Compelled

by Shawntelle Madison

  He looked to each of the old magic spellcasters.

  “For the honor!” he shouted.

  From her spot, Tamara whispered, “To the end.”

  Before we embarked on our trip north, we ate.

  And ate. And ate.

  The hamburgers and brats Tyler made was the first course.

  “You couldn’t feed a pup with those things,” Gostislav barked.

  So thanks to Dr. Frank’s help, more food was brought in. “It’s the least the wizards can do for your assistance,” he said as local men delivered a supply of food.

  And when I say food, I mean Renaissance-Festival-holy-shit-that’s-a-lot portions. Five roasted pigs, the meat from three whole cows, countless turkey legs, ten buckets of vegetable stew, and four barrels of ale to wash it all down.

  By the second barrel, I wondered how all of them were still sober.

  “How can you eat this much?” I asked Royse, my stomach full to the point of being painful. Not far from me, Vasili was tossing hamburger buns off his burgers so he could mash the meat into his stew.

  “We must prepare for what is to come,” Royse said as she ate next to me at the small kitchen table. “Like shifting, spellcasting is costly in terms of energy. We need to focus, and that focus requires food.” She gave me a curious stare. “Did you eat before you released us from our prison?”

  “Not exactly,” I replied. “I drank some kind of potion from an herbalist. I was still weak afterward.”

  “A beginner, I see.” She stuffed a piece of turkey leg into her mouth like a pro. Then like a lady, she wiped her mouth off. “Over time, you will learn from your master how to prepare for battle.”

  “She smelled new to me,” Gostislav joked. “How much elk did we eat before we marched to Kyjev?”

  “A whole herd, I believe,” she replied.

  Wow. Maybe that wasn’t a small herd either.

  The food kept coming. One of the old magic spellcasters even brought over another serving of food for Royse.

  “I thought you’d like some while they were hot.” The stack of five burgers made my heartburn flare up just looking at it.

  Royse kept eating the food on her plate, not a bit amused.

  “I’ll leave it here in case you change your mind.” The guy rained smiles and sunshine her way.

  After her admirer was out of earshot, I leaned over to say, “He seems nice.”

  “I’ve lain with him before.” She pushed her hair behind her ear. “He’s much better at swinging a sword than wielding the blade in his trousers.”

  I about choked on my spit. “It can’t all be about sex. What about Gostislav? He was nice to you today.”

  “He hasn’t bathed properly since I met him. That was fifteen years ago.”

  Eww. It had been much longer than fifteen years.

  “And him?” I pointed to another one.

  “I’ve met women who can hold my attention better. Some of them made better lovers, too.”

  We went through all the old magic spellcasters, except Vasili, and she rejected them all. But when I absentmindedly pointed to Radomir, her mood changed.

  “Mmm…Pretty hair,” she purred, taking in the long, thick braid down his back. “I like the strong and silent type.”

  “He’s only an acolyte, but he’s really nice,” I said.

  Her light blue eyes twinkled with mischief. “I like to teach.”

  We sat in silence after that, watching the others eat and joke around. Seeing them all eat together, it was amazing to observe and learn so much. Vasili went over advanced spellcasting. He spouted off long spells that rivaled what Blazh had to learn.

  Not far from Vasili, the acolytes listened with rapt attention. Just seeing the eagerness on their faces, filled me with a yearning for knowledge.

  And for only a brief moment, I wondered what it would be like to follow the old magic spellcasters as an acolyte.

  Only a brief moment.

  I smiled. There probably wouldn’t be any spots free anyway. Already, Chestibor, Dragomir, and Radomir followed him around and sucked in everything he said.

  The late night turned into day. From the day into the afternoon everyone rested where they could find free space. By the time the sun turned the clear lake waters into light purple, it was time for us to go.

  Two pontoons waited for us at the nearest pier to the rental house. A few other wizards conversed with Dr. Frank at the end of the dock. Once they finished, Dr. Frank approached Vasili, our designated leader for the assault. “Vasili, we will wait along the shore until we see an opportunity.”

  Vasili nodded. “If I don’t see you again, it was a pleasure to share a meal with a wizard such as yourself.”

  “The pleasure was all mine.”

  Dr. Frank nodded to me, too, but not before Tyler tugged my arm. “Nat, you shouldn’t go with them.”

  “Yes, I should.” I smiled at him. My friends always tried to protect me. “I’m here to help Thorn. I have to go to that island because this might be my only chance to learn a cure for him.”

  “Do you know what’s out there?” he whispered.

  “Trouble? Death? I’ve met them a few times already.”

  He sighed. “As your friend, I want you to do the right thing.”

  “You’re officially one of my best friends, too.” We hugged each other.

  He chuckled. Over his shoulder, I caught Zoya throwing daggers at us with her eyes.

  Even though Zoya might be able to hear us, I still whispered to him. “So are things getting serious with you know who?”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “Oh, c’mon.” I gave him my who-are-you-trying-to-con face.

  “I don’t know what I’m feeling,” he finally admitted.

  “Maybe you’re feeling like you’ve closed yourself off for so long from women who like you for who you are and not for what you’re trying to be for them.”

  He rolled his eyes.

  “Live in Denialville all you want.” I tapped his shoulder. “I’ve got lakefront property there.”

  “Uh huh.” He threw me a sour look. “I’ll see you when you get back, Natalya.”

  “Yes…Hopefully, you will.”

  I left his side and got on one of the pontoons. I left my backpack behind, but kept my jacket and the goblin blade. Both of them would be useful on this trip.

  The two boats took off northward along the lake. The shoreline was dotted with houses and trees. The place was deceptively peaceful. My stomach, even though it was full, had nerves all over the place. We didn’t have far to go, but every mile was agonizing. Every turn seemed too quiet. The sun was no more than a sliver in the sky and cast a pink edge when the island came into view.

  Nothing still seemed ominous.

  Until the waters stirred ahead.

  Vasili chuckled. He was in the boat with Gostislav, Royse, Tamara, and me. “Looks like our enemies have finally come out to play. Ready yourselves, friends.”

  My heart sped up a thousand times. My palms turned sweaty. My hand reached for the seashell necklace along my neck but found nothing yet again.

  As a whirlpool formed ahead of us, I tried to ignore the breeze, along with its gathering cinnamon scent and the nagging feeling my life might end right here and right now.

  You faced the darkling alone. You can do this.

  At my side, Tamara took my hand. “Remember what you’ve been taught. React instead of act now. Let the more experienced folks do the offensive.”

  The whirlpool shifted with the wind, spinning faster and faster until a wave crested in our direction. The trees and bushes along the shore bent with the gathering gust.

  “Royse,” Vasili commanded.

  The wave approached faster and faster.

  On the other side of the pontoon, Royse began to chant, her voice low and guttural. A putrid, pungent-like fog slithered around the boat. The water around us rose with the wave and as the tsunami passed us, we reached the other side
safely.

  Five dark shapes shot out of the circling vortex into the air. They careened into the darkening sky, whistling with a shriek as they came down.

  “Stay sharp,” Vasili snapped. He shoved anyone near the edges of the pontoon toward the center.

  All around me the spellcasters spoke, each saying something different, but their melodious voices carried power. Gostislav commanded the wind to knock a few arrows out of the way. A few landed at the end of our boat, knocked out by the wind. Tamara set off bombs in the air and many disintegrated before they reached us.

  From the whirlpool a dark black head rose. Its body was serpentine in shape with white pupiless eyes at the top. Two men in black capes stood on top of the head.

  “Water demon riders,” Tamara said.

  “Let them come for us on their little worm,” Vasili sneered. “I need fish bait.”

  Then everything happened too fast. The demon surged toward us. With nowhere to go, the pontoons split formation as the creature swam between us. The warlocks jumped off the head, soaring through the air toward the boats. A rain of fire and ash shot out of the staffs they held. The purplish-pink sky lit up as everyone scrambled to get out of the way.

  The warlock in black came at Gostislav first. He bared his teeth and growled as the warlock swung at him, but Gostislav disappeared in a flash and rematerialized at the hull. Our attacker aimed at me next, and, like a fool, I just stood there. Something shoved me hard into the side of the pontoon and out of the way. My side hit the metal bar with a hard thwack. I glanced up to see Tamara knocked someone else away from danger with a gust of wind.

  “Don’t just wait to get hit,” she yelled at me. “Defend yourself!”

  Sizzling fireballs from the warlocks’ first attack littered the pontoon floor and began to burn the seats and the floorboard. As much as I wanted to react, it was rather hard to concentrate, as harsh smoke burned the back of my throat.

  At my side, the goblin blade glowed and vibrated against my hip. The wooden handle on the envelope-opener-sized knife extended until the wood portion covered the whole weapon. The goblin blade was now a beautiful golden wand. Not the box I’d seen before against a warlock.

  So what the hell was I supposed to do with it?

  The spellcasters surrounded the warlock, sending flames and blasts of ice on him. He warded off most of the blows with a swish of his glowing staff, but there were too many of them. He scowled from each burn. From the corner of my eye, I noticed the water demon’s head slam into the front end of the other pontoon, smashing it into fiberglass and wood bits.

  Gostislav leapt over to offer a hand.

  The wand quaked in my hands. There was so much power here, waiting to be tapped. Combined with my own I could act. Could it do what I wanted it to do?

  The water demon chased after Gostislav, and I aimed the wand and recited the words.

  And believed them.

  An arc of ice snaked up from the water and slowed the water demon down enough to give Gostislav time to get away.

  The warlock on my boat had been burned to a crisp by the time the water demon smashed the boat to smithereens. Vasili made a move, but it was too late. Our boat was next. As the water demon swept in, an oh-shit moment blossomed in my head. The stars above disappeared as nothing but blackness hovered over us. Water rained from the head before the head shot down fast towards us. My eyes widened, watching the beast open its bright red mouth wide. The jagged teeth twitching. From the corner of my eye, a form trailed after the head, a fiery sword in his hands. Vasili reached the head first, plunging his blade into water demon’s crown.

  The serpent kept coming at us and crashed into the middle of the pontoon. Royse shoved me out of the way, but I still bore the brunt of it. The sounds of the wood breaking and glass shattering reached my ears followed by the immediate sound of water silencing everything.

  In the black, cold water everything was still compared to the chaos above. Below me, there was nothing but darkness, yet above me, lights danced about. My final fireworks show. The wolf within nudged me into action. Move, damn you, move! But my body didn’t respond as if my head wasn’t attached to my body. My fingertips went numb. My lungs begged for me to open my mouth to breathe. The gutted beast sank past me along with the rest of the boat.

  Something else hit the water above, but I didn’t notice.

  My grip on the goblin blade faltered and my hand relaxed. If it floated away to the bottom of the lake, at least I’d be free of it.

  Two pairs of hands grabbed my jacket and then pulled me upward. I allowed them to tug me until we reached the surface. Once there, I took in a deep breath. The cold wind was welcomed.

  Something coppery ran between my eyes and dripped off my chin. Blood. One of the old magic spellcasters draped his arm around my torso to keep me afloat. With a wide sweep of his arm, he pulled me along as he swam. Others splashed forward or treaded water beside us.

  My eyes blinked as sleep tugged at me.

  “Stay awake, girl,” a man grunted to me. “You’ll heal soon enough.”

  “This water is colder than the last woman I lay with,” Gostislav spat.

  Royse chanted not far from us.

  “Royse what are you doing?” Vasili shouted.

  A gust of wind ruffled the water behind us, building stronger and stronger until a powerful force pushed us from the water and catapulted us to the shore. We dropped out of the sky with a gentle plop on dry land.

  Chapter 24

  The landing wasn’t as gentle as I described it. More like we rolled several times and a few folks crashed into the rocks along the shore.

  “Royse…” Gostislav said with a groan. Using the back of his sleeve, he wiped away blood from a deep gash across his cheek. “You still haven’t mastered how to control the wind yet.”

  As a reply, she threw a few insults at him from a few feet away. Something about him resembling warty masses on a mule’s rear end. She added, “How about we toss you back into the water and I’ll try again, ehh?”

  I wanted to kick Gostislav, too. He was far too abrasive for his own good. An evening rain shower began, bringing more chill to the night. The temperatures here continued to drop. I slowly stood, my body heavy from wet clothes. My head pounded from hitting the rocks near the shore.

  “How are you feeling, Natalya?” Royse asked me. She twisted the hem of her skirt to wring it out.

  “I’ve had better days,” I declared as I leaned against a tree. I took in our destination. We’d reached Stolobny Island. The place wasn’t that large compared to the map. Just about five miles wide with stone structures, trees, and paths. Not far from us, a set of three-story buildings extended toward the dark sky. The neoclassical architecture made me think of this place as more of a hideaway palace than the battleground between supernatural forces. Such care had been given to keep the island, with its beautiful canary yellow and white buildings in such pristine shape.

  “Everyone regroup,” Vasili shouted.

  He glanced to each of us, checking for everyone. I spotted the old magic spellcasters coming to their feet. Far to our left, the acolytes dragged themselves out of the water, safe and sound. Dragomir, the tallest of the three, had a noticeable limp, but he didn’t let it slow him down as he followed his brother and Chestibor to shore.

  Vasili pointed to Gostislav and another werewolf. “You two scout ahead. Wide formation. Report back if we will run into problems on the way to the frontlines. No sound. No human interaction.”

  “Yes, Vasili.” Gostislav nodded to the other man and they disappeared into trees not far from the complex.

  Vasili looked to Royse and me. “You two will take high point. Find the highest place on the island and protect the others as needed. If you find the wizards, confer with them on our status.”

  “Understood,” Royse said.

  She took my arm and pulled me away.

  “And cousin,” Vasili whispered.

  She turned back with a sweet smil
e as if expecting he’d have more to say.

  “Don’t kill too many people this time. Stay alive if you can.”

  “I’d say the same thing about you.” She gave him a curt nod.

  I chuckled. There was nothing like family love on the battlefield.

  Royse led the way into the complex in the direction Gostislav went.

  “Did you memorize the map?” I asked. She couldn’t have visited this place before. The first buildings had been built in the late 1500s.

  “Of course,” she replied with a grin. “The highest point on the island is the cathedral. We’ll scale the side to the top.”

  “We will?” I mumbled. “And how are we supposed to not be seen? I know monks might go to bed early and all, but there might be human pilgrims and such roaming the grounds.”

  Case in point, we froze when a man in monk’s garb about fifty feet away strolled from one building into the next.

  “We need to mask ourselves, then,” she said.

  Now that’s a new one. She made it seem as if I did it on a whim whenever I wanted.

  “Do you know how to do it?” I asked.

  “It’s all about wind mastery,” she instructed. “By bending the light, you can obscure what others see. The good spellcasters, like wizards, can do it without an afterthought. The lucky bastards. It’s far harder for us, though.”

  “Manipulating light and wind…” I chewed on the idea.

  Seemed damn near impossible if anyone asked me.

  As we crept toward the cathedral, Royse began to chant softly. I listened in, catching a familiar phrase here and there. A cloud of ozone, bitter and hard to breathe, gathered at her feet. The light around her head grew opaque and hard to make out. The haze grew larger and larger until everything appeared the same, yet I sensed I was behind something so much more. I’d witnessed a masking spell firsthand.

  Royse moved on, not noticing she’d gotten hurt. A trail of bright red blood flowed from her ear down her neck. Was this the sign of a poor exchange in flesh for magic?

  “Royse?” I whispered. She touched her earlobe and then noticed the crimson stain on her fingertips.

  “I’m getting sloppy,” she remarked. “Need to focus next time.”