.

  “Ah.” The footman’s eyes slid to Arto, who nodded. “They were on the footpath that cuts across from the school to the side entrance to the Keep, my Lord.”

  “Take me there,” Dochir pleaded to Arto. “In my other form, I can track them.”

  Arto nodded. “Fine. But take your damn pants.”

  When they arrived at the place Beris indicated he had seen the three women and the guard, Dochir shifted.

  The large cat picked up their scent and leapt toward the Keep. Arto ran hard to keep up with the beast. Dochir led them to a side door, a servant’s entrance.

  They entered carefully. Dochir stayed in tiger form, nosing the ground and navigating the corridors. Arto had to light a torch so he and the footman could see.

  Evidently, the tiger didn’t need it.

  They eventually came to the jail cells underneath the unused wing of the Keep.

  Dochir halted and shifted. “They are just ahead,” he said in a whisper. “They must be in a cell. I smell blood, but it is not from the women.”

  Arto felt a little relief. They were perhaps unhurt. Yet, how did the cat know that?

  “We can’t rush them in a cell. They would kill the women or at the very least use them as hostages. We need to wait until they move.” Arto turned to the footman. “Lad, go and tell Sir Beris where we are. Have him hide men around the edges of the forest near where this corridor exits the Keep. Do not let him send more men down here. We’ll follow them as they leave with the women.”

  The footman nodded and left silently.

  Dochir gave a hard look at Arto. “I’m not leaving.”

  He shifted.

  Now it was Arto’s turn to nod.

  * * * *

  Ebir stood. “It should be full dark now.”

  Riem sighed and stood. “Good. I want to get out of this sickening country. Back to where the cursed kerfios users are collared as they should be. And women know their place.” He glared at Ebir.

  “I was promised a title, money, and protection for this. I’m not waiting on anyone, anymore. You better not be backing out now.” She looked at him with narrowed eyes.

  “You’ll get what you were promised,” he replied. “We need to move.”

  Riem stood as did Ori.

  The guard grabbed a crossbow that had been standing in the corner. The man was heavily armed. He had a standard sword on one hip, a short sword on the other, the crossbow and daggers strapped to his calves.

  Riem was certainly not weaponless either. He had a wicked-looked scimitar hanging from his belt and a quarterstaff that Cella suspected had a hidden blade in it, by the look of the inlaid stubs at either end.

  Ebir had that slim blade. She took a small vial from her pouch and placed a few drops of it on the blade.

  “Refreshing the poison,” she said with a smirk as she caught Cella watching her.

  The pain in Cella’s chest had left a while ago. It had been replaced with dread and now hopelessness. Looking at the weapons of her captors didn’t help.

  “Get up,” Riem ordered her harshly.

  Valina was still woozy from the blow to her head. Though the collar didn’t allow for any disobedience, Cella was able to help her friend stand.

  They moved cautiously out into the corridor and turned to leave in the opposite direction of that Cella, Valina, Thede, and Ebir had entered.

  Ebir led them to another door.

  She opened it cautiously and the fresh air of the outdoors rushed into the stale hallway.

  “I don’t see anyone,” she reported.

  “Good. The others should be waiting in the forest.” Riem sounded satisfied.

  “It’s dark and a little cloudy. It will be hell finding our way around. The moon is barely at quarter strength,” Ebir groused.

  “You idiot. That’s in our favour. The dark will prevent anyone watching from the walls seeing us.” Riem kept his voice low, but there was no mistaking the disdain. “Now move.”

  * * * *

  Arto watched the five move out through the door. He and Dochir crept forward and Arto eased the door open again, just a fraction.

  The party were headed along the wall. Arto thought they would go for about another hundred yards or so to where the woods were the closest to the Keep. It was still a good distance to cross to the cover of the trees.

  He didn’t see any of his own men, for which he was glad. They should be hiding.

  He slid back inside and informed Dochir of this.

  The tiger merely rumbled.

  Arto looked at the tiger more closely, now that he had a torch lit.

  The beast was massive, like the man.

  His head came to Arto’s shoulder and Arto would have been hard pressed to get his arms around its head. Muscle upon muscle rippled
over his torso and legs. His feet were the size of serving plates and had the most deadly looking claws Arto had ever been privileged to see. Arto thought they might cut him open just by looking at them.

  A lethal companion.

  Exactly what he needed right now.

  Arto snuck another look through the door.

  They were crossing the open area between the Keep and forest.

  He nodded to Dochir.

  They crept out the opening, moving swiftly but silently toward Cella and Valina’s captors.

  Dochir outdistanced Arto. The thought that it must be nice to run on four feet crossed Arto’s mind.

  One of the men looked behind him.

  He gave a cry and raised a crossbow to aim at Dochir.

  Arto cursed as the man let fly and the bolt hit Dochir square in the chest.

  The big cat tumbled to the ground but staggered up as the guard went for his sword. Dochir was still swift enough and lashed out with his forepaw and gutted the man.

  Arto passed the two, certain that the cat could at least take care of the guard that was dripping entrails from his belly.

  He met the second man head on and parried the quarterstaff, sending it spinning away. The man drew his scimitar. He was good with the curved blade and Arto was forced to use all his skill to defend himself. The dark wasn’t helping, but at least it was equally disadvantageous to all.

  He spared a glance at Cella and saw her helping Valina to her feet, but was nearly sliced by the scimitar. He had to turn his attention back to the bastard in front of him.

  * * * *

  Cella was astounded when a giant white tiger leapt out of the dark to take down Ori.

  Somehow, she wasn’t surprised to see Arto on the heels of the beast. If anyone were going to rescue them, it would be Arto.

  As Riem leapt to engage Arto he pushed Valina out of the way and she fell to the ground.

  Cella pulled her still-shackled friend up and tried to undo the iron. If she had use of her powers it would have been easy to manipulate the enchanted locks. The cursed collar prevented her from using the smallest bit of kerfios.

  Valina’s eyes went wide and she gave a little cry. She threw Cella to the side, following her to the ground.