by Eric Vall
“Don’t think about that right now, it didn’t happen, and now I’m the High Queen. Soon, Baudouin will be a distant memory for Tintagal and Tamarisch.” The swordswoman whispered into her brother’s shoulder, and Amos nodded along with her words.
“Can you tell me how Baudouin came into power?” I asked Adam.
“Like most of the rulers of Tintagal, it was passed down to him through the generations though I have heard stories that the kingdom was supposed to be passed down to his older brother,” Adam told me.
“What happened to his older brother then?” I squinted as I asked over the fire.
“He died, of course, as most of the people around Baudouin do,” Amos said as he pulled away from Annalise and looked at me with determination.
“What do you mean?” Rana asked as she sat back on her haunches and took Morrigan’s hand in her paw. From the way the elven woman’s eyes stayed downcast, I could tell she was still thinking back on the ghosts trapped in the water of the Riese.
“What else could I mean?” Adam chuckled darkly as he knit his fingers together and stared into the glowing embers of the fire. “Everyone around Baudouin dies because the man is a murderer. He was second in line for the throne of Tintagal and wouldn’t receive it unless his brother died. So, his brother, a fine man and close ally named Dotarian, mysteriously fell ill and died five months later. Baudouin inherited the throne, and he’s been the ruler of Tintagal ever since. Dotarian was in the middle of a treaty with our father to sign over Tintagal to Tamarisch, but as soon as Baudouin took over, he ripped up the contract and said that Tintagal would never be a part of Tamarisch for as long as he lived.”
“That’s not even the most messed up thing about the whole situation,” my warrior queen said softly as she linked hands with Amos. “Dotarian was married to a princess from one of the tropical islands close to Valasara. By Tintagal law, like in Tamarisch, if her husband’s early death widows the ruler's wife, then she must marry the successor so… that’s what happened.”
“Did she…?” Rana whispered as she covered her mouth with her paws.
Annalise nodded gravely. “She, like Dotarian, died suddenly and without much explanation from Baudouin. Ever since then, he’s been taking wives, and they’ve been dying on him. Most of the Tintagal people have accepted it as a man with horribly bad luck with women, but that’s not the truth… not even close to it.” The swordswoman sighed as she rubbed at her temples softly.
“But they are not suddenly dying…” Morrigan interjected as she clenched her hands into tight fists in her lap. Fea and Macha cawed loudly in distress. “He’s murdering them and sending them into the river.”
“He’s getting married again,” Adam said gravely as he raised his narrowed eyes to mine once more. “We’ve only just heard the news. If you don’t get to him as quickly as you can, there may be more blood on his hands and yet another Rusalka roaming the waves of the Riese, looking for solace.”
Chapter Seven
We left the Tamarisch soldiers earlier that morning with all of our things and supplies packed. Saying goodbye for the second time was hard for the High Queen, but the promise of being reunited with her brothers was what kept her going, especially since the news of Ansel traveling across the Riese had just been received. Soon all of the Decathmor siblings would be in the same place, and I was happy to learn I would see the oldest Decathmor sooner rather than later. The news had encouraged Annalise greatly, and she had been excited to get on the road to the nearest dungeon.
Most of the land of Tintagal was hilly and devoid of trees as my minions, and I journeyed towards the first dungeon. The news of Baudouin’s impending marriage brought renewed vigor to our travels, and we followed the roads per Adam’s instructions. Still, despite the dire news and the cold, wet weather, it was still a beautiful day. Purple hyacinths and white snowdrops crowded along the rough dirt road, and I watched as Carmedy scurried over and plucked a few. Her paws moved quickly as she wove the thin stems together in intricate designs. I smiled to the petite cat-girl as she snuck up behind Morrigan and placed the flower crown on the elven woman’s head.
The High Elf’s eyes widened as her delicate hand reached up and brushed the white and purple flowers on the top of her head. I was surprised to see that when she reached for it, she didn’t take it off or seem upset at the feline’s actions. The long-nailed fingers tenderly brushed at the moist petals as the elven woman smiled to herself and dropped the probing hand. I kept my eye on Carmedy as she once more went back to the flowers and began weaving another flower crown, and as soon as she had finished, she skipped over to Rana, but the fox-woman swatted her hands away with a soft chuckle. The black-haired female deflated and trudged along with her hands at her sides as her right hand nearly dropped the flower crown.
Annalise stepped to the much smaller dark-haired woman and gently took the crown from the feline’s paws. The High Queen placed the flower crown on her head and flipped her long, chestnut braid over her shoulder. Carmedy gave my wife a soft smile and then skipped back over to the flowers and plucked them quickly as she made herself a crown too. The alchemist looked down at the crown in her hands before she placed it on her head then back to Rana, but the fox-woman gave her a lopsided smirk and shook her head. The petite cat shrugged as she giggled and placed the flower crown firmly on her own head. Now it was late afternoon, and we had already stopped to rest and eat lunch together on the rolling plains of Tintagal.
Tintagal was a beautiful country full of lush grass and rolling hills that went on for miles. There wasn’t a tree in sight, and despite the chilly air, I was at peace listening to the soft rush of the wind and the occasional bird calls. We were close to the first dungeon judging by the twins’s directions to travel east towards Sangiam and follow the beaten path until we found it. I wasn’t sure what they had meant because their directions were vague, but as we went on, it became clear. Even from this far away, I could feel the distant beat of the god’s power as it reached out for us. The god hidden away in the dungeon was watching us already and knew that we were coming for him. Despite that, I was more anxious to see what was waiting for us in the cursed town of Sangiam than who was waiting for us in the dungeon.
Dungeons were easy for me, especially with what had happened in the last one we had visited. Nothing could compare to seeing and witnessing the Tichádáma, the goddess who loved her people so much that she would have laid down her life for them. With all the others we had conquered, no other gods could stand in my way with even a sliver of a chance of defeating me. The gods of Tintagal would be the same just as the others were, and I would enter their dungeons, outwit and destroy them then take their powers for myself.
The cursed town, though, was something new, and I craved new experiences with all my being.
“How long until we reach the dungeon, Master?” Carmedy asked as she hopped over a puddle. I smiled softly at the small feline as her sleek black tail whipped back and forth behind her eagerly.
“Within the hour,” I said over my shoulder to her, and she nodded firmly. “I believe it's hidden among those hills. I can feel the deity’s power coming from over there.”
“You can feel its power already?” Rana asked as she scrunched up her nose and squinted to where I pointed. “Does that mean it’s really strong?”
“It depends,” I told her as she stepped in stride with me. “The goddess of Machstein’s spanned the entire top of the island, and she was very strong, but there have been other gods who possess minuscule power that they can stretch out for miles, kind of like a warning to others to keep away.”
“I can feel it too,” The white-haired elf said as she cupped her elbows and looked in the direction of where the power was coming from. “It is faint, but I can still feel its pulse like a heartbeat.”
“Like an animal’s defense mechanism?” Rana questioned with bright eyes.
I nodded to her approvingly. “Similar but not quite. Defense mechanisms are bodily changes
that an animal has given itself such as a salamander that can crack their ribs and force the broken bones through the skin in case a predator tries to eat them. This is more of a magical warning, so perhaps you can relate it to the coloration of certain animals that cannot defend themselves but put off that they can.”
I let that sink in before continuing. “In essence, this god is mimicking a much stronger one to make it seem that it's more powerful than it is. Much as the harmless red milk snake mimics the much more dangerous coral snake, they want much stronger predators to think they are dangerous when, in fact, they are not at all. I believe that is what is happening right now.”
“So this god is just pretending to be big and tough?” Carmedy giggled lightly as she ran on ahead then turned on the crest of the hill to motion for us to hurry up. “Well, come on then! Adventure awaits us!”
The dungeon was easy enough to find. Once we came over one of the higher hills, we could see the entrance pressed into the side of the much larger swells. The cave mouth was dark and dank like most of the other dungeons we had entered.
Naturally, I entered first, and my women carefully followed after. It seemed like any other cave though it was quite a bit brighter inside than most deities’ dungeons. When I lifted my head towards the rocky ceiling, I could see cracks where the dirt and rock had eroded and allowed some sunlight to filter in. Moss and other fungi sprang from the rocks surrounding us, and when I turned, I noticed as Carmedy stopped and plucked a few. Her black paws moved quickly as she placed them into separate bundles according to the species and type.
Carmedy noticed my probing eyes and gave me a sheepish smile before turning back to her harvest. The feline plucked a rare, strange looking mushroom from the mossy floor and held it up to her wide emerald eyes. The mushroom was brown but had petals much like the flowers she had picked earlier. The petite cat nearly dropped the mushroom she was holding as she motioned for Rana to stop moving.
“Stop, stop, stop! You’re stepping all over them!” the black-haired woman shouted, and her voice echoed down the cavern we traveled down.
“Keep your pants on,” the curly-haired fox said as she took a few hasty steps backward to avoid stepping on some of the mushrooms Carmedy examined. “What’s the big deal? They’re just mushrooms.”
“What’s the big deal? The big deal is these are really rare, and you narrowly trampled over them!” the alchemist hissed as she dropped to the ground and collected as many as she could with shaking paws. “These are Chorioactis, or formally known as the ‘Devil’s cigar.’ They only grown in two known places! It’s so strange to see them out of their natural habitat!”
“Devil’s cigar?” Annalise questioned as she bent down to examine the star-shaped mushroom the feline held carefully between both hands. “It looks nothing like a cigar, maybe like the ‘Devil’s star’ or something like that but not a cigar.”
“Close,” Rana smirked as she pointed at the High Queen and attempted to stifle her giggles, “but no cigar.”
“Very funny, Rana.” My wife smiled as she rolled her eyes and went back to the cat.
“No, these are what they look like after they’ve released their spores,” Carmedy told us as she held up the mushroom for all of us to see. Morrigan shuffled a little closer as Fea and Macha looked with interest in their beady black eyes. “Before they open, they are shaped like a cigar, and when they finally do, they make a distinct hissing sound and send their spores flying out into the air in a smoky haze! Isn’t that so cool?”
“Does that explain the weird smell in here?” the redhead fox questioned as she plugged her nose and eyed the mushrooms suspiciously.
“No, I don’t think so,” Carmedy said in a singsong voice. “It may just be the rotting plant matter that all these fungi are feasting on.”
Rana shook her head to dismiss that idea entirely. “No, mushrooms have a distinct earthy smell,” the fox nasally stated as she moved her bright blue eyes around the cave. “This smells like rotting meat or something.”
“Rotting meat? I don’t smell anything.” I frowned as I took a deep breath in and turned my head towards the inner bowels of the tunnel.
“Are you sure you don’t smell it too, Carmedy?” the redhead asked as she gripped onto her smaller sister’s shoulder.
Carmedy sniffed at the air and squinted her eyes as she concentrated. The silky black ears on the top of her head swiveled and turned though I wasn’t sure if that helped her smell or not. The feline stopped, pressed her lips together for a few passing seconds, then shrugged and went back to the mushroom.
“Nope, I don’t smell anything fleshy or rotted,” the black-haired cat said as she turned over the Devil’s cigar in her hands then popped it into a burlap bag before she stood and brushed off her hands.
I glanced over at Rana, and her face was still pinched as she held her nose. I couldn’t smell anything, and from my other minion's looks, it was plain that they couldn’t either, but from all the times that the fox’s ears and nose had helped us out, I knew it would be best to trust what she sensed. I gestured for the women to follow after me as I plunged forward into the dungeon with a renewed sense of caution for what could be around each turn.
The rest of the journey downward was silent, and though the light dimmed a little the farther we went, it was still bright enough for us to see the path in front of us. I could feel the god’s power all around us, and I knew we were getting nearer. When Annalise stopped suddenly beside me and squinted down the tunnel, I felt it come on strong, so I held my arm out to stop her.
“Did… did you just see that?” the High Queen whispered over to me as she stopped.
“No, what did you see?” I questioned as I turned to look at her.
The swordswoman shook her head so violently that her braid flew off her shoulder and down her back. “The tunnel, it moved.”
I hadn’t seen it, but I had sensed it like the wave of the god’s hand. He was finally showing himself in one way or another instead of fully revealing himself to us. I looked back down the cavern where Annalise pointed and saw that where the path had once dipped down deeper into the hill was now completely straight and almost tilted upward.
Rana pulled her paw away from her nose and sniffed the air for a second as she assessed the surroundings. The fox-woman moved and went to step in front of us, but I felt it before any of them did. I grabbed the redhead by the back of her coat and pulled her back with a mighty heave. A split-second later, the floor where Rana was about to step opened up into a black mouth of emptiness.
The empty path rolled underneath our feet, and the sound of cracking rocks silenced the screams that erupted from my minions’ mouths. I reached out for Carmedy as the feline tumbled backward, and my fingers brushed against the soft cloth of her coat as I gripped hard onto her arm. Rana was able to grab onto the falling cat before she too tumbled into the hole, but as soon as she leaned the much smaller feline onto her, the ground beneath her feet opened up, and she began to fall. I was growing annoyed, but I could sense what was happening and keep my minions from falling into the pits the god created. I could plainly see that my minions were growing panicked, especially the fox-girl who was clinging to the stone wall above one of the growing holes.
Morrigan and Annalise stood on a small bit of rock flooring that remained as the rest fell away around us, and I gritted my teeth as I pooled all of my dark power through my avatar’s body and formed a swirling disk of my energy. I stepped onto it, and the disc held beneath my feet and moved first towards the screaming feline as she struggled to keep a handhold on the wall. I grabbed Carmedy by the hips and lifted her easily onto the disk next to me. As I placed her at my side, the disk widened enough for both of us, and using my power, I moved the swirling mass over towards Rana and Morrigan. Once we were close to them, I held out my hand, and both of them took it as they hopped onto the mass of dark power below my feet.
My high queen was the last one separated from us, and she struggled to keep he
r balance on one last remaining slab of dirt. The more she moved and struggled to keep upright, the more the soil and rock crumbled away at her feet. With a loud whoosh, I forced the disk forward with my power and grabbed the struggling swordswoman right as she was about to fall.
I pulled the brunette up next to me, and she collapsed into my arms and panted. Her beautiful face was flushed red and sweat beaded on her hairline but despite being quite shaken up, she was fine with no injuries. My minions held tightly to me as they huddled together, and the disk below our feet widened enough for all of us to stand comfortably, but my women remained close together as their peered over the side and down into the darkness below.
“What the hell was that?” the redhead gasped as she batted her bangs out of her eyes, and I looked over my shoulder at her.
“The deity is trying to play tricks on us. I can’t explain, but I need all of you to empty your minds,” I instructed them, and each of their faces paled as they stared up at me.
“What do you mean empty our minds, Master?” the elven woman whispered, and Macha flapped her wings irritably and nearly hit the top of Carmedy’s head with her feathers.
“This god… he can read our minds and guess what move we are going to make next. I need all of you to stop thinking, stop worrying, whatever you do, don’t think of anything at all. Keep your minds completely empty,” I commanded them, and each of my women stared up at me in confusion.
“Master, I don’t think that is something we can do…” Annalise started as she scratched her head in confusion, but I waved my hand to silence her.
“No, do not think at all. This is something I will have to handle on my own.” I told them as I turned back down and summoned a power I hadn’t used in a very long time.
I moved my dark power out in front of me and beside my minions and pools of swirling smoke emerged as I concentrated. This god thought he could get rid of us so easily, but he was sorely mistaken especially when I was involved. From each cloud of smoke, a clone of my avatar appeared, and the disk under our feet expanded to support each one of them. I created twenty of them in total, and when I finished, there was an army of my avatars all around us like a troop of soldiers protecting us.
