by G S Santos
"If Siwelzac dies, all our problems will be over. Because of him, my father lost his mind, because of him, we lost our vineyard, and because of him, Kaunas has suffered so much. And I'm sure there are a lot more people suffering because of him."
Talia got up and ran to the kitchen, returning with strips of incense and lit them with one of the small candles.
"Continue, Adelphine. Let those vibes escape. It is not good for you to have them inside. Come on, keep going."
"He deserves the worst. He deserves to get what he did to us. And there is no other way out, Aunt, for us to be free. We have to avenge my father, and to avenge what they did to my brother."
"Are you talking about killing him?"
“Aunt, we have to do justice. I know what the count did to you, I know what he did to many others, I know how his men behave. You know how this is, if we appeal to King Jogälion, he will not help, you know that the count is very dear to the king."
"Do you want revenge?"
"Justice," Adelphine corrected.
"You're talking about revenge, doing things outside the law."
"Talia, this is the right thing. The law will not do anything. The law has been blinded with its lies. Besides, maybe that's what Dad said. The Varunas are a warrior clan. I have to do it."
"Adelphine, you do not handle weapons. And even if you did, does Kaunas agree with what you think?"
"No. Well, I don’t think he cares. But I know I have to do it somehow."
"Adelphine. As a member of the family, I tell you, what you are thinking will not help you. It will lead you to death or worse, and you will not succeed."
Wrong answer, she thought.
"Besides," Talia continued. "I had a time similar to yours. And also, Siwelzac happened. You know? Right after your Uncle Otto died. Another brave Varunas. I did not have anything. They took away my nobility title. You know what they did to all of us who came from the East at that time. For me, seeing it now, it was the best. The time has changed. I did not have anything. And I boiled with hate. I felt it. But I realized that I did not have to do anything. I went back to my life, to remake it. Sometimes the nobility is nothing, the fortune with which we are born is lost. But you can start again. If you want to get in trouble, you'll get into more trouble. More and more. And you can never leave."
"What do you suggest?"
"Adelphine, you organize and work, ask for help, maybe not the king; but there are other noble families."
"Talia, there is something that my father told me. It’s about blood. He said Varunas are a warrior clan, although it is a time of peace, in our blood the desire to do justice boils. It is in me, and I cannot put it out. It is in Kaunas, but his heart and body are shattered."
"Adelphine. You have never fought, and I know that Kaunas was not very good with swords either. How do you plan to do it?"
Adelphine sighed heavily, then narrowed her eyelids.
"Magic."
"Do you want to poison him? But how?"
"I would if I could, but I would not go near his castle, even if they paid me a thousand gold coins. I want to face it like the wizards and witches of centuries ago fought, and that's it. Have you heard the stories? Have you heard of the warlocks who built mountains with their dreams? The witches who could summon Perkunas’ thunder from up in heaven. I don’t mean I’m going to summon a mountain giant to crush his castle, I mean… I’d make him pay with a pain spell. I do not want to have the power to do evil, just to do this, because the law will not take care of it."
"Adelphine, but those are stories, and they were gifted people. And what about the gods?"
"Do you think they help? They only want people to worship them, do they not?"
"Why not…?" Talia sighed and shook her head. Adelphine saw the refusal in her eyes. "Adelphine. No. That is not right."
"Aunt, I cannot help it. I must do it."
"There is always another way."
"Not for me. You cannot make me change my mind. And I want to ask you something else... Auntie, I listened to you years ago. I heard you speak of a sorceress who lives in this city, who was a very wise woman and with powers beyond anything I have ever imagined."
Talia's expression became solemn and uncomfortable. She took a deep breath and looked at the window on the side.
"Is it true that she lives close by? Is it true that you know her?"
Talia leaned over and fixed her eyes on Adelphine's. "I know her, she's my neighbor."
Adelphine felt her lips open and formed a nervous smile.
"Do you think she would take me as an apprentice?"
"I'm surprised you do not want to ask her to do the work for you."
"The burden is mine, I want the consequences to be mine."
Talia sighed. "If you want to go see her," she whispered, "prepare to be dazzled."
Adelphine raised an eyebrow.
"I'm sure she will teach you, and you’ll learn, but I do not think you will like it."
"I do not understand." Adelphine shook her head.
"And... I'm not good at explaining it, but magic is unpredictable, and she is equally or more unpredictable. Well, we'll visit her early tomorrow."
"What do you know about her? Who? What is your story?"
"She always lived here, even before I came. And she did not meddle with her neighbors, only when they have great misfortunes. Her name is Tara," she whispered. "And there are many rumors around her. They say that she is a courtesan of King Jogälion, others that she is his lover, but it seems that she is highly respected in high society. Which many doubt, because she lives in a humble house. Well, it's nothing special, nothing fancy, that's it."
Talia stood up and walked to the window next to the door. She opened the blinds and told Adelphine to look. Adelphine glanced outside. Talia pointed to the house in front of her. It seemed to have nothing special about it. But the more she looked at it, she felt a strange energy inside it. The more she thought about it, the more she felt that she had visited that place before, maybe in her own dreams.
Adelphine spent the night with Talia and woke up as the first sunrays pierced through the windows. They had a cup of tea, then they went looking for the sorceress. Adelphine felt her stomach stir with uncertainty. The sorceress's house was as old as the rest of the city, and it looked like it. It was built of small, gray, cold bricks. There was a large window next to the wooden door, with a violet, almost transparent curtain covering it.
"Would you like me to knock?" asked Talia.
Adelphine shook her head and approached, knocking. She swallowed. An autumn wind blew; it made her hair go crazy and bothered her eyes, but the door was still in place.
Adelphine looked at Talia, and she shrugged.
"Does she, like, go out every morning?" Adelphine said.
She knocked once again. "Hello! Anybody here?" she cried. She could not waste time, she had to learn how to solve her problem as soon as possible, and go back to poor Kaunas.
"She might have gone out," said Talia.
"Hello!" Adelphine kept knocking, even harder. If she was there, Adelphine would wake her up no matter what. "Mrs. Tara, are you home?"
"Adelphine." Talia put a hand on her shoulder. "I'll tell her we came looking for her. It's getting late, I'll prepare the sacks of grain and vegetables. It will be okay. Kaunas sure will be very hungry."
Adelphine shook her head, her eyes fixed on the ground. She did not want to give up. Maybe waiting a little longer wouldn’t hurt.
Suddenly the door opened with a creak, and Adelphine stared with wide eyes. But inside, she saw nothing, despite the morning light. Talia signaled her to enter.
"Ade," Talia whispered in her ears. "I'll prepare things for you while you're here. Good luck."
Adelphine nodded and stepped inside.
The smell of incense flooded the room. On each side, there were shop windows on tables and shelves, all with articles and bottles of different colors and shapes. Several mandalas hung on the wall, wit
h small sculptures of gods and animals. There were glass jars with rods, circles and spheres, skulls, and dried leaves.
Who had opened the door? Had it been the wind?
"Good morning..." she said toward nobody and turned her head around. Suddenly, she saw a thin, short woman with olive skin, big eyes under straight black hair, and a big smile. She wore a beige tunic that hung loose, with a lot of necklaces around her chest. It was nothing like she had imagined. She could be described as pretty, and in her forties, or a little older if she was the kind of person who aged well.
The woman stretched out her hand; the bracelets around her wrist tinkled.
"Good morning," she said with wide eyes and revealing a perfect smile. "Welcome home. I am Tara."
"Thank you," Adelphine stammered, as she reached for Tara’s hand. "I am Adelphine of Varunas."
"What good to see you, Adelphine. What brings you here? Is there anything I can help you with?"
Adelphine swallowed and nodded.
Tara pointed to a wooden chair, so white it looked like ivory from the south, height an inch away from the ceiling, with green jewels embedded in the backrest. Along the wood, it was engraved with angled letters of an alphabet that Adelphine had never seen.
"Sit comfortably," Tara said, her eyes wide and loving.
Adelphine smiled and sat down.
"Let us begin." Tara held Adelphine's wrist. "Quiet. Breathe. You are very nervous."
Adelphine took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Tara released her hand gently.
Tara had sat across from her in a small chair that looked like it would break at any moment. The smile remained, but her large, sweet eyes seemed at the same time sharp as a knife.
"Why are you coming to me?" she said softly.
"Well, I..."
Adelphine felt the tension take hold of her neck. She tried to breathe but it was difficult. Her hands and feet tensed. She wanted to move them but they seemed a thousand times heavier.
Tara stepped forward, seemed much larger, that, or Adelphine had shrunken.
"Quiet. Keep breathing." Adelphine felt Tara's breath upon her face.
Adelphine attempted to breathe, blinked a lot, and felt her heart speed up like a racing chariot going downhill.
"What is happening?" she whispered.
"Easy," Tara whispered next to Adelphine's ear. "It's just a test."
Tension gripped her arms like an invisible iron chain. Tara said it was a test, that she should remain calm, that she should breathe deeply. She made an effort, but her body seemed wrapped in fear and did not obey her mind.
Adelphine did her best to relax, but the tension grew more and more. It seemed that it was never going to end.
Suddenly, Adelphine's body was propelled forward and fell on her knees with a long inspiration. She breathed quickly; now her muscles felt free of all weight and felt that her body was floating adrift.
"What was that?" said Adelphine in a loud voice.
"It was a test, to see what you can do. That was all, do not worry. Now we are ready to start. Good. So, you were telling me? Why did you come to me? What do you want?"
"I?"
"Yes. Let's go. Be honest."
"I want to do justice," Adelphine said, looking up.
"Justice? I like that word. Tell me more."
Adelphine cleared her throat. "There is a man who did us a lot of harm. It started with a business that went wrong, someone ransacked the boat where we brought merchandise, and we could not pay what we had invested. He got very angry and made life impossible for us, he took everything except the castle."
Tara nodded, as if she was going to say something.
Adelphine was silent, waiting for an answer.
"Come on, go on," Tara said.
Adelphine nodded. "And... Well, they got tired of waiting and came to the castle, burned the vineyards, looted the cellars. That day, my father died and my brother got beaten up so badly that cannot walk. Well, we have nothing. I did not know what to do, how to continue living. Everything Papa worked for was lost. And I came here, and it turns out that Count Siwelzac has told all his vassals that we are dregs. They wanted to take me out of the city! I... I want to see justice, that this man and all his followers suffer."
Tara nodded and raised her index finger high. "Vengeance," she said. “That you want."
"But he deserves it..."
"Let's talk things the way they are. It may be fair, it may not. But what you want is something specific, and it is called vengeance."
"I do not know. But it is what I want to do. I want him to suffer."
"Say no more. How do you want to do it?"
"I would like a powerful spell. I wish I could torment his castle with powerful, burning, fire-magic. Make them flee from fear and burn them alive. I want you to teach me, and I want to do it myself."
"Now. All right. In everything you want to do, you must be master of your actions. I do not do jobs for anyone. Your actions should be yours alone. Do you understand that?"
"Yes. Perfectly," said Adelphine. "Then...will you teach me? Will you take me as a disciple?"
"Stop there." Tara shook her head, and her necklaces tinkled. "I do not take apprentices, but I can give you some ideas to solve your problem. But if you trust me, you will achieve what you want. What's more, maybe things will go better than you plan. If you follow my instructions."
"I want it. Yes. What should I do?"
"To do whatever you want. Also, why do you trust me?"
"Because I heard that you were a very powerful sorceress."
"Is that enough to gain your trust?"
"Well, why not? The consequences will be mine, nobody else's."
"First he understands that everything has a price. That power you want comes at a very, mark my words, very high price."
"Yes, I understand. Good. By the way, I have tried to charm the count with a book. It’s called Ghimatia. Do you know about it? Well, I haven’t seen any results so far, and does not take me out of my state. It has not worked for me, and it's been a month since I drew the magic circle."
"It's not that easy," Tara declared. "If it were that easy, the world would be in flames. The spells of love and hate would wreak havoc in social life. Magic does not happen just because you want to. Before you have that power to change things, you need an intermediary, and an offering."
"Intermediary? What do you mean?"
"Yes, they are the guardians, those who receive power from the eternal gods. There are many, there are good gods, and there are demons on earth. They allow things to happen, and they do not happen without paying prices. There are beings endowed with powers that inhabit other realities, and sometimes, they pass to this. Do you know any?"
"Who? Nobody else knows I do magic, except my brother."
"By someone, I mean a spirit. A fairy or a renegade elf. But they ask for a lot, and if the nature of your desire is a bit, let's say, violent. It is not convenient to seek your help."
"And so?"
"Remember. The first principle is that in this life, and in magic too, nothing is free. And everything you do has a weight. All. Absolutely everything. That is why you should be careful."
Adelphine shook her head, trying to absorb all that. "What should I do? For my magic to work, nothing else," Adelphine asked, her eyes wide.
Tara walked around the room a couple of times, looking up, as if thinking about the next answer. The tinkling of her bracelets made Adelphine nervous. Suddenly, Tara stopped and looked at her with a venomous smile and narrow eyes. "What you need is to perform a sacrifice."
"What sacrifice?" Adelphine felt her hair stand on end. That word sounded terrifying.
"As I say, I want things to go well for you, to be sure, and I do not want to carry something in my conscience that is unfair. I cannot. You will not be able to if you try. For that purpose, I need you to follow my instructions carefully. You do not need to kill anyone. Although that would be a quick exit. If you kill someone, you wil
l have more consequences to deal with. Do not bother doing it. What you should do... Is take a trip."
"Trip?" Adelphine raised an eyebrow.
"As you hear it. And I have a perfect trip for you."
"But... I have responsibilities." Adelphine tried to get out of the chair. "I have to take care of my brother and the harvest."
"It's fine. As you wish, but if you want to do this, I already told you, trust me."
"But what about my brother?"
"Trust me. I can keep an eye on him."
"Like a protection spell?"
"Yes. Trust me." She winked.
"And where should I go?" Adelphine asked.
Tara turned around, walked to the bookshelf, and peered through a pile of parchment stacks.
"Here!"
She spread a map, worn and cut at the corners. In it, the lines of the borders were those of ten years ago.
"Don't pay much attention to the names of the places, they are not updated. But this is what I wanted to show you."
Tara pointed to a spot almost on the edge of the map, to the east, where a mountain range was drawn so long that it looked like the tail of a dragon.
"What is there?"
"A very high mountain called Mount Svogod. I need you to climb it."
Adelphine blinked in unbelief.
"A mountain? But it is at least five hundred miles, and in the kingdoms of the East. What do you want me to do? How can someone like me go east and climb a mountain?"
"There grows a plant called Mountain Madness. It has a violet leaf with incredible magic power. There are beings caring for that mountain, in the heights and the ice, whose favor is high in the eyes of the gods. That can be the catalyst that makes you the most powerful sorceress in the Westerlands. You have the potential. All you have to do is go to the mountain, pick up enough of that leaf, and bring it back to me. That way you'll be ready to act."
Mountain Madness? Adelphine had spent hours studying herbs and their healing properties, indeed, her instructor Karola had beaten her hands more than once to remind her of the leaves required to prepare essential oils. However, she had never heard of such a thing. Mountain Madness sounded like a compound used by assassins to drive their victims crazy, or as a music group to entertain cheap weddings. Was it a joke?
