by C S Vass
She turned, and the Beast was there, staring at her with his hungry red eyes.
“No! Not now! Not now!” She was pleading, but to her surprise she realized he did not have his usual cocky and calm demeanor. He looked downright terrified.
“Fiona, listen carefully! Rodrick is crafting a powerful magic that he does not understand. He’s going to open a portal to the Black Swamp of Morrordraed. He must be stopped right now! Should that link be established, beasts which have been sealed in the swamplands for aeons will be released. This is about much more than Haygarden. They’ll flatten all of Tellos in an instant and move on to consume other worlds. It will be a catastrophe on a level totally incomprehensible to you!”
“Help me! What do I do?”
“I’ve temporarily slowed him with the true manjeko, but he’s pushing through it. We only have a few moments. Fiona, you’re not quite ready for what I’m going to suggest. By all rights we should have spent years together before even considering this. But we’re out of time.”
“Then spit it out already!” she shouted. There was a loud humming that filled the room. It started as a soft note, but quickly increased in its intensity until it sounded like a dozen swords were shrieking against each other.
The Beast stared at her and Fiona realized with surprise that the look he was giving her was one of total hatred. At last he spoke.
“I can’t subdue him with the manjeko because I’m not a part of your plane, and you can’t because you’re not strong enough to wield the true manjeko yet. It would rip you apart in an instant if I gave it to you. There’s only one solution.”
Fiona’s heart was throbbing so hard that she felt like it was trying to leap up her throat and out her mouth. They were not playing training games any more. Whatever the Beast was about to suggest, he not only didn’t want to do it, but actually hated her for being the reason he had to.
“We have to merge. A tricky bit of spell work, but one that I can pull off. If we do that, then you’ll have my power and I’ll be able to fully exist on your plane. Together we’ll be able to stop Rodrick before he can create his portal with the Tome Vaenti.”
It was so ludicrous she actually laughed. “What does that mean? We merge? I get your red eyes and pointy ears and you get my tits? Tell me what you’re talking about!”
He shouted in frustration as the screeching around them picked up to hellish levels. “We have to decide fast. I won’t sugarcoat this. It means a significant piece of each of us will die, and a new being will be born in our place. You needn’t worry, I am highly capable of working the minute details. You will keep your body and your consciousness, I will sacrifice those totally so you don’t have to. You’ll gain my power, but the merging is uncertain. Parts of you will likely be destroyed. Fractures of your memories and emotions, fractures of your personality and your morals, what are those weighed against the coming apocalypse your brother will unwittingly unleash on us?”
Fiona felt like she was going to be sick, like her body was trying to stun her into unconsciousness so she wouldn’t have to think about something so horrible. How was she supposed to agree to shattering herself? Hadn’t Rodrick already shattered her enough?
The shimmering light around Rodrick grew stronger. His chants were louder and more consistent. Most worrying of all the Tome Vaenti was glowing with a venomous yellow light, a color Fiona had never seen when inside the world of the manjeko.
“This can’t be happening,” she moaned. “There has to be another way!”
“No! I can’t touch him when we’re here. He’s protected by defensive magic, most likely from the mage Downcastle. Even without that, it’s all I can do to slow the wheels of time in your world long enough for us to merge. Fiona, if you don’t do this…”
The Beast shook his head with a look of total disbelief. “I can’t make you. If you resist, or even if you’re not totally committed, then the feat of magic required will be too great while I try to deal with Rodrick as well and I’ll be destroyed. But where will that leave you?”
It will leave me whole. It will leave me with the dignity to live as myself until whatever demons come through that portal kill us all. But I will at least die the same person as when I was born, not some mutant abomination.
Hot tears of anger welled in her eyes. This wasn’t fair. This wasn’t supposed to be what a battle was. She had put in the time, studied the martial arts, and become an exceptional warrior. Now that she was in a position to challenge her brother and reclaim the honor of her family they were changing the rules on her.
“Fiona!” The Beast shouted. “I need your answer!”
There was a whirlwind around them now, and a deep resounding groan. Something old and evil from beyond the bones of the earth. She remembered swimming. There were demons in the water. A titan sea beast large enough to consume the world.
“FIONA!!!”
The world was ripping apart. She didn’t understand it, but she could feel it. Rodrick’s whole body was a burning yellow light, white hot to look at. At any moment he was going to combust.
“Do it!”
The Beast nodded. There was still hatred in his eyes, but gratitude as well.
He immediately began chanting to himself and gesturing wildly with his hands. His fingers were bending in ways that made Fiona feel sick. They flexed over each other, contorting into the most bizarre and intricate patterns she had ever seen.
“When I hand it to you, you must take it without hesitation and bring it into your body. Just like you did with the manjeko. This will be much harder, but you must do it. Everything is lost if you falter.”
“I’m ready,” Fiona said, but of course that was a lie. There were tears streaming down her face. This was it.
The ball of energy appeared slowly, a swarming wrath-red globe of fiery magical essence. As it formed the Beast seemed to disappear. He became more and more translucent until Fiona was sure she wouldn’t be able to see him at all if his red eyes hadn’t remained. Then they faded too.
“Now.” The voice came from nowhere.
Fiona seized the orb with both hands and immediately knew it would have been easier to grab a burning log from a fire. She didn’t scream, there was no energy to waste on anything but grappling with the magic in her hands. It was perverse, wrong. The Beast didn’t want to go inside of her any more than she wanted him to. She was forcing this raw power against its own will, and it was burning her alive.
Yet she persisted anyway and wasted no more energy on her emotions than she did on her screams. Her hands cracked and blistered with each passing second and Fiona was worried that this would destroy her before she would ever be able to wrestle the thing inside of her. She pushed harder and reached into her own manjeko for strength. The world bubbled over into chaos. She was losing her vision even as Rodrick’s portal formed.
Then something shifted. The orb was halfway inside of her and without warning it seemed to just die. It fell into her stomach as easily as if she had simply dropped it onto the ground. But…what was happening? She had expected horrible pain, or simply to be obliterated, or gain some new memories. At the very least she expected to feel powerful. But the grey world of the manjeko was falling away from her.
Rodrick had also stopped his chanting. Whatever magic he was working with the Tome Vaenti had ceased. She felt weak, so weak that she fell to her knees. What was happening?
Rodrick laughed, a slow chuckle at first, then louder.
“I’m so proud of you, Fiona,” Rodrick said. There was wild euphoria in his eyes. “They told me I was a fool, that you would never be brave enough to meet this challenge. But I knew all along. The blood of Vaentysh kings runs in our veins, and I knew there was no way that you would back away. It’s all over now.”
“What…”
She couldn’t find the words to ask. She wasn’t sure what it was she wanted to know. Was she as powerful as the Beast now? She mostly felt nauseous and sleepy.
“This is the most important day of our liv
es, Fiona,” Rodrick said. “I never would have been able to do it without you.” He walked towards her slowly, with open arms as if to embrace her. The look on his face was pure bliss, and his eyes were red as blood.
Chapter Twenty
Fiona swayed in and out of reality as if she were in a dream. She felt light, drunk even. It took her a moment to realize that Rodrick was hugging her. “Come on, Fiona. You didn’t think I was so arrogant, did you? You didn’t truly think I would meddle in those dark forces? Well, perhaps meddle, but I know my limits.”
Tears fell silently down her face. She was so, so tired. She had absorbed that raw bloody orb expecting to return with unbelievable strength, but now she just felt like curling up and sleeping.
“Shh, it’s alright. Let me explain, sister. It all begins two years ago. I knew you were tracking me down, and that you wouldn’t rest until you caught up with me. Killing your old headmaster was a serious mistake on my part, and I’m sorry for it. The rest of the Vaentysh Boys were ready to underestimate you, but I knew better. I knew we wouldn’t be safe with you roaming the Lordless Lands. Once we found out that you were searching for a way to obtain the manjeko, all of my worst fears were confirmed.
“Of course I had absolute faith that you would overcome the trials required to obtain the manjeko. The other Vaentysh Boys still hadn’t learned their lesson. Very foolish of them. So, I decided to pursue a little magic on my own in order to give you time without the distraction of fighting us. You see, the others wanted to kill you. But I knew that if we gave you a chance, you would prove yourself and be ready to join us, stronger than ever.
“So I brought them to Morrordraed. Downcastle prattled on and on about how it wasn’t worth the risks. Heh, that’s all the bastard ever really did. Every step of the way he warned of our recklessness. It was a fancy bit of linguistic maneuvering that ultimately did nothing more than demonstrate his cowardice. But still, many are drawn to his reputation even if the depletion of his powers as a soundmage turned him craven. I knew I could make use of that reputation while throwing any spies off my own trail.
“When I knew that Hightower was getting close to uncovering my plans I let it leak that Downcastle had acquired some skill with portal magic. That way nobody would know that it was I all along who held the true power. Morrordraed was hard on the Vaentysh Boys, but after many trials and a few nasty encounters with zombies, rusalka, and other creatures I have no name for we acquired the Tome Vaenti.
“I never did intend for Sun Circle to find out that the Tome was our objective, but somehow they did. I suspect Hightower has kept a much closer eye on us than I would have liked to admit possible. Sandra immediately set Donyo to work to devise a counter-measure. He concocted that impressive bit of mathematical magic on the scroll I burned that would have sent the Tome to another dimension. The man was never given proper credit for his brilliance by Sun Circle, and should he come around to our way of thinking there will be a place of honor for him in the new world we create.
“But still I held most of the cards. My enemies knew of the Tome, but not my true intention. They thought I sought to release the monsters of the abyss upon Haygarden, but the Tome Vaenti is a powerful piece of magic written up by our ancestors. There are many things that it can do as I’ve demonstrated tonight. We’ll get to that soon.
“But you still almost ruined it all, Fiona. Think of the irony! After I constantly warned everyone of the danger you posed. After I constantly calculated your abilities and was so certain not to underestimate you, you nearly destroyed my ambitions. I fully expected you to eventually obtain total control of the manjeko. I thought that when I started the process to open the portal tonight—that was a complete and total bluff, by the way—then that vile creature from the netherworld you’ve been in communication with would simply reveal himself to try to stop me. Instead he tried to merge with you, which would have been devastating.
“That was ludicrous of you, Fiona. Your blood is sacred, and you would have essentially destroyed yourself had you merged with that creature and I would have simply been forced to kill you. But lucky for you, I saved your life tonight. The result for me is essentially the same, perhaps it will even be better. Time will tell I suppose. Fiona, it is I that has merged with the Beast. Thanks to the magical powers of the Tome Vaenti I have his power, and he even did me the kindness of destroying his consciousness so that my mind has been left uncorrupted. Now I have the manjeko. Understand, Fiona, this is not the toy that you’ve played with over the last week. What I have is the real true sight, an ability not seen in Tellos for generations.
“Surely you see now why you must submit. I was unstoppable before, but now I am virtually a god. Don’t harbor any plans of revisiting the witch and trying to restore the power. It’s doubtful that you could after the ordeal you’ve put your body through, but in any case I’ve killed her. She died shortly before I came here, and with her all knowledge of how to orchestrate the magic to bring the power back. I alone have it.
“So here we are, brother and sister at the end of a great journey. Join with me, Fiona. Together we can bring the Vaentysh Boys to Haygarden and usher in a new world. You already wear my sword on your back. Inscribe my philosophy, my way of life, on your heart. We can make this a better Haygarden, a better Tellos. We can create a never-ending dynasty that people will sing of for all time to come. All I ask is that you take my hand.”
Fiona could barely keep her eyes open. Whatever small energy she still harbored had been totally depleted by Rodrick’s story. But there was no chance she could rest. Not until she dealt with this.
“Rodrick.”
“Yes? Yes, sister. Speak! Tell me you’ll join me!” His eyes were trembling in his head and the look of unadulterated hope and joy on his face made her shiver.
The demon-pommel blade was in her hand sweeping towards Rodrick’s head. She slashed at his face with every last bit of strength that was inside of her. It was her final chance to end it. She knew there would be no battle, she had no energy for one. There would just be the single swing of a sword and then whatever happened would happen.
Warm blood sprayed across the room as the sword made contact. Rodrick, so caught up in the fever-dream he had made for himself, had not expected the attack. He howled like a wounded beast as he fell back, clutching at his head. Fiona tried to leap up and finish him but she was falling to the wooden floor.
Rodrick cursed and stomped. She managed to roll over onto her back and look up long enough to catch a glimpse of him and when she did—a giggle burst from her. Then another. Her belly was shaking with laughter. The absurdity. The irony.
Rodrick swore again, but then walked to a mirror. When he saw the long cut across his forehead, essentially identical to the one he had given Fiona two years ago, he laughed as well.
“Either you or fate has an interesting sense of humor,” he said darkly. He wiped the blood with a cloth and then tied it tightly around his forehead. “Very well, Fiona. I can accept this. I did the same to you after all. I’ll even let you keep the sword on your back as a show of good faith. I suggest you become intimately aquatinted with it. It is my best gift to you.”
He paced back and forth for a few moments and then sighed. “They’ll be most disappointed, but I’ll keep them in line.” He seemed to be talking to himself more than her. “The red path, no too guarded. The blue. No, but maybe…yes, yes it will work. It has to. Ah, Fiona! You disappoint me more than you know.
“Twice now you’ve denied me. There will not be a third time. I will spare your life again, just as I did on the last occasion. Think long and hard in the time until we meet again. I aim to rule this city one way or the other, but I would prefer to do it with the last of my family. Until then, I leave you this house. You’ll find the deed to it in your bedroom, should some miscreant or moneylender try to lay claim to it in my absence.”
She tried to do something, anything, as he walked out of her life again. But Fiona couldn’t even turn her head
, let alone stand. She heard the front door open, but before she heard it close again blackness had taken her.
* * *
The next few days were an empty blur. Disappointment clung to Fiona like rainwater on a humid day. The world was grey, but not because she possessed any special powers. Somewhere along the way she had been transported to Sun Circle, but she really couldn’t have said when or why or how.
She had attendants that brought her food, but that was largely an effort in futility. Even when she tried to eat a little fruit or drink some broth, it immediately came right back up. She spoke to people only when she had to. Oftentimes she was told she had to and still didn’t.
Martin was one of the first to come and see her. He was angry and sad about his dead friend Jamie. She briefly suggested that he ask to personally execute Aiyana, but the Forgotten leader had been given a full pardon. It had to do with the secret arrangement she had made with Geoff Hightower, but nobody seemed to have any information about that. Fiona didn’t really care. Martin said he carried his anger around like a knife he just needed to plunge somewhere, but there wasn’t any place he could put that knife so he just had to walk around with it in his hand. It seemed to Fiona like he wanted her to comfort him, but she didn’t know how.
True to his word, Rodrick had spared Donyo. Apparently he had been in the house while they fought and was scared out of his mind at the demonic noises coming from downstairs. He has been chained with irons to a large piece of furniture though personally Fiona thought he wouldn’t have left the room anyway because Rodrick had been savvy enough to leave him with a large bottle of very expensive and very old malt whiskey. Geoff Hightower’s men had found him singing a sea shanty to himself with his trousers dropped and twisted around his ankles. When he was told that the scroll he made was destroyed he disappeared into his chambers with the stores of half the castle’s wine cellar and hadn’t come out since.
After many conflicting thoughts she decided to ask about Sasha though she still felt a mixture of betrayal and sadness at the thought of Sasha’s unfortunate marriage. She had tried to help. She had tried to do everything that she could. But now it was out of her hands. They told her that Sasha Downcastle was perfectly fine, living with her loving husband Reggie in the Leaf District, and that she could be sent for if Fiona wanted. Fiona politely declined.
