Witch, p.9
Witch, page 9
part #2 of Mage Saga Series
“You can’t be serious! The demon possessed Nomad and raped Allison. You call that minimal?!”
“Only sorcerers can be possessed so easily—and there are no sorcerers in Spanbrook. The odds of the demon finding a way to invade and control anyone else…”
“This is unacceptable! You speak of odds? I won’t let you gamble with her safety. The demon found a way to possess Nomad despite his ring. Do you expect me to believe that it will be incapable of possessing someone else and raping her again? The demon entered her chambers again last night—despite your spells and barriers. Am I supposed to stand aside and watch it terrorize her?”
Myrddin stared at her for a moment. A tear slipped down his cheek. “My hands are tied. I’m sorry.”
Jezebel stormed out of the tower. She marched across the courtyard, past Allison and Badrick and barged into Aldo’s offices. Finding the antechamber empty, she walked through the room and flung open the doors to his private chamber.
Aldo looked up in surprise. Oswald, sitting across the desk from him, jumped from his chair as if he’d sat on a bed of nails.
“What do you think you’re doing?” he demanded, grabbing her by the arm to escort her out of the room.
“Wait,” Aldo called. His face was drawn, and there were dark circles under his eyes. “What is it, Jezebel?”
Suddenly the brazenness of her actions caught up with her. One did not intrude upon the prince’s privacy uninvited. Yet the deed was done, and Allison’s situation was desperate. Jezebel found her uncle intimidating, but she pressed ahead.
“Your Highness, Myrddin tells me he knows a way to destroy the demon… but he says you won’t allow…”
Aldo let out a long sigh and ran his hands over his head. “Oswald, please excuse us for a few minutes,” he said, sitting up straight. He motioned Jezebel to a chair.
“I want to thank you,” he said once Jezebel had sat down, and Oswald had left the room. “These past many months have been rough on Allison—on both of us. She confided in Leda in a way she’s never done with me. They were close. The way you are now. I’ve allowed Allison to stay with you as often as she wants because you’ve filled that void for her.”
“Yes, sir.”
“You must understand, I would do anything to protect my daughter. But the method that Myrddin has suggested is madness. The risk to Allison would be far too great—not to mention the danger to Myrddin.”
“Forgive me, uncle, but I cannot imagine a danger greater than—”
“I’ve made my decision. I will not imperil her any further.”
“But what could Myrddin’s spell possibly entail that…”
Aldo shook his head. “It is unthinkable. Do not ask me to describe it. We will have to rely upon Myrddin’s skill to keep the monster away.”
Jezebel returned to the courtyard. Allison was gone—Badrick must have ended her lesson early. She found the princess in her chambers, sitting in bed, hugging her knees to her chest.
Jezebel sat next to her. “How did your training go?”
Allison didn’t reply.
“I’m hungry—will you come have breakfast with me?”
Allison shook her head slightly.
Jezebel could only imagine the torment she was enduring. The princess had to carry on with her life as if nothing had happened. Yet the demon was still out there; it could victimize her again at any time.
Why wouldn’t Aldo allow Myrddin to destroy the monster? Jezebel couldn’t fathom anything more harmful to her cousin than the ongoing threat the demon represented.
She had to do something. Later that morning, she told Allison that she was going to return home to visit her parents. Allison begged her not to leave; Jezebel assured her she’d come back as quickly as possible. Allison told her to take her horse to make the journey faster.
In reality, Jezebel had no intention of going to the farm. Instead, she rode to the wayfarer camp. But when she arrived, most of the tents were gone. The wayfarers were packing up and getting ready to move on. She found Khaldun inside the blue tent he’d told her was his—it was one of the few still standing.
“What’s going on?” Jezebel asked. “Why are you leaving?”
“The prince thought it would be best,” he said with a shrug. The gleam in his eyes and his easy smile were gone. “Badru agreed. He’s furious about Nomad. I can’t say I blame him—Nomad was like a father to me. I never knew my parents; they died from the plague when I was very young.”
“I’m so sorry…”
Khaldun looked at the ground, then back at Jezebel. “How’s the princess?”
“Not well,” Jezebel said. “In fact, that’s why I wanted to talk to you…”
She told him everything that had happened with the demon, starting with the night in the Devil’s Wood. And she related her conversations with Myrddin and Aldo.
“Things make more sense now, at least,” Khaldun said, looking troubled. “I was puzzled last night when the necromancer talked about the demon. I didn’t realize the princess was being haunted—that can be extremely dangerous. Nomad knew a witch once who was… well, never mind. It’s not important.”
“No, tell me—what happened to her?”
Khaldun paused for a moment. “The haunting grew in severity over time. It drove her to madness. In the end, she took her own life.”
Jezebel shook her head. “I won’t let that happen to Allison. Do you know what Myrddin was talking about—do you know how to destroy a demon?”
“No,” Khaldun said. “I don’t think Nomad did either—that clearly falls within the purview of necromancy.”
“Do you know anyone who might be able to help us?” Jezebel asked, desperation in her voice.
Khaldun looked thoughtful for a few seconds. “As I told you, Myrddin’s the only necromancer on the entire continent. And the university banned that field of study ages ago. But Nomad’s old mentor sits on the school’s board of governors—he’s a sorcerer named Enigma. He’s no necromancer, but if anyone would know the necessary spells, he would.”
“Truly? Do you think he’d talk to me? How do I find him?”
“He lives on the campus,” Khaldun said. “I’ve met him a couple of times. He’s very wise, I’m sure he’d be willing to help…”
“That’s good news!” Jezebel’s desperation finally yielded to this small glimmer of hope. “But I’ve never traveled outside of Spanbrook—how do I get to the university?”
Khaldun chuckled. “You don’t. Not alone, anyway. The journey is extremely perilous—things are different outside of Spanbrook.”
“But I must! Don’t you understand? Allison is in danger—I have to try. Please, tell me how to get there!”
“I’ll do better than that,” Khaldun said. “I’ll go with you.”
“You… No, I can’t ask you to do this,” Jezebel said, although her heart lifted at the prospect.
“With Nomad gone there’s nothing left for me here with the troupe. And even if I drew you a map, you’d never make it alone. As you said, you’ve never journeyed outside these borders. I’m an experienced traveler—and I know the way.”
Jezebel grabbed him in a hug so forcefully that she nearly toppled him over. “Thank you.”
“You may not be so grateful once we get underway,” he said, hugging her back. “It’s going to take weeks to get there.”
“Weeks?!” Jezebel said, pulling away. She’d anticipated a journey of a few days.
“Maybe as long as three weeks,” he confirmed with a nod. “But we could do it in two and a half if we make good time.”
“But… Then it will take that long to get back, too…”
“Yes,” Khaldun replied with a grin. “That’s generally how it works.”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s go!” She started walking out of the tent.
Khaldun grabbed her by the arm. “Slow down—we can’t just run off. We need provisions and gear… and horses.”
Jezebel stopped to consider the situation. She realized she was being foolish—he was right, of course. “How soon do you think we can leave?”
“In the morning. I’ll collect the gear we need… and I’ll have to let Badru know. He isn’t going to be happy. With Nomad and me both gone, he won’t have anyone left to protect our people. He’ll have to find a new mage. And he may not let me take much in the way of food or supplies…”
“I’ll take care of that,” Jezebel said. “We can stay at my house tonight. I have to tell my parents. They won’t be pleased either. We have plenty of provisions, but I don’t know what to do about horses. We have two, but Father’s going to need them for the farm.”
“It’ll take longer on foot, but we’ll manage,” Khaldun said with a shrug.
“That’s it then. I’ll go tell Allison what we’re doing, and I’ll meet you back here.”
She started to walk away again, but Khaldun called her back.
“Hang on—give this to the princess.” He was rummaging through his pack. “Here it is.” He handed her a small circular mirror in a frame of black resin.
“Why? Wait—is this the mirror you told me about?”
“Yes,” he said, holding up its twin. “This will allow us—you—to communicate with her on the journey.”
Jezebel hugged him again. “This is perfect. But…” She backed up a step, eyeing him suspiciously. “You’re not coming with me to try to win the princess’s heart or anything stupid like that, are you?”
“What? No—of course not…”
“Because I am telling you, you are wasting your time if—”
“Jezebel, I am doing this for you. As I said, you’d never get there alone. And besides… I was thinking of leaving the troupe anyway. I like it here in Spanbrook.” He shrugged.
Jezebel nodded. “I’ll be back.”
Jezebel left the camp and rode back to the castle. She found Allison sitting in her bay window, staring outside. The princess didn’t even turn to see who it was when Jezebel entered her chamber.
“I have to go away for a little while,” Jezebel said, sitting next to her and taking her hand.
“Go away?” Allison asked, turning to her, sadness and confusion in her face. “Why?”
Jezebel explained everything that had happened with Myrddin and Aldo. She felt horrible dumping this news on the princess, but she had no choice. It was the only way to make her understand why she had to leave.
“Khaldun knows a sorcerer at the university. He’ll help us find a way to destroy the demon.”
“But it takes weeks to travel that far,” Allison said, panic in her voice. “How will you find the way?”
“Khaldun is going with me—he knows how to get there. And he gave me this.” She handed her the mirror. “He’s got its twin. We can use them to talk to each other. Look for me every night at sunset.”
Allison took the mirror and examined it skeptically.
“He’s used it plenty of times,” Jezebel assured her. “It will work.”
“What are you going to do about horses?” Allison asked. “Surely you’re not planning to walk the whole way?”
“I’m going to talk to my father. I might be able to take our team,” she said doubtfully.
Allison got to her feet. She walked to her desk, pulled out a sheet of paper, and scrawled a note upon it.
“Give this to the stable master,” she said. “You can take my mare and another.”
Jezebel took the note and nodded. Allison began to cry. She pulled Jezebel into a hug. “Thank you,” she whispered.
“I’m going to save you,” Jezebel told her, her own eyes starting to water.
“Hurry back,” Allison pleaded.
Jezebel took her head in her hands and kissed her on the lips. “I will, I promise.”
“I love you so much,” Allison said, smiling for the first time.
Jezebel kissed her once more and left the room. She retrieved the horses and returned to the wayfarer camp. She found them packed up and ready to depart. Khaldun was standing by the road, talking to Badru. They hugged as Jezebel approached, and then Badru walked back to the troupe.
Khaldun greeted Jezebel; his eyes were red and puffy. They packed the gear onto one of the horses and headed east along the road. Back at the farm, Jezebel stabled the horses. She dragged Khaldun into the fields to find her father.
They located Robert with several hands in a pasture on the southern edge of the property. Jezebel introduced him to Khaldun and told him they needed to talk. Will and Edward both cast jealous glances at Khaldun. Seeing the three of them together, Jezebel knew for sure she’d choose the wayfarer.
Robert strolled off with Jezebel, leaving Khaldun with the hands. They moved out of earshot and sat on the fence. Jezebel told her father the whole story.
He sat in silence for a minute, considering everything she’d told him. “Your mother’s not going to like this,” he said finally. “Traipsing off into the wide world with some wayfarer.”
“But I have to,” Jezebel pleaded. “You didn’t see what that thing did to Allison—”
“I’ll handle Vivien,” he said, holding up one hand to silence her. “You do what you have to do.”
Jezebel was overcome with gratitude. She discussed her plans with him for the next ten minutes. She told him about the horses and listed everything Khaldun had packed already.
Robert nodded as she spoke. “Sounds like you’ve got this under control.”
Sure enough, Vivien objected vehemently. But Robert managed to win her over. She busied herself packing food for their trip: dried meats and fruit, a wheel of hard cheese, and flatbread specially prepared to keep on long trips.
They sat around the fireplace that night, plotting the journey on an old map Robert dug up in his desk. Emma was especially curious about the trip; like Jezebel, she’d never traveled outside of Spanbrook.
Jezebel had never contemplated the sheer size of the continent before. The university seemed incomprehensibly far, but the northern half of the mainland spanned more than four times that distance. And it looked half again as large north to south. The southern half of the landmass was much narrower; it looked like the Eternal Sea had taken a giant bite out of it. Jezebel thanked the stars that the university was as close as it was in the grand scheme of things.
“What’s that?” Emma asked, pointing to an enormous island off the southwestern coast.
“Ostland,” Robert said. “Nobody lives there. My father told me once that some of the princedoms have sent explorers there. But it’s a big jungle, full of wild and dangerous animals.”
“What’s out there?” Emma asked, tracing her finger along the eastern edge of the map.
“They say the world is round,” Khaldun told her, “like a big ball. And according to legend, there’s another continent on the other side. That’s where the elves live. But as far as I know, nobody’s ever sailed a ship far enough to find out for sure.”
“I heard stories about the elves growing up,” Robert said. “Our nursemaid told us that men once lived on their land. But they left and journeyed here across the Lonely Sea.”
“Yes, and she was the same woman who believed in dragons,” Vivien said, shaking her head. “Nothing but old wives’ tales.”
“I’m not so sure,” Khaldun said. “Nomad told me that he saw a dragon once. Far away in the northern hills, near Kong—that’s the only place they inhabit.”
“I hope we don’t encounter any,” Jezebel replied with a shudder. “They’re supposed to be able to fly and breathe fire—and eat entire herds of livestock.”
Robert chuckled at this. “They’re only a myth. I don’t know what your sorcerer saw, but I don’t think it was a dragon.”
“Perhaps,” Khaldun said skeptically. “But, we won’t need to go anywhere near those hills at any rate.”
Soon it was time for bed. Jezebel offered to let Khaldun sleep in her room, but Vivien refused.
“We’ll be sharing a tent on the road, Mother,” Jezebel protested. “This is no different.”
“Not under my roof,” Vivien insisted. It was as if she were taking advantage of this last opportunity to exert control over her daughter. But she held her ground, and Khaldun slept downstairs by the fireplace.
Jezebel had tremendous difficulty getting to sleep. Come dawn, she’d be leaving behind everything she’d ever known. She couldn’t suppress the feeling that nothing would ever be the same. Who could tell what dangers they would encounter? But she would do whatever was necessary to save Allison. Her love for the princess was the driving force behind this quest.
Chapter Eight: Borders
It was still dark when Jezebel woke. She’d slept only a few hours but felt energized by the prospect of the journey before her. She dressed and went downstairs to find Vivien in the kitchen, already preparing breakfast. She chatted with her mother for a while until she asked Jezebel to wake Khaldun and Robert.
The sun came up as they ate. Jezebel took her time, savoring every bite. She knew this would be her last home-cooked meal for a long time.
She said goodbye to her mother and went outside with Robert and Khaldun to pack their gear on the horses. After a teary-eyed farewell to her father, she climbed her mount, and they departed.
But before they’d even reached the road, Jezebel stopped.
“I forgot my wand!”
Jezebel turned back, jumped off her horse, and ran inside, startling her parents. She dashed upstairs and retrieved the wooden case from her closet. Moments later, she left her room again, pushing the wand into her pocket.
But as she started down the stairs, Emma emerged from her room, rubbing sleep from her eyes. Jezebel hugged her and kissed her on the top of the head.
“I wish I could go with you,” Emma said.
“I know,” Jezebel replied. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. Take care of Mother and Father.”
“I will,” Emma said solemnly.
Jezebel hugged her parents one last time and dashed out the door. Khaldun watched her in amusement as she mounted her horse.
“Some witch you are,” he chided. “How do you expect to do magic without a wand?”
