“Alright, that is my last joke for today, promise.” The priestess remained quiet and he noticed she was studying the area next to him. “Raiven?” He took a quick look at the spot she was staring at, but saw nothing. In eyeing her again, he realized she was raising her hands out of the water and they were glowing. He watched her, fascinated, until he felt the water next to him begin to bubble. He was alarmed when he realized what she was doing. “You would not dare!”
A massive sphere of water had risen out of the spring, and was hovering over his head. Her hands were noticeably controlling the liquid globe, when she shifted her focus back to Sytravious. “Oh, is that so?” she retorted, accepting the challenge. “Alright, this is my last joke for today, promise,” she mimicked him, then let go of the sphere.
He held out his hand, signaling her to stop. “Wait!” was all he could get out, before the globe crashed down on him. The enormous splash sent ripples throughout the spring’s surface.
He shook his drenched hair like a wild dog, then pushed his hair out of his face and blinked the water from his eyes. If this was the price he had to pay to see her joyous, he was more than willing to endure her hijinks.
Her smirk was smug and full of satisfaction. In response, he pressed his lips into a hard line, and said, “Tsk, tsk. The use of magic is cheating, and I never took you for a cheater.”
“Cheating?” She burst into laughter. “Says who?”
“Says me.”
He was pleased that his diversion was working. His plan was to avoid a lot of conversation, since he had little he was comfortable sharing about himself. Sytravious was enjoying every moment he spent with the priestess as he continued having carefree fun with her. They shared a few more minutes of horseplay before deciding to get out and dry off. He followed her as she lay down on a soft bed of grass.
“So, what is it like being locked up in that big temple all the time? Do you like being the heir to the high priestess?” When he did not hear a response, he glanced at her, only to find her eyes lingering on his chest. He cleared his throat.
“What?” She met his stare, and gave him a nervous smile. “Yes, I like being a priestess. It can be exciting, even though I am confined to the temple. Then again, I consider it my home because I have lived there as far back as I can remember, so I guess it is not so bad.”
He watched her as she leaned back and closed her eyes, letting the sunlight glisten against her face. The priestess continued to speak about her life in the temple. However, instead of paying attention to her words, he was listening to the melodic cadence of her voice. He felt enraptured by her charm, beauty, and eccentricity. She was unlike anyone he had ever known before, and that made her irresistible. He allowed himself to become intoxicated by the spell she had on him. It was taking over his heart and mind, but he welcomed the pleasant invasion into his dark world.
Her voice came back into focus and he heard, “What about you? Do you enjoy your apprenticeship?”
“It is all right. I am sure it is not as thrilling as being a temple Priestess, but it gives me something to do.”
“That is good I suppose. Vesalys blesses us all with gifts and talents, and I am sure you are going to be a great blacksmith.”
He did not want to push her away again, with his lack of belief in the goddess. Therefore, he resisted the urge to debate the topic of Vesalys, and nodded. “Of course.”
Sytravious smiled and moved nearer to her. In an attempt to impel her personal boundaries, he placed one hand on her waist. “Raiven, I have never met a girl like you. You are special. I do not care if you are a priestess and I am a blacksmith, I want you.” He brought his face closer to hers and his body ached with desire.
“I do not know what to say, Sytravious.”
“You do not have to say anything.” He moved his hand to her head and began to stroke her damp hair. To his surprise she did not object, but instead closed her eyes and leaned in. He could smell the sweet fragrance of her skin. He shut his eyes and just as he went to kiss her, a loud bang resonated through the air. The birds in the trees scattered into the sky.
Raiven gasped and sprang to her feet. “What was that?”
“I am not sure. It sounded like an explosion.”
“Whatever it was, I am sure the city guard will be dispersed to this area in no time. I have to get back to the temple.” In a panic, she grabbed the belongings she had brought with her, and stopped to look back at him. “We should not have come here, we cannot…”
Then she spun around and raced into the woods, towards Havencrest. Bemused by what had occurred, he stood there in silence. As much as he wanted to chase after the priestess, he knew that explosion had come from the direction of the temple fields. His instinct told him it had to do with his parents. If they were in danger, they would be looking for his assistance and he was not there.
Chapter 6
Ghost Of The Past
“That is definitely her,” Chuggers declared. “I may be ancient, but I would never forget that face.” The withered old man nodded as he identified Nyxseous.
Jamison peered over Chuggers’ shoulder, through the trees where they hid. “But she is gorgeous. I thought she was supposed to be old,” he said into the friend’s ear.
Chuggers looked back in disgust, and shoved Jamison from his shoulder. “Back off of me, it is too hot and muggy.” he grumbled. “Of course she is gorgeous in her old age, she is a witch.”
“But did you not say she was supposed to have died twenty years ago? This woman looks no more than a few years past thirty. Your brain must be deteriorating in its old age. How can that be the same woman?”
Chuggers looked back at his companion and stood up. He shoved Jamison’s back into a tree, while grabbing his collar. “You idiot, she is a witch!” His wrinkled, timeworn, face twisted up in anger. “Have you not been paying attention to anything I have been telling you? It is her magic that keeps her so fair.”
“But, how could the most notorious witch of Moruz, who died all those years ago, be all the way out here, enjoying a morning harvest?” Jamison rasped out.
Chuggers let go of his associate to throw his arms up in exasperation. “She never died, you fool. That was only a story, fabricated by Lord Fheng’s inner circle to cover the fact that they never recovered her body. Nyxseous was far too clever for such a simple assassination to have ever succeeded. She must have fled and taken the whole Fifth Legion with her. Though, why she is here in Havencrest, all alone, is beyond me.”
They both returned to kneeling down at the edge of the forest, concealed by the nature. Together, the pair watched her busily picked roots from the ground, inspect them, and place them in her apron pockets. Her long hair fluttered when the warm breeze hit it. The sun broke through the morning clouds, and glistened against her enchanting face. She was a remarkable sight. As nice as the scenery and landscape in Valcrest had proven to be, the duo had found the weather unforgiving in comparison to Moruz. The heat and humidity was contrary to the foggy chill that covered the land back home. In spite of their desire for baths and dry beds, the sighting of Nyxseous was far too great of an opportunity to pass up.
Chuggers licked his dry, crusted lips as he tried to think of a strategy that would catch the witch. Meanwhile, Jamison ogled her while he took a sip from his wine skin. The drink trickled down his chin, and he used his sleeve to wipe his mouth clean.
“I know the stories about her always mentioned her good looks, but they did not do her justice,” he whispered to himself, before he returned to gawking at her.
Chuggers smacked the back of Jamison’s head. “What is the matter with you? We are here to capture her, not fall in love with her!” His patience for his companion was wearing thin.
“Fine! If it is her, then who cares? It is the renowned Nyxseous VanDrake, back from the dead. I am tired. I want to continue the journey home.”
He punched the young man’s arm “We are soldiers of the First Legion of Moruz, toughen up. We will go
home only when we have apprehended her. Trust me boy, by bringing her in, Lord Fheng will be relieved of this problem, and we will not only be pardoned, but promoted.” A wicked sneer spread across Chuggers’ face, exposing his yellowed teeth.
Jamison frowned at this idea. “Are you serious? You want to apprehend her? Let us just say, theoretically, it is not her, and just some maiden from Havencrest, then what will happen to us when we bring her to Lord Fheng?”
Chuggers was going to respond, but Jamison continued debating aloud, “But, what if it is her? Do you really think we can just capture and drag her back to Moruz without a fight? We are talking about a VanDrake, some of the greatest sorcerers in the land. She could annihilate us…” his voice turned into a murmur. His eyes were wide with fear, and he vehemently shook his head. “No, we cannot risk it. I do not want to die! If it is not her, then Lord Fheng will kill us. If it is her, then she will kill us.”
“It is her. I would bet my life on it,” Chuggers reassured his friend. “If you are that worried that she will attack us, then round up the others. They are waiting about half a mile back.”
“I hope you are right about this,” Jamison mumbled as he walked off into the woods.
His gaze followed his companion, until he disappeared into the thick woodland. He directed his attention back to Nyxseous. There was no way he was going to let her out of his sight. He was determined to get back into Lord Fheng’s good graces by bringing the witch to him. As Chuggers waited for Jamison to come back with the other five men that accompanied them, he tried to convince himself that this would be an easy task.
“It seems your time in Havencrest has made you careless and negligent as to what is going on around you, but we have not forgotten you in Moruz, Nyxseous VanDrake.”
Despite the early hour, the sun was already beating down during her walk to the prohibited area. This morning her husband had cut Sytravious’ lesson short, due to the fact he was visibly preoccupied with something. She was annoyed with her husband for letting him go early, but she was more irritated about her son’s indifferent attitude today. However, now she had more time to collect the ingredients she needed. Nyxseous supposed that since she was trespassing into the temple’s fields anyway that she would harvest anything else she might need.
Nysight had accompanied her this morning, seeing as Sytravious took it upon himself to patrol the surrounding vicinity. The heavily wooded area they traveled through was rarely used due to the growing womach dilemma, and it was very unlikely that they would run into anyone on this path.
“I will not be too long,” she said as they approached the thicket that signaled the edge of the Foxfire Woods.
“Okay, I will wait here and keep a lookout.” His voice was deep and hoarse, matching his physical appearance. Nysight was a tall, solid man who trained hard on a daily basis to maintain his physique and in spite of his old age, he could still fight as well as he did in his youth.
She nodded to him, and then stepped out into the open pastures and simpered as she continued to think about her protective, caring husband. Nyxseous knew he had always cared for her. Even when she was a teenager, Nysight had been in love with her, but she had only viewed him as her father’s Weapons Master and General. If it had not been for the tragic night when he rescued her and Sytravious, she doubted if they would have ever been together at all. But how could she deny the devotion and loyalty he had shown her since that day? He helped raise her son, guarded the family, and was even willing to adapt to the impoverished life of a fugitive, all for her.
She hated hiding as an outlaw, but she had no choice. Nyxseous understood the downfall to hiding in Havencrest was that she had to stay clear of the temple’s watchful eye. Working as a barmaid in the slums allowed her to do that, but she was no fool. She would not let the senseless ideals of the temple impede on the growth of her magical skills, which is why she continued to practice magic in the secrecy of her home.
She hurried and picked through the greenery, stuffing it into her apron. It was better to be expeditious than to linger, because just the other day at work she had overheard the news of citizens being apprehended and jailed for stealing Rosewood from this very field. Therefore, when Nysight informed her that there was a group of men on horseback rapidly approaching, she was worried.
“They are not soldiers though,” he reassured.
Curiosity replaced her concern. What would a group of travelers be doing in this area? They both returned to the path from which they came. The rider’s horses slowed down as they approached the couple, and the two exchanged calm glances before Nysight approached them.
“Good morning, gentlemen.”
Nyxseous refused to stand in the background and stepped in front of her husband, to better assess the group.
“Sure it is, if you can ignore this heat,” the leader replied.
He was the oldest of the riders, and like the rest of his men, his filthiness suggested he had been riding nonstop for days. Once they came to a halt, all of them dismounted their horses.
“You are right, the weather is merciless today. You must be parched. Would you care for some water?” Nyxseous offered and faked a welcoming smile.
“How generous of you, water would be great.”
She reached for her canteen, but Nysight was already handing his to one of the men. She remained vigilant while she watched them, trying to gauge who they might be and what they were doing there. Nyxseous watched as one of the scruffy travelers thanked him before taking a few sips, and then turned her attention back to the head of the group.
He gave her an uneasy feeling. It was not just, because he looked like he had been on the run, or even that he kept staring at her when he thought she was not looking. Something else that nagged at her suspicions, the scar that stretched across the left side of his baldhead.
“So, Mister…?” Nysight paused, giving him a chance to offer his name.
“Oh, pardon me. The name is Chuggers.”
“So, Mr. Chuggers are you headed to Havencrest? Because if you are, it is still a ways further.”
Despite the fact that her husband was addressing him, she noticed the old man was fixated with her instead. In response, she focused on him, her stare meeting his.
“We have traveled from Springdale and are trying to get to Terrach. Trekking through the mountains would have taken weeks. I thought by cutting through these woods, we could make it there faster.”
“In that case, you are headed in the right direction. Though, I would suggest taking the main trail, since it is a known fact that womachs have been lurking around these woods.”
“Thank you, Mister…?”
“Harcourt,” she attested, “Mister and Misses Harcourt.” She grabbed Nysight’s hand and squeezed it. “Now I do not mean to cut your chat short, but my husband and I really do need to get back home. It was a pleasure to meet you.”
She released her husband’s hand and began to walk off, leaving him to reclaim his canteen. Behind her, Nysight said farewell and then a spark of frenzied whispers followed the sounds of his ensuing footsteps. After studying his face, she had figured out who the old man was. She peeked back to see Nysight behind her, and with one look she conveyed they were in immediate danger. As they continued onward, she knew he understood what was coming.
When she heard the thud of a body falling to the ground, she spun around to see Nysight snap the traveler’s arm in one swift move. His bone cracked and the sword fell from his hand. The rest of the men froze in horror while their friends agonized screams echoed around them.
“What are you waiting for you halfwits? Get him!” Chuggers ordered.
Nyxseous watched intently as her husband picked up the sword in anticipation. Knowing he had been longing for the chance to utilize his combative abilities, she was certain he would obliterate them. She crossed her arms and leered, observing his talent in action was an impressive spectacle to see. Sparks flew as their swords crashed against each other, creating a song of
steel that rang out through the trees.
With each body that collapsed to the floor, her wicked sneer became more noticeable. Her eyes carefully followed Chuggers’ every move. Seeing him step backwards and away from the fight, made it clear that he had underestimated Nysight’s skill and speed. He would soon regret the mistake.
“Alright, finish him off men. Jamison, you come with me.” Before they could even notice her coming, Nyxseous was coming up on them.
“Where do you think you are going? We have to bring her to Lord Fheng.” Jamison had tried to escape, but Chuggers had gripped his arm. “Stop! She is unarmed and out of practice. Come on!”
Upon hearing this comment, she let out a deranged cackle. “Do you believe that I would just forget what happened in Moruz? Fheng will be disappointed to know another pathetic attempt to kill me has failed.”
Her eyes were illuminated, a sight that made the young man flee. Jamison yanked his arm free from Chuggers’ hold, and ran. She watched as the man darted between trees, running for his life. Chuggers used the unexpected distraction to his advantage and lunged at her with a dagger, managing to slash her clothing before she used magic to fling the blade from his fist.
She tackled him, and the two began to scuffle on the ground. Chuggers managed to fight his way to his bag, and then reached into it. He produced a round glass bottle filled with a swirling red vapor. Recognizing it, she jumped behind a tree when he threw it at her. It smashed hard into the ground, shattering the glass and releasing a deafening explosion of smoke and magic.
Nyxseous leapt through the fog and landed on top of Chuggers. She caught both his wrists in the struggle and managed to pin him to the ground. She lit up her hands with black flames and concentrated her glowing stare on him. His eyes widened in fear and he let out a blood-curdling cry. She took pleasure in watching his body writhe under her. She glowered down at him, listening to his screams die down until his head flopped to the side and his last breath seeped from his lips, as a puff of smoke. She spit in the dead man’s face.
Sytravious: The Lost Warlock Of Moruz (The Oathbreaker Book 1) Page 6
