Gods of Shadow and Flame

by M. H. Johnson

  And she should know. She had sparred with him many times with blunted weapons when she too had been infused with the sweet madness of Shadow. She too a figure out of dream and legend as their blades would flash in joyful contest at a speed no mortal eye could follow, before surrendering it all for a cause far greater than herself. And much to Morlekai's surprise, sometimes she would even win.

  Even in her dream Jess felt an odd frisson, gazing into those intense gold green eyes, short spiky hair that shimmered a white so brilliant, color alone couldn't account for it.

  Ageless. Timeless. Terrible and beautiful all at once. Morlekai smiled and Jess shivered, strangely certain that Morlekai was gazing at her even now, floating above her loved ones, lost in dream.

  Staring right at her even as the healer by his side slowly slipped off her robe, trembling eyes gazing so deeply into Agda's own. Apple breaking into sobs as she flew into her mother's arms.

  A low cry as her mother fiercely swept her up, the pair laughing, and sobbing and holding each other so close, lest the cruel world's machinations force them apart once more.

  "Oh, my baby! Oh by all the saints, to have you back in my arms at last." She gazed up at Morlekai, her gaze almost reverent in its gratitude. "Morlekai. Dear Del Morlekai. My gratitude to you knows no bounds."

  His wild eyes twinkled merrily, though his laughter was strangely gentle as he prudently shut the door behind him. "There is little enough reason to thank me, Lady Agda of Calenbry. I did but deliver this most precious of packages from one of our many safe houses, both safe and secure. Her original rescuer stands before you, blushing even now. Valiant warhound in truth, he counts your family entire as his pack, more than happy to disembowel any and all foes who dare to trespass upon the lands and hunting grounds you call your own."

  Apple nodded solemnly, even as Malek blushed and looked away. “It's true, Mother. Malek rescued me when that, that vile Franken kidnapped me in plain view of everyone, before I was tied up and covered, taken by his men, given...” She closed her eyes and shuddered. “I was handed over to some very, very bad people, Mother. I swear to you, never have I felt such shame, such terror in all my life.”

  Apple reached out to squeeze Malek's hand, placing it against her cheek. "He saved me, Mother. Malek... saved me. He rescued me from those monsters. And, well, we fled. As fast as Malek's paws could take us, we fled for the capital, and took shelter nearby."

  Agda nodded solemnly, her gaze one of awe as she looked upon an increasingly discomfited Malek. "It is I who should be swearing my gratitude to you, young Malek, for having done so much for my clan. You will always be welcome under our roof. Already, I consider you a part of our family."

  Apple grinned impishly. "Oh, do say you will stay with us, Malek! Jess loves you, I love you, even my brother thinks you are a wonderful opponent at all games of strategy, with a fair head on your shoulders for matters of trade as well."

  Malek chuckled, basking in a warmth that filled him with such hope, thawing at least some of his bitter regrets away. "I thank you for that, Apple, and yes. The summers I spent with your family at your manor were, I think, the happiest times of my life."

  Apple blushed and smiled. Jess, having been aware of her sister's presence from the moment she had first set foot upon her domain with Morlekai by her side, was both relieved to see how rejuvenated and happy her sister looked, and more than slightly alarmed to sense the growing adoration Apple had for her shieldbrother.

  Jess noted that even her mother looked just a tad apprehensive, for all that she did nothing more than squeeze her daughter's shoulders with tender affection.

  Morlekai allowed himself a pointed gaze at Malek before smiling warmly at Agda. “Would it be all right if I paid my respects to Jessica?”

  Agda gave a sad nod. “By all means, Del Morlekai. Just please be aware, she sleeps still, and I know not how much longer she will be lost to deathlike slumber, before she awakens to us once more.”

  Morlekai flashed an enigmatic smile. "I would not worry overly, Lady Agda. I suspect she will be right as rain within but a day or so."

  Agda raised a polite eyebrow, yet smiled. “Another one of your gifts, Del Morlekai?”

  The man grinned. “I have it on the best authority. She but rests the sleep of any woman recovering from injury, her well-being all but assured.”

  Agda gave a relieved nod. "I pray you are right, dear Morlekai. I pray you are right."

  Morlekai solemnly made his way to Jess's personal rooms, Malek firmly in tow.

  For a few moments gold green eyes gazed down at Jess with fierce intensity. She could envision herself gently stroking his stubbled cheeks, and shuddered even in dream to see his hand reflexively lift, rubbing his face as if in remembrance of her touch. For all that she was, at the moment, but a spirit lost in reverie.

  Gently he lowered himself to kiss her forehead, and Jess gasped and shuddered, shivering with the intensity of his touch, sensing, somehow, that his gesture went far deeper than a simple display of affection.

  “May the Star of David keep you and protect you always, Jezabelle.”

  And the spirit that was Jess shuddered and fled back into her shell, unable to bear the weight of those words said in a language that resonated through the chambers, even now.

  “So many damned secrets,” Malek murmured, even as Morlekai turned and smiled.

  “No more than your own, dear Hound. No more than your own.”

  10

  Morlekai reached out and gave a reassuring squeeze to Malek's armored shoulder. "You did good, Malek, never doubt that. Now, are you ready for what lies ahead? The next phase of our mad quest shall soon be upon us."

  Malek allowed himself a bittersweet sigh. "You know I hunger for it, even now. But still, I wish I could surrender this mad itch and just stay here. Protect Jess and Apple. Be there for them. Their protector and friend. No sniping gossip or black stares shot my way at random, to be around good people who saw me as, well, a brother. Not simply an obstacle, or a tool to be used then thrown away."

  Morlekai's gaze was strangely gentle. “Have you ever felt that I saw you as but a tool, pup? Have you ever felt that I did not value you? That our band does not need you?”

  Malek shrugged and sighed. "In truth, No. You, Alacabar, and Lucienda have always welcomed me as a brother. And for that, I will always, always be grateful. Save for the sister of my heart, there is no one else I would rather adventure beside. But the glares I get whenever we make our way to the capital; people who fear even my presence, strangers I have never even met before trembling as if I were some mad tyrant out for their heads. To say nothing of the feast of lords who my clan has crossed, or the courtiers who believe my father's malicious slander, or all those lads at Highrock who judged me for taking a male lover, for all that so many of them did the same on the sly."

  He gazed down tenderly at Jess, shaking his head. “All of it, Morlekai. All of it is a weight I am tired of bearing.”

  Morlekai nodded reflectively. “I can appreciate that, Malek. But the fact remains, you cannot stay.”

  Words said so matter-of-factly. As if the fates conspiring to deny Malek sanctuary once more was to be expected. Malek turned to gaze at Morlekai, his expression bitter. "Because those damned lords couldn't handle seeing me raw and unfettered, for all that it saved their bloody lives?"

  Morlekai's smile was bleak. "Even approaching the chamber that had been converted to the farce of a court that the former Captain Franken was using to try Jess, you can see signs of that battle. Priceless glass shattered to dust. The stone walls themselves are cracked in places, and I suspect it will take Jessica's magic to restore it once more, for all that the best stone masons were hired by Echobart to assure the structural integrity of that tower."

  Malek grinned. “Jessica's magic indeed. For all that she claims not to be able to cast a single spell. I've heard the rumors. Entire wings of the college constructed of finest hardwood, complete with exquisitely crafted furnit
ure and cotton bedding, that any number of lords and students swear wasn't there but weeks ago, even as others swear it had always been a part of the college. And the fact that there always seems to be plenty of room, no matter how many lords and their favorite toadies beg Lord Echobart for visiting rights to their new favorite winter retreat, is an oddity no one quite has an answer to. But that's hardly the greatest wonder of it, you know. The very brownstone walls that surround this college in its entity. How great a feat was it, do you think, to surround this college a mile in all directions from its centermost point?"

  Morlekai smiled. “An excess of six miles of stone, several feet thick, over twenty feet in height. A massive feat, for the sake of a single school.”

  Malek nodded. “And would you believe that before Jess returned from Faerie, it was less than one hundred paces from the farthest building to the brownstone wall? And I don't think the entirety of the school was surrounded, either, for all that it now is. One hundred paces. Not a mile. Not even close.”

  Morlekai chuckled softly. "An incredible feat. Yet not so surprising, if you consider the source." Malek flushed and turned away. "You do understand, don't you, my young friend? Are you ready yet to open the doors you lock so tightly and absorb that truth? It is more important than you know."

  Malek shuddered, stepping back. "I don't know what in bloody hells you are talking about, Morlekai!"

  His friend's look of dark bemusement turned cold. "Very well, Hound. Then let us focus on the issue at hand. I entered that chamber, boy. I saw the aftermath of that... battle, if you can call it that."

  Malek flushed, gazing at his feet. “I did what I had to, Morlekai,” he whispered. “I unleashed the beast. Over twenty of those bastards with blades bared, over twenty men still smelling of Franken's rot, and I had to save Jess!” He shouted the last in furious protest, yet Morlekai's gentle gaze was one of almost pity, even as he gave the smallest of nods.

  “I know that, pup. You saved her life. Perhaps the lives of all the lords Echobart guarded as well. Master wizard that he is, infernal weapons were in play, able to pierce any elementalist's ward. You and Jess are some of the very few with experience in countering those vile weapons. Perhaps those bastards would have killed Echobart before he could take them all down. Perhaps not. We will never know. But what we do know is this: That chamber is littered still with bodies savaged so horrifically that the chamber reeks of a slaughterhouse. Twisted metal and bone hammered right into the stone walls. The floor puddled with rotting offal. And not a single servant will go in there to even begin cleaning it, swearing the chamber entire is cursed.”

  Morlekai's smile turned bleak. “The Lady's Curse, they call it. The nature goddess exacting her vengeance against those who had wronged her. And at present? Everyone is happy to let it go at that. No one even goes close to that chamber, Echobart using some of his own considerable power to chill the room so as to keep the stink from tainting the beauty of this college. In fact, hardly anyone will say a word on it, everyone happy to pretend that chamber doesn't even exist, that Franken and his men were never even here. But we both know the truth of it, don't we, Malek?”

  Malek trembled, closing his eyes tight and nodding. "I know. I know what I did was horrible. I know the lords and ladies here fear me. I taste their terror whenever I meet their eyes, for all that I dip my head, humbly, a younger lord showing deference to his elders."

  Malek took a deep, shuddering breath. "I just... I came here to save Jess. I can't bear for them to fear me, as I am feared every day by at least a few poor souls in whatever town we stumble across in our adventures, as if I reek of destruction and death. Gods know, Morlekai, here they have cause for their terror like nowhere else in Erovering."

  Nodding solemnly, Morlekai wrapped his arm around Malek's shoulder. “And this is why it is time for us both to be off. Give it time, my brother-in-arms. Time for those foolish soldiers to be naught but a long forgotten memory, time for everyone to think on Jess as a helpless, vulnerable girl they are grateful to have providing them with warmth and shelter from this most bitter of winters. Time for them to forget the horrors of that chamber, so that they never associate Jess with the cacophony of violence you embraced that day. They need know only that the queen of their salvation can summon forth the most terrible avatar of vengeance, should anyone dare betray her as Franken had, without forcing them to shudder at the sight of that avatar, each and every day."

  Malek grimaced. “So. For her own good, so that the council members feel protective pity for her without it blossoming to growing resentment with my presence and the fear I infect them with, I need to go.” He gave a sad shake of his head. “Everyone can love a queen who is beautiful, graceful, and vulnerable, especially if she can summon an angel of vengeance at need. But someone who insists on a terrible beast reeking of death by her side will soon find herself with very few friends indeed.”

  Morlekai smiled. “Exactly, my friend. Right now, as of this moment, you are starting to be a liability. In a year's time, when memory of this horror fades, when you are at peace enough with yourself to come armed only in a mail shirt under clothes elegant and refined, with a far humbler blade by your side, then yes, fit company you will be, even for these frightened lilies. Your reputation garnering you only respect, without the truth of your darkness laid so bare before them that they are all trembling with fear and loathing for a power they know deep in their souls could easily, effortlessly, destroy them all.”

  Malek grimaced and nodded, hand reaching around, squeezing the hilt of his terrible blade, as if for comfort. “My sword. Forged for me by Jessica herself. I wouldn't dream of surrendering it. It would feel like a betrayal of her trust in me, should this weapon ever fall into the wrong hands.”

  Malek shivered and stepped back as Morlekai chuckled, low and terrible, brilliant eyes flashing with darkest bemusement. "Few mortals indeed could touch your artifact without being consumed utterly by the blade you wield." He locked gazes with a swallowing Malek. "Do you truly not understand, Malek? Do you really think you are just a boy with a knack for adventure?"

  Malek trembled and looked away. “Angel's mercy, Morlekai. Tell me not things I cannot bear to hear.”

  The older man's nod was strangely sympathetic. "Very well, my young friend. Pack your things. It is time for us to go."

  Malek sighed and nodded, gazing fondly at Jess, softly stroking her cheek. “Will she be all right? Tell me true, Morlekai.”

  His companion nodded solemnly. “I have been assured by her sworn ally in all things. She will recover, healthy and whole, the taint from the blade at last burned from her system.”

  Malek went utterly still for a moment, slowly turning around. “Morlekai. Can you see him?”

  His companion smiled. “Midnight and I have known each other for a very long time. Come, pup. 'Tis time we got going. A further clue as to the whereabouts of the horn has finally revealed itself, and best we seek that trail before another finds it first.”

  Malek shivered. “By all that's holy... is our prize in play?”

  “With a prize this precious, we had best leave nothing to chance. If the horn falls into the hands of our foes, all of Dawn would be put in peril.”

  Malek kissed Jess softly, tenderly upon her brow. "You are right, battlefriend. There are far more important concerns than my own wounded soul. Jess and Apple are both safe and by their mother's side, in the heart of Jessica's power. Let us be off then, and do what we must." His sigh was melancholy. "It matters not if half of these fools shudder at our presence. We are all that stands between them and endless nightmare, after all."

  Morlekai chuckled. "You are more right than you know, pup. More right than you know.

  11

  Jess? Are you awake?" Soft green eyes gazed solemnly into Jess's own, their owner breaking into a beautiful smile when Jess yawned and nodded. "Thank the Heavens, Jess! Mother and I were worried, for all that the healers declared you fully recovered."

  Her siste
r bent down, hugging her tight, even as Jess blinked for a moment, collecting her wits.

  Fondly, she smiled, stroking her sister's silken tresses, even as Apple softly cried, holding her close.

  “Apple? Are you okay?”

  Apple sniffled and nodded, eyes sparkling beautifully, for all that tears freely flowed from them. “Thank you, Jess.”

  Her hand reached out to gently wipe away her sister's tears. "What are you thanking me for? I'm happy just to see you healthy and whole."

  Her sister choked out a laugh at that. "Oh Jess, I'm just glad to see you alive! That is quite the scar you have on your abdomen. I shudder to think of what Franken's sword did to you."

  Jess grimaced and looked away, a searing jolt of remembered pain flashing through her.

  “Jess? Are you okay?” Soft words, tenderly spoken.

  Jess gave a hesitant nod. “It's all right, Apple. The battle, it's still sort of fresh in my mind. I remember Franken's cut only too well.”

  Apple squeezed her shoulder. “But Jess, I thought you always wore mail, even under your nicest dresses?”

  Jess chuckled softly. "Little good it did against an infernal blade. It cut through like butter. Like it wasn't even there."

  Apple hissed. “By the gods, what a foul artifact.”

  Jess shrugged. “It was foully aligned, yes, but my mithril blade could do much the same, for all that it, along with my powers, seem to be lost in myth and dream, only myself pulled back to the living realms.”

  Jess felt her sister lie beside her, holding her close. "I'm glad, Jessie. Far better for your mad powers and magical toys to be lost to legend, if the alternative is for you to be lost right along with them, just another epic story for the bards to tell over the evening fire, a tale for us to shiver with beauteous longing over, having already forgotten that we had ever known or loved the real you.”