Prologue

 

 

Silence.  Apart from her labored breathing, there was an absolute stillness hovering in the air.  Velry stood frozen in the niche she’d found, her cold fingers gripping the base of the weathered statue as if at any moment the giant stone would move to betray her location.  In between every precious gasp of air she listened intently, not quite brave enough to peek her head out the alcove to scan the vast room.  Was that a footstep?  A muffled word floating around the corner?  No.  There was nothing.  Not even an echo drifted to her ears.  Only the stillness.  

She knew something was wrong.  It had to be.  Things were never this easy, not anymore.   For the past year, she’d been a prisoner, struggling to stay alive in the dark recesses of this crumbling and forgotten palace, a relic from the Age of Decadence.  Every moment was an impossible battle, and every excruciating second was a painstaking fight.  As she gripped the rough stone, Velry closed her eyes, fighting back the tears that she could not afford to let fall.  Not now.  Just thinking of the agonizing torture she endured in this place brought forth something much more painful to the forefront of her mind, memories that would slow her down if she lingered on them for too long.  She remembered happiness and her simple little life back in Deems, the memories of which served as the only anchor capable of keeping her tethered to the land of the living.  She was just a farmer’s daughter who lived on the outskirts of the village. She had little knowledge of the world outside because she lived in blissful ignorance.  So when the strangers came, she did not know just how much to fear them.  How could she know?  She was only fifteen and all of those fifteen years she’d spent sheltered by her mother and father.  It was by a chance that she was even in town that night…

◊◊◊◊

 

“Hurry up!  We’re going to be late!”  Velry could almost see the impatience as an aura around her little sister.  She chuckled, knowing that Sarry was more excited than anyone else in the house, even though it wasn’t her own ceremony they were going to.

“If I didn’t know any better, Little Sister, I would say that you’re in some sort of rush to see me married off.”  Velry took the last hair pin from the table and fastened it very carefully, and perhaps a little too slowly just for spite.  “If you want me to go, you have to learn to be patient.  Come now, try it.  Breathe in… and now breathe out.”  A sideways glance from her seat revealed that Sarry found no amusement.  In fact, with a characteristic huff, the younger girl turned in a dramatic swirl of tattered skirts and exited the one room house they lived in as if it were a grand ballroom, and she the center of attention. Just as well, though, since this golden moment of solitude was probably the last she was going to get. 

After all, tonight was the celebration of Starfall.  Just like last year, and ten years before that, and a hundred years before that, the goddess Naiona unpins the stars from the black blanket overhead and lets them fall to the ground.  She’d never been to one of the celebrations in the village before, but her father said that the villagers gather together because it was a beautiful reminder that the Goddesses and their Lords still watch over the mere mortals below.  Of course, Velry thought that was all well in good, but he never could give a straight answer as to why the event evolved into an elaborate matchmaking and wedding event all rolled into one.

Given the circumstances, she figured she would have been more nervous, or maybe even terrified.  But as she picked up the tarnished silver mirror, something that had been passed down through her mother’s family, she saw a girl- no, she saw a young blonde woman with resigned expression and a tired smile. 

The silence was broken when she heard a footstep on the hay strewn floor.  “Are you ready, dear?”  The young bride angled the mirror to see her mother standing in the doorway, as regal as ever with her thick silver hair pulled up into that intricate bun that only she knew how to do.  As they made eye contact in the reflection, Velry knew it was time to go by her mother’s raised and expectant eyebrow. 

“Come now, you need to pray so we can be on our way.” 

“Mother,” Velry said, rising from the chair, “I don’t think the Goddesses and their Lords care whether or not I find a dashing young husband tonight.”  Walking to the windowsill, she paused as she decided how many of the small prayer candles she wanted.  Hmm, we’re running low on these.  Mother will be in a panic if she runs out, she thought to herself as she grabbed three out of the dwindling pile. 

“Darling, we are living in an age of peace and prosperity.  The Goddesses and their Lords have nothing else to do but smile down on you for tonight’s festivities.  After all, this year, they’re unpinning the stars just for you.” 

Velry laughed quietly at her mother’s devotion.  The heavens were not falling solely for her, of that she was sure, but she couldn’t help but respect how much her mother actually believed it to be true.  Shaking her head with a smile, she walked over to the wall where her family had painted deific images upon rough cut boards the size of her hand.  If she hadn’t grown up with the figures since birth, she wouldn’t have any idea which was which.  Artistic finesse was not something anyone in this household possessed.  Holding the three candles in her hand, she bowed her head to each of the twelve crudely painted figures and said in a bored, yet well practiced manner, “I approach thee, Goddesses, most humbly and ask that you grant your Lord Consorts permission to hear my prayers as well.”

From behind her shoulder, at an annoyingly close proximity, Velry heard, “You could act like you mean it.”  Velry rolled her eyes, much preferring the Goddesses to see her impudence than her mother.

At the base of each board, her father had attached pieces of metal and wire that formed makeshift candle holders.  After years of use, the wire was nearly invisible through all the layers of melted wax, though some had more buildup than others.  She considered the images carefully, and after a small deliberation, decided to place candles upon the plaques of Goddesses Zelah and Erelel, as well as the Lord Gilmithrie.  Velry figured, from her perspective, beseeching the deity of love and fertility, as well as the Goddess of Protection couldn’t hurt, and for added measure, the Lord of Fortune.  Her mother seemed pleased as well, judging by the rare silence in matters of religion. 

The silence soon fled as her mother cleared her throat in a somewhat impatient manner.  She felt a small, but strong hand on her shoulder and Velry knew that there was no more stalling.  Her mother guided her out of the house and into the dusky autumn light.  Outside, she saw her father, already leaning on his hand carved walking stick, and Sarry sitting upon an old stump with elbows on knees as if she’d been waiting for hours.  This was it.  They would walk into town soon and the festivities would begin.  Every eligible maiden and every eligible young man would be there, and as tradition dictated, they would be wed under the falling stars, in the eyes of the Goddesses and family. 

  

◊◊◊◊

 

“You didn’t!”  Velry laughed, doubled over at the thought of Old Man Jenkins resting cozy in a fresh pile of horse dung.

Mathias grinned and nodded, placing a gentle arm around her waist to support her. “I kid you not, I really did.  He told me to let go of the rope, so I did and he went flying backwards, right into horse shit.  The man hasn’t said a word to me since.” 

“I- I can’t believe that,” she said, raising up, a single tear coming from her eye as she gasped for air.  She looked at him, and while he grinned wildly, she could tell he was serious.  He appeared too proud to be making it all up.  She wiped her cheek and his smile seemed to soften as he looked at her, his mirth fading into something else Velry couldn’t quite recognize.  They’d been having a wonderful time, more fun than she’d actually expected to have.  The moment she got there with her family, Mathias came up out of nowhere and looped his arm around hers and whisked her away from her father.  She was more than shocked and a little bit scared.  Velry looked behind and was confused by her mother’s smile and Sarry’s look of disbelief, the look she wore most often when things never went her way.

Gazing into his brown eyes now, she wasn’t sure what the older boy was staring at.  “I’m sorry, is there something on me?”  She said, self-consciously wiping away a stray hair. 

“Oh, just a little starlight, that’s all.”  He slowly grabbed her hand and after a moment’s pause, he led her away from the secluded spot they’d found and into the bigger crowd.  She followed him easily, curious as to where they were going. Trusting him to lead her, she looked up into the sky and saw more than a hundred stars painting crosshatch lines across the night.  She couldn’t help but smile.  She’d always seen the god-sent spectacle from the comfort of the farm house, but never at the actual Starfall celebration.  Velry was sure there were as many lit prayer candles as there were falling stars placed around the village square tonight.  They were attached to any and every surface that could be found, though they were more heavily concentrated on the raised platform the carpenter had made for the occasion.  Looking down, Velry noticed that Mathias was leading her to that platform, the Altar of Starfall.  She stopped altogether, forcing her partner to look back in confusion. 

“That’s-  that is the altar, Mathias.  Come on, let’s go find my sister. I’m sure she’ll love to hear that story about Old Man Jenkins.”  She turned to go back, but his hand held tightly to hers and even though she tugged insistently, he wouldn’t budge.

“Velry, tonight is Starfall,” he said softly, pausing until Velry turned around to look at him.  “I’ve come to this celebration three times, and no matter how much my father tried to force me, I refused to talk to anyone here before tonight.  You want to know why?”

She did not meet his gaze, but instead, looked at the mole at the base of his neck.  “Why,” she said, uncomfortable with the direction the conversation was going.

“Because the last three years, you weren’t here,” he said, lifting her chin to meet his gaze.

Velry tried to hide her smile, looking away so he couldn’t see her blush.  “You’ve never met me before tonight, Mathias.”  And it was true.  She’d spent so much time on the farm that she could probably count on her hands the number of trips she’d made to the village proper. 

“Exactly.  I’ve spent my whole life here, day in and day out, and I see all these girls day in and day out.  But you, you’re new to me. And you’re funny, and beautiful.  Velry, will you come with me to the Altar of Starfall and be bonded with me?  With the stars as our witness and the world as our stage, will you become my mate?”

Velry stared, partially dumbfounded and partially inept at forming any sort of coherent language.  Where were the Goddesses when I asked for a pet griffon?  Damn them for answering now, she thought, painfully aware of her slack jawed expression.  As she tried to make her mouth cooperate, she saw Mathias spin around quickly, scanning the crowd around them.  What was he looking for?  He didn’t even notice as she was nearly knocked to the ground when an older woman shoved her way through the crowd, mouthing something, but Velry was too dazed to really hear anything. 

Suddenly she was moving.  Mathias had become to move, dragging her quickly away from the altar.  “What’s going on,” she asked, though from leaving her mouth stupidly hang open for so long, it felt like she’d stuffed cotton in there.  He didn’t seem to hear her, though.  He was dragging her pretty quickly, and she saw that the crowd was moving with them.  Her senses were starting to return after he’d so rudely swept her off her feet.  With each step, she was becoming more and more aware of her surroundings and then, she finally heard the screech.  She heard the ear splitting shriek that was ringing through the air, the sound that was capable of drowning out the panicked screams of the villagers.  How had she not heard it earlier?  

Quickly looking around, she tried to find the source, but all she could see were the backs of heads or frightened faces.  Where was her family at?  Were they safe?   Were any of them safe?  Erelel, protect us, she silently prayed, hoping that this prayer would also be heard.  Looking ahead, the crowd was beginning to thin out as they scattered into different nearby buildings.  Velry heard a fierce cackling take up harmony with the appalling scream and the villagers took to matching their own cries with the mysterious and horrific symphony. 

While it seemed like ten lifetimes had passed, they had actually reached the Temple of Lords within a matter of moments, the nearest building to them.  A middle aged woman stood at the door waving people in, her face grim and determined.  When Mathias and Velry entered the building, she could tell it was near capacity.  They couldn’t hold many more, and Velry could tell the woman was painfully aware of this.  Thanks to some unknown power though, the people stopped coming in, having found refuge in other buildings.  The woman, seeing this as well, closed the door and placed a chair under the knob to prevent entry. 

“Back away from the windows,” came a shout from behind.  Old Man Jenkins, eyes wide as a frightened mule, waved everyone towards the center of the room.  Already being in the center, she and Mathias were quickly compacted until Velry, already of short stature, felt like a child trapped in a sea of bodies.  She needed to get out of the center, needed to get fresh air because the lack of space was suffocating her.  She jerked her hand out of Mathias’s and weaved and shoved her way out until she was face to face with one of the windows of the village temple.

The small moment of victory was short lived when she saw the carnage outside.  Many of the prayer candles had gone out from the rushing crowd, but enough were still sparkling in the darkness to reveal five or six bodies scattering the lawn and surrounding paths.  Bile rose up in her throat as she saw her neighbors laying there, some of them still alive and screaming to the heavens in agony.  There was so much blood. Candlelight glistened off the seeping pools, pouring from injuries that Velry could not see.  She felt two strong hands grab her shoulders.  Velry supposed it was supposed to be a comforting gesture, but they were shaking too much to provide any sort of comfort.  She turned around to see Mathias looking out the same window, rage and anger churning like a trapped storm.

“Who would do this,” he spat, staring out into the darkness.  Velry imagined he was daring the perpetrators to show themselves.  As if answering the call, a dark hood flashed by the window and disappeared from her sight as it circled the building.  She could hear whoever it was cackling as they moved with unnatural speed.  The villagers in the building screamed as they saw the man go by, all of them grouping as closely as they could in the center of the room.  Velry stayed where she was, too dumbfounded to move and not keen on getting killed by suffocation. 

She heard several shouted words, a few screams, all saying something about the “Blood Court”.  One voice rang out familiar and she saw her father on the other side of the room shouting at another man.  He was on edge, and Velry saw that he was just as scared as the rest of them. 

“Father!”  She grabbed Mathias and ran to him, nearly knocking him down with the fierceness of her worried embrace. “What’s going on!”  Now that she was locked around him, she could feel his ragged breaths.  She pulled back and looked at his face and was shocked by the tears in his eyes.

“Thank the falling stars you’re alive,” he said, pulling her back into her arms, squeezing her tightly.  “I couldn’t find you, and- and after seeing her, I thought you were gone too!”  He choked and sniffled, shaking as he held her.  She had never seen her father in such a state.  He was always a strong man, the one she had always used for strength.  He was a fighter, a brave man.  She was scared to see him like this.

“Father, listen to me,” she said prying herself out of his arms.  She stared him down, holding his gaze with iron stare. “What did you mean, after seeing her?”

“The Blood Court got her, Velry.  They- They took my baby girl.”  He raised a trembling hand and motioned towards the window.  Both Velry and Mathias ran towards it, anxious and terrified to see what was out there. From this side of the building, she could see even more bodies.  Right out outside, she saw a small pile of tattered skirts soaked with blood, blonde hair turning red as she lay face down in the crimson grass.

“No!” she sobbed, falling to the floor as if she never even knew how to stand.  Mathias sank to the floor with her, not out of his own grief, but to comfort her in any way he could.  He went to put his arms around her, but Velry struck out at him with irrational fury.  She hit his arms, smacked his hands away and screamed, finally joining the chorus the villagers had begun a long time ago. Mathias sat there on the balls of his feet, not moving as he took the full force of her beating, watching helplessly as Velry fell apart.  After a few seconds, she expended all the energy she had and she sat there, leaned against the rough wooden walls of the temple, and cried.  Her father slowly slumped to the floor and leaned his head against hers, both of them seeing nothing through their rivulets of tears. 

From outside, at the front door from the sound of it, a voice shrieked out in the night.  “Hello, Deems.  It’s been a long time, has it not?”  He cackled and the villagers instantly quieted with fear.  Velry looked at the door, her eyes wide as if she’d never seen a thing like it. 

“We are tired.  We’ve come a long way, and all we want is to take one of you with us.  We’ll kill you all if we have to.  You see your friends and neighbors out here? That’s proof enough for you.”  Wails erupted across the room, but the door shook as if the intruder had just kicked it to silence them all. It worked.  “You’ve been kind enough to corral yourselves into these buildings like livestock.  It makes our jobs easier should we decide you’re being uncooperative.  There are so many of these pretty candles outside. We can just light the building on fire and watch all of you burn.” 

Mathias stood up and walked to the door, rage building.  His nostrils flared and he put his face right up against the crack in the door and with all the anger he had, screamed, “I hope Saryle takes your rotten ass to the farthest plane of death she can find, you piece of shit bastard!” Velry thought the door would buckle when he pulled back and punched it with such raw force, but it held fast and Mathias just smacked it again in anger with his open palm. 

Velry staggered to her feet, and pushed her way through the villagers that were pacing around in panic.  Just as Mathias was about to hit the door again, she grabbed his hand and he looked around at her.  His eyes were red from holding back tears.  He was scared too, but a different kind.  “Mathias, don’t,” she said, not wanting any more bloodshed tonight.

“Listen to your little lady friend, boy.  You don’t want something bad to happen to her because of your impertinence.”  It was a new voice this time, a dark and heavy tone.  Now we know there’s at least two of them. How many more are there?”

The older boy backed away from the door, scanning the edges as if there were some answer there, some hidden weakness.  He took another step back, and then turned to face the crowd.  “Are you cowards just going to stand there?  Where are your wives? Your children? Your husbands?  Are they safe in one of those other buildings, or are they lying dead out there at the hands of these monsters?”  The crying renewed in areas of the crowd, but for the most part, Mathias held their attention. From Velry’s place still beside the door, she heard a quiet chuckle, then silence.

“We are not toys for them!  Tonight is Starfall. The goddesses and their lords are with us tonight!  I say we fight them because we have the numbers, we have the conviction, and we have the grief to power us through the fight.”  A couple of the menfolk nodded.  Velry heard a few people agreeing, but only silence outside.  Were they at the door listening?

Mathias pushed his way through the crowd, which had loosened to the sides of the room now, and went to the opposite side of the Temple of Lords.  Images of the six lords hung on the wall in frames and Mathias grabbed the portrait of Ignon, Lord of Misfortune, and Aros, Lord of Strength and War.  He held both images high above his head and scanned the crowd.  “Let us fight!  With the strength of Aros, let us rain disasters down upon their damned heads that Ignon would be proud of!  Who’s with me?”  Mathias threw the frame onto the ground, breaking it apart.  Many in the crowd gasped at such a blasphemous act, but they cheered when Mathias bent down and grabbed a broken piece of the wood frame, holding it high above his head as if it were a mighty weapon.

Four others stepped forward and did the same, smashing the frames of Gahdur, Lord of the Lost, Jopha, Lord of Beasts, and Kachbalth, Lord of Travel.  Velry winced every time one was slammed down the ground, and watched as Mathias and the others went to stand bravely at the door with their holy weapons of broken frames. 

“Mathias, don’t do this,” she whispered to him as she went to stand in front of the door.  “Please, they’ll kill you.”

His face softened when he looked at her, and he ran a finger across her cheek.  “Velry, you never did give me an answer.”  She furrowed her brow, lost as to what he was meaning.  “Will you be my bride?”

Tears sprang anew and she nodded her head fervently. “Of course, but I can’t do that if you go and get yourself killed out there.” 

Mathias grabbed her hand and led her away from the other fighters.  “I’ll hold you to that promise, then.”   He bent down and kissed her forehead, lingering there as he held her in a soft embrace.  “I’ll be back,” he said and then turned and sprinted towards the door.  He kicked away the chair that held it closed and screamed, “Deems will not fall tonight!”  With a fearsome battle cry, he and the other ragtag warriors marched through the door before Velry, or anyone else, could stop them. 

There was a small porch attached to the temple, with steps leading to the dirt path that circled around the main portion of the village.  The warriors ran off the steps, but paused when they could not see their foe.  During Mathias’s powerful speech, the Blood Court, whoever they were, had extinguished all the prayer candles. The stars were no longer falling, leaving nothing but the few stranglers for illumination, the new moon was little use tonight. 

“Come out and show yourselves!”  The other warriors looked nervously around, and as Velry stood in the open doorway, watching them from the light spilling from the temple, she saw their bravado fading.  They looked nervously around, rocking back and forth on their feet as if they were ready to run at any moment.  Velry’s father came up beside her, watching with a firm hand on the girl’s shoulder. 

“Are you scared now that we’ve got you outnumbered?” Mathias laughed, holding his wood shard high in the air.  His triumphant demeanor vanished as screams erupted from one of the other buildings.  Through the windows of the meeting hall, the biggest building in the village, Velry could see an orange glow from inside. The screams continued, and Velry watched in horror as windows started breaking as people starting climbing out.  Something was keeping the door closed apparently, and tears sprang up as black smoke started pouring out faster than the people could.  The growing flames lit up the grounds with a horrific glow, and she could see three hooded figures in long black cloaks standing on the altar.  Mathias’s men stumbled and fell over themselves as they ran back into the temple.  Velry had to jump out of the way as the men shoved past as quickly as they could. 

The boy turned to see the leave and yelled, “What are you doing?  We need to fight!  And you, the rest of you! We need to put those flames out!”  No one in the temple moved.  He dropped his arms, disbelief evident on his face. 

One of the figures on the altar descended from the platform and walked slowly toward the temple.  Velry pointed and yelled, and Mathias jerked around to see the stranger approaching.  “Are you our volunteer boy?” It said once it was close enough. “We only want one of you to come with us.”  The thing cackled.  Velry understood why.  It could just take someone and be done with this.  The monsters could steal someone away and avoid the dramatics.  But no, they wanted a show.  They enjoyed seeing the pain and horror.  Velry understood that now.  They were playing a game.  A sick, horrific, and messed up game.

Mathias stood tall as he looked at the robed visitor.  It was close enough now that Mathias could spit at its feet, and he dead. “I’d sooner die than volunteer.”  He looked over the meeting hall, now fully ablaze.  The smell of burning flesh was starting waft.  “No,” he said, still looking at the flames.  “You can kill me now because I will never cooperate.”  The two still on the platform laughed, and Velry screamed as she saw a clawed hand shoot out of the robe with speed and grab Mathias by the neck.  The boy was hefted into the air as if he weighed nothing more than baby, and his feet kicked wildly in the air. 

She was moving.  Jerking away from her father, Velry jumped out onto the porch and as if she was possessed by an unknown spark of courage, she looked directly into the dark hood of the creature, she knew now to not be human.  “I will be your volunteer.”  That was it; that was the key to making this all stop. They just wanted a volunteer from their captive audience.  She heard a struggle behind her and assumed her father was trying to pull her back in. By the sound of it, the other villagers were holding him back. 

The creature dropped Mathias to the ground and he held his neck, struggling to breathe, but alive.  Velry took another step forward, fueled more by adrenaline than common sense.  “Stop this madness and leave everyone alone,” she said.  She looked over to glance at Sarry’s lifeless body and felt a bold anger spread out to every inch of her body.  “No more deaths, no more dramatics.  You take me, and you leave everyone here alone.” 

“Come to me, Child.”  The creature forgetting Mathias altogether, walk closer and Velry obeyed, coming to meet her in the center.  She stared into the darkness of the hood.  She could almost see a face, but she could certainly smell the stench of decay coming from his breath.

“Velry, no,” Mathias said, staggering to his feet.  He still held his throat and she could see that blood was trickling from underneath his hand.  A small cut from the creature’s talon, Velry was sure, or else he wouldn’t be speaking so plainly.  He tried to stumble towards her, but the creature threw out its arm and knocked him to the ground again. 

“Oh, you are fun, Little One,” it said, laughing.  “Scrawny, but entertaining.”

“Will you leave this village?”

“Mmm, yesss,” he hissed.  It raised a hand and stroked Velry’s cheek, and she knew that she could trust this creature.  She nodded as it pointed to the altar.   Yes, everything was going to be fine.  She turned around and smiled at her father, still being restrained at the door.  She scanned the village and saw the other building that villagers had fled to, the House of the Goddesses.  She saw her mother standing there, gripping a picture of Erelel in her hands and crying.  At least she was okay. But why wouldn’t she be?  Velry smiled, a calmness washing over her.  Everything was going to be fine.  She climbed the altar and of the strangers that had been on the platform the entire time, raked his claws through her hair, pulling all the pins out she’d spent so much time working on earlier. 

“She’ll do,” it said. This was the raspy voiced one.  With a quick strike, he grabbed both of her wrists, suddenly jerking her out of the sudden daze she’d fallen into.  She had no idea what that was, but fear came back to her and she realized she was probably about to die.  She struggled and flailed, but she could not escape from his iron grip. 

“Come, child,” the second demon whispered as it came to her, tracing a claw up her stomach, slicing open the green velvet of the dress she wore.  “We have much traveling to do.”  Velry fought wildly, trying to get away from the thing that whispered in her ear, but she could not.  A fierce, ripping pain tore through her abdomen as if claws had just raked away her flesh and she screamed.  The pain was unbearable and as the scream left her mouth, so did her consciousness.  The hazy lull was returning, easing the pain.  She welcomed it and faded into black.  

 

 

Author's Note:  Hello and welcome to my lovely little novel.  For those of you who are new, I hope you enjoy it.  For returners, note that I"ve rearranged and broken down some chapters.  So if some numbering is off, that's why. 

2: Chapter One

Chapter One

 

 

 

She had to move.  She could not afford to waste any more time, especially if this was going to be her one and only chance.  She was the last of the captives still alive, presumably.  There had been nineteen others, and the game that the monsters had been playing for the last year grew old for them and one by one, over the last three nights, the others were taken.  She heard some of them scream.  Sometimes she only heard silence.  But they finally made a mistake when they took the last- Vincent, the little boy from Airden.  They left the door unlocked.  When she could no longer hear the footsteps, or the sound of them dragging his paralyzed body, she ran as fast as her broken body could manage.

She had to keep running. She could not cling to the statue for much longer lest she jeopardize her escape.  “Erelel, protect me,” she whispered as she launched herself from behind the statue.  It had been quiet long enough for her to decide no one else was in the room with her.  She’d never been in this part of the palace. She knew because she could see bright moonlight shining into the windows of the next room.  They never took captives into lit rooms.  There were never windows.  Or if there were, they were always well covered. 

Velry pushed herself as hard as she could, ignoring the blistering pain that came with each and every step.  Only last week they had taken to peeling the skin off of her legs in patches and she was nowhere near healed.  They’d stopped healing the wounds they inflicted, and instead left them to fester.  As a result, the air stung her open wounds, but Velry could not stop to let the agonizing cries out.  No, she kept running.  Through statue lined corridor into the moonlit library, as it appeared to be.  The wall opposite to the windows was made of bookshelves, though the shelves were actually starting to rot out, and the books themselves were lying in shredded and nearly disintegrated piles on the floor.

She could not linger on the sight of the shelves for too long because she had to quickly halt her progress when she nearly fell into the giant hole in the floor that was rotten and falling into the basement and catacombs below.  “Damn it,” she said, trying to gauge where the safest place to walk around was.  What wasn’t a hole in the floor was a pile of old wood and destroyed texts, and Velry sincerely doubted the dilapidated flooring could hold her weight on top of all the debris.  With that in mind, it left only one option.  The windowed wall.  There was a space just barely a foot wide, but it was unobstructed.

The girl wasted no time sidling up to the wall, pressing her back as far against it as possible.  Tears sprang up like weeds as the rough stone wall rubbed against one of the skinned portions of her calves, but tears or no tears, she was going to keep going anyway.  Biting back a jagged breath, she began to inch sideways, preferring to hold her lungs in limbo until she crossed. 

Yes, that was it.  One step, another step, three more now….  As slowly as she was going, Velry knew that she was nearing the end of this torture.  She glanced down below, and could tell that the hole revealed some kind of servants quarters, and that a hole was beginning to form on that level as well.  Perhaps it was moisture leaking through the roof into the building below?  She looked up to the ceiling, and sure enough she could see light tricking in from a hole in the roof two floors up.  

Velry turned her attention behind her to check for anyone following, anxious to be free of this death trap.  She nearly lost her footing when she saw a woman standing in the doorway she’d just come from.  She’d been found.  Though, Velry wasn’t sure if she’d been found by a human or by one of the creatures.  She’d never actually seen them in the light since the levels down below were always pitch black, except for the holding cell.  This woman wore black leather pants, a man’s style by the looks of it.  She had a crisp white shirt, seemingly meant for a someone twice her size.  It hung so loosely that, in its untied manner, nearly exposed her breasts.  Was this her tormentor?  Was this strange, petite woman with hair the color of wine really the perpetrator?  The girl stood frozen, unsure if this was her savior or captor. 

“Where are you going, Poppet?”  The woman’s voice was glorious, as bright and cheerful as newborn babe’s laugh.  Velry paused, feeling ashamed. Why was she ashamed?  Why did she stop?  The female did not move, only cocked her head in a curious fashion.  Velry looked at her, intrigued.  Something about that voice was familiar.  

When there was no answer, the woman took a step forward, her boots making an echoing sound.  How did she not hear the woman’s approach?  “Why don’t you come back?  You might fall to your death.”  She held out her hand with a warm smile, just outside the reach of the moonlight.

Something was wrong, but Velry couldn’t figure out what.  Maybe if she went to the woman, they could figure it out and escape together.  Velry inched toward the friendly face, careful not to fall into the pit before her.  Yes, she needed to go towards her.  She did not recognize the woman’s beautiful voice, so she couldn’t have been one of her captors. She would have recognized the terrible screeches, and growls of the monsters below.  As Velry slowly made her way, the woman nodded encouragingly.  She looked into the stranger’s red eyes and smiled…  Wait, something isn’t right.  She paused, just feet away from the woman.

“What is it, Poppet?  Come this way.”  The woman’s eyebrows furrowed.  Was that anger?  No, anger doesn’t suit such a beautiful woman.  Velry closed her eyes, slowly becoming aware of strange feeling within her head, as if a haze had creeped inside of her mind.  A thick blanket, smothering and desensitizing rested heavily within her consciousness.  It had been there since she saw the woman, but…

“No, stay away from me.”  Velry opened her eyes quickly and started backing away.  She knew what was happening.  It’s the same trick they used to take her away that night.  She remembered the calmness, the false sense of security that came over her when she made that godforsaken deal… 

The woman’s face turned into a vicious snarl, seemingly enraged that Velry had fallen out of her thrall.  She moved as quickly as she was able across the small path, careful keep her eyes on the woman at all times.  Now that she’d escaped from the mind game, the girl could more clearly see the creature before her.  It was a woman, yes, but more monster than human.  Her fingers were clawed dark gray talons, and stained red at the tips.  The crisp white shirt was now a dingy gray with obvious blood spatter, and the wine color hair was only matted with gore.  Looking at angular red eyes, Velry was shocked she couldn’t see the truth before.  The creature whose mouth was caked with dried blood, yet also dripping with fresh, was surely the one who dispatched with Vincent after they came to get him. 

“Get away from me, you hag!”  She quickly glanced behind and could see she was nearly to the other side of the room.  She winced as the wall scrapped her leg, but made no sign of stopping. 

The creature tilted her head back and let out an ear-splitting scream, one Velry remembered from a distant memory.  No doubt that the other nightmare creatures could hear and would come running.  She could not afford to let them catch her.  Turning to face the opposite side, the doorway to freedom, she judged the distance and decided that it was worth the risk.  She leapt into the air, hoping for freedom, but also prepared for the fall that would hopefully kill her before anything else could.

The scream continued as Velry hung in the air.  Three eternities passed, or that’s how she perceived it before, at long last, her body smacked hard against the smooth and sturdy hardwood.  She was knocked breathless by the impact, yet she struggled for enough air to scream in agony as the fall reignited old and fresh wounds.  As she rolled over onto her back, whimpering in short gasps, she glanced over at the woman.  Her antagonist had fallen silent, and Velry wondered what kept her from following.  She didn’t care to linger to find out so long the creature made no move to pursue.  Her cracked from past injuries when she put weight on it to lift herself off the floor, but she used the pain as a strong reminded of why she was running. It was enough to get the momentum she needed to leave the library behind.

The rooms became a blur as she ran, stumbled, and tripped her way through the palace.  Jumping like that had taken a lot of out of her frail body, and she could feel blood oozing out of a gash on her stomach that she had hoped was finally starting to heal.  Apparently not.  Weaving in and out of rooms, searching for any sign of an exit was harder than she imagined, and no doubt she was leaving a trail of blood wherever she went.  It wouldn’t be long now.  Her lungs burned with overuse and painful effort, and she doubted she could keep going. 

As she kicked open a door in front of her, she nearly ran straight into something. She screamed, lashing out with all of her strength when she realized that it was a person.  Whoever, or whatever, it was had more strength than what Velry had been able to muster and she was quickly wrestled to the ground.  With her face pressed against the floor, she felt a weight sit on top of her, pinning her arms behind her.  “If you want to get out of here alive, you will stop fighting me,” came a whispered voice, just inches from her ear. 

This was not the same woman from before.  She could felt the woman’s hands binding hers and there were certainly no talons there.  Velry lay still, praying to the Goddesses once more that she would be saved.  Sensing that the girl was done struggling, the woman released her captive and got to her feet.  From her vantage point, the woman looked like a giant, though as Velry struggled sit up, the perspective adjusted.  She nearly cried out in joy because the haze was nowhere to be found and this brown haired woman was most decidedly human. 

The newcomer scanned the room quickly before extending a hand to help the injured girl up.  “Come on, we need to get out of here.  Are there any other captives?”  Velry shook her head, certain that Vincent was dead.  The other nodded and grabbed the younger girl’s hand, leading her quickly through a series of hallways.  Turn after turn came as a blur, but at all times, Velry was keenly focused on the tall woman in front of her.  She wore black pants and a black shirt, nearly blending in with the darkness around them.  If not for the simple silver embroidery at the edge, she would appear as nothing more than a shadow. No wonder Velry ran into her earlier.  One thing that stood out, however, was the lack of a weapon.  As they ran through dozens of turns and coridors, Velry searched, but to no avail.  She carried a satchel and a belt with several pouches, but nothing else. No sword, no crossbow.  Not even an axe. 

Her creeping doubts disappeared as they burst into a room with huge double doors standing wipe open, revealing the moonlit grounds of the outside world.  Velry pulled her hand away and with an unknown burst of speed, shot through the front doors, collapsing onto the stone steps of the palace, in full view of the starry sky and the full moon.  She was out.  The light disappeared, however, when the woman’s head blocked the view.  “We can’t stop here.  Come on, we need to keep moving.”

Velry refused to move, shaking her head and genuinely smiling.  “I haven’t seen this beautiful world in over a year.  I’ve been trapped in that plane of hell. Let me enjoy this moment.”

When she was hefted to her feet by the deceptively strong woman, she squinted her eyes in a pouty disapproval, almost like her sister would have done.  “I’ve traveled too far to leave you lying on the steps.  Now get your ass up, and run for the treeline over there. I’ll take care of these bastards.”

Velry winced as she was pulled upright.  Standing on her feet, she faced the woman, though her attention was quickly averted to the hooded figures standing in the doorway behind them.  Velry pointed and her savior quickly turned to see the guests who’d come to see them off.  Three of them, as Velry had originally seen them.  Long dark robes with hoods that obscured their faces.   Velry slowly backed down the stairs, but neither the woman nor the creatures moved.  

“The great Niek Morenta,” one of the creatures said sneeringly, his voice harsh and raspy.  She remembered that voice from many long nights of pain, torture, and feeding frenzies, as well as from the first encounter.  “To what do we owe this pleasure?”  The monsters cackled gleefully, knowing that they had the upper hand against two unarmed women.

The woman they called Niek, just shrugged casually.  “I heard the Blood Queen and her court had made an appearance.  I had to come pay my respects.  Where is Fai, anyway?”  Niek placed her hands behind her back, an innocent enough gesture in the eyes of the creatures, but from behind, Velry could see she was maneuvering one of the pouches on her belt, slowly opening it and grabbing something inside. 

“Our Queen cannot be bothered by the likes of you, Keeper,” hissed the one farthest back, partially concealed by the darkness of the palace.

Niek pulled her hands out of the pouch, and Velry could see she had some sort of orange powder pinched in her fingertips.  But she did not move to reveal her hands. Instead, she sighed and replied, “Well, that’s really a shame.  I was hoping to see her myself, just to prove she’s as hideous as my father said she was.”

The raspy voiced creature shrieked and made a move to rush the mysterious stranger, but he was not fast enough.  Niek threw the powder to the ground and screamed in a foreign tongue that Velry could not recognize.  The powder met stone and exploded with a loud thundering boom.  As the smoke cleared, Velry saw that two warriors had appeared from the cloud, both seeming to be badly injured yet still hardy enough for battle, standing at the ready.  They donned ancient armor, both of their faces obscured by bronze helmets.  The smoke wafted back into Velry’s face and she nearly gagged on the smell of putrification and decay. The creatures did not stop their charge and the two warriors ran to meet them with gurgled war cries, as if something obstructed their voices.  The warriors pulled weapons from their sheathes, one holding an ornate pike while the other held strongly to two claymores.  Niek wasted no time grabbing the spare sword with a wild grin, running to meet the third creature with force and fury.  As Niek swung the heavy claymore as if it were a mere twig, she shouted incantations in the same foreign language.  Her words seemed to sting them more than the bite of ghostly steel, though each gash seemed to leave an iridescent wound, as if the blades left behind a foreign, shining residue. 

Velry was taken aback, uncertain of which side she really needed to be frightened of.  She stumbled backwards, step by step, certain that she should abandon the woman altogether.  She watched in horror as talons screeched against armor and at times, through rotten flesh.  With each word Niek spoke, the creatures responded with howls of pain.  Brief flashes of light began to appear, sparkling just above their heads, resembling small lightning cracks.  Velry took several more steps backwards, frightened by the woman’s magic.  The beasts had called her a Keeper, which she was certain to be the forbidden death magic.  With that realization, the young girl wasn’t sure if Niek was really her savior at all…

She was at the bottom of the steps now, just barely able to see their heads weaving in and out of the battle.  I swear I’ve pissed off Lord Ignon, she thought to herself, certain the Lord of Misfortune was punishing her.  As she gazed upon the unholy battle, hearing the clash of steel and the ripping of flesh, Velry was certain that she was being punished severely for something.  She needed to escape before things got any worse.  If Niek dispatched the monsters, what was stopping the woman from enslaving Velry’s soul?  No, she needed to leave immediately.  She was going to lose herself in the trees, leaving behind the madness behind. She spun on her heels and found herself nose to nose with the female creature from earlier.  No doubt this was Fai.  Sharp claws reached out and closed around her throat.  From this close, Velry had a clear view of the sharp fangs within the beast’s mouth, as well as the putrid odor that seemed to reek from the bloodthirsty beast.  From behind, Velry heard a loud thunder clap, and what appeared to be a flash of lightning, as best she could tell from this angle.  Velry could not tear her eyes away from the strangely hypnotic red ones in front of her, though her captor seemed focused on the stairs. The girl was vaguely aware of the sound of a sword dropping.  Niek was saying something… What was she saying?  Fai spun Velry around to face the woman, still keeping a tight grip on her neck.  She placed a claw on Velry’s exposed stomach, putting pressure as if she intended to tear her open.

“Do you want to save this girl, Keeper?”  Velry was starting to feel hazy again.  She could feel a warmth tricking down her chest, as well as her stomach.  Warmth?  No, that was her blood slowly tricking the new wounds forming on her neck and abdomen. 

Niek took a step forward, alone for some reason. Weren’t there others with her?  Soldiers?  Beasts?  Or had she been alone the whole time?  The hazy feeling was overwhelming and she let her head fall back as she stared lazily at the stars.  Such an overwhelming calmness she felt. She’d never encountered such serenity, such powerful tranquility.  She flopped her head over so she could see the beautiful Fai, struggling to keep her eyes focused on one thing.  In the moonlit night, the woman was such a beauty, except her skin…  Her skin was flaking off.  A gentle breeze came and blew a speck of the woman’s cheek away, revealing an open sore, much like the wounds on Velry’s legs.  She was in pain!  Fai was in such pain!  She tried to speak, but for some reason, found it hard to do so.  Her tongue was too heavy in her mouth and there was the strangest pressure on her throat.  Strangely, the breath she needed to speak escaped her.

Fai cast a disgusted glance at the broken human toy she held and snarled.  With a forceful shove, she threw the girl to the ground and ran into the woods.  Had she been talking with Niek the whole time?  What did they say?  She lay on the ground, suddenly yearning for Fai’s touch once more.  With the pressure gone, she extended a hand towards the tree line, now no sign of her captor.  “Come back,” she croaked, but her words went unheard and she laid her head upon the soft, soft grass.  She felt like she could sleep for days.  Maybe when she woke up, the nightmare would be over…. 

 

3: Chapter Two

She woke with a start, gasping for air like a drowned man swallowing water.  As her lungs rebelled, Velry had to close her eyes against the white light blaring down through the trees, burning with fierce refulgence. She rolled over onto her stomach, face buried in brittle twigs and leaves to escape the sun she had not seen in more days than she could count.  In…. Out… Come on, you can do this.  This is simple, she thought, focusing all of her energy into making her chest rise and fall like it should.  It felt like she was adjusting her rib cage more than actually breathing, but after an agonizing and frightening minute, she found herself in control once more. 

She slowly opened her eyes, careful not to overdo it.  It hurt, the amount of light coming all at once.  She felt like a newborn seeing the world for the first time.  She lay there with her face buried in the vivid oranges and blustering reds of autumn, dazed and squinting into the bright forest floor.  Her heart was still pumping wildly from the panic of waking up, the reason of which Velry could not place. Perhaps it was a night terror already forgotten?  They were the only kinds of dreams that ever visited when she slept, but never anything like that.  Looking at an ant carrying its breakfast across a twig, as if it were the perfect reminder of her current situation, she hurriedly hoisted herself off the ground so she could look around.  Where was she anyway?  There were no leaves on the palace lawn last she remembered.  The trees were too far away for there to be this many.

In any direction she looked, she could only see trees and underbrush.  Lots of underbrush.  No doubt that any animal wandering too close would rustle a thorn bush or fallen tree limb, so she didn’t have to worry about being snuck up on.  Looking more closely, it actually resembled a thicket.  Her father took her hunting many times and she remembered his lessons on habitation.  Whatever animal made this was long gone though, because someone had turned it into a campsite.  The heavier vegetation had been cleared away from the middle, a pile of dead brambles off to the side where someone had cut it down to make room.  There was a shelter pitched with some branches, twine, and a black canvas.  Underneath it, she spotted two satchels, a knapsack, and a belt with several pouches.  Something was familiar about the belt, but she couldn’t quite place it.  Other than that, there was nothing of note except for the fire pit filled with ash, though still warm from recent use.  She looked around the camp once more, searching for any signs of life.  No one.  She listened, trying to find some clue, but the only sound was the water from a nearby creek. It-

What was that?  Velry ran to the edge of the campsite, careful not to step on the brambles, and hid behind the trunk of tree.  Someone was coming.  Over the sound of the water, she heard leaves crunching, birds flying, and she could see saplings shaking as someone disturbed them in passing.  The girl tensed up, tossing her filthy blond hair out of her face. She needed to be ready to run. Whoever was out there, she needed to be ready to duck out of the thicket as quickly as she could.  In her broken and pained condition, she was in no shape to fight.  Running was the only option she had.  Holding the tree brought back a flash of memory of the previous night, holding to the statue for protection.  Her jaw clenched, determination washing over her.  She was not going to be taken again.  She couldn’t fight, but she could run until her legs bled.  Taking a hand, she placed it on her stomach, still watching for signs of approach, but trying to feel if the gash that she’d accidentally reopened had closed itself.  She couldn’t afford to leave a blood trail, and…

Where was it?  Both hands roved over her belly, searching desperately for the wound she knew should be there. She felt no scabs, no blood. Nothing.  She looked down, moving the ripped fabric around  that she wore to be sure.  The wound was gone.  A tiny white scar was the only trace.  Make no mistake, the pain was still there, though certainly to a lesser degree than it had been.  It was as if someone had mended the surface, but the internal damage was still present.  Her legs were the same way.  The skin had miraculously grown back, and as the wound went no deeper than that, the stabbing pain was completely gone from the injury. 

She fell hard upon her knees and gazed upon the heavens, tears dancing on the edge of her lashes.  “Goddess Selassa, I send my prayers to you in highest reverence and thank you for the healing you have blessed upon this body.  You have given this unworthy soul a great gift which I could never repay and I ask that you accept these humble prayers as thanks and evidence of my eternal gratitude.”  Her smile was unmistakable as she basked in the sunlight, the pain of its light already forgotten.  She sat there on her knees, hands reaching to the sky as if she were a tree and her arms were branches reaching for the Goddesses’ love.  That was a prayer her mother would be proud of.

A chuckle broke the reverence as someone said, “Why does no one ever do that for me?  I put in all the work.”

Velry gasped and scrambled back up to her feet.  She hadn’t seen the woman enter the clearing and cursed at herself for having lost track of the approaching stranger.  Face to face with perpetrator, Velry recognized her as the woman from before.  This was Niek Morenta, the Keeper.  All the hesitations and the uncertainties in regards to the woman flooded back as she beheld the figure before her.  According to the Council of Disciples, she was a heretic.  Velry remembered many stories that her mother shared growing up, talking of the darkness and evil that sat in the souls of those who worshiped the goddess of death, Saryle, and practiced her dark magic.  Being a strongly devout woman, Velry’s mother held to the teachings of the council and venerated the ordained disciples.  A Keeper was not ordained the same way a Guardian or a Mender was, or any of the others for that matter.  Keepers were forbidden, outlawed, and put to death.  Her mother always told her that it was a mercy to all the followers of the Council if a Keeper was executed for their heresy.  Of course, Velry had never actually met a disciple to know if that was true or not.  There was supposed to be one disciple in every temple in Norisys, but Deems was such a small village that one had never come. Now, face to face with a disciple, heretic or not, she was scared.

The girl slowly backed away, hands reaching behind to search for the tree.  She locked eyes with the woman standing at the opposite side of the thicket.  Like last night, Velry couldn’t see a weapon.  She only held a small rabbit by the leg, letting it lifelessly dangle at her side.  At last, she found the trunk and quickly moved to hide behind it once more.  She didn’t know how a Keeper’s magic worked, but she felt safer having something between her and the woman. 

“You don’t have to hide from me,” the newcomer said, moving to the pitched shelter very cautiously.  She slowly bent down and laid the rabbit underneath the canvas, never looking away from the girl.  As Velry beheld the woman, she could see a lot more about her than she did last night.  She was six, maybe seven years older as best she could tell.  Her clothes were worn and rugged, and judging by the campsite, it appeared that she had been camped here for several days.  Her boots were caked with mud, nearly to the downturned cuff, and hairs were wildly escaping the long braid she tried to keep it in.  The silver threads at the hem of her long shirt were starting to unravel and her breeches were roughly patched in several places.  The only thing crisp about her were the two pale blue eyes, alert and watchful.

“Stay away!  I know what you are,” Velry said from her vantage point, nails digging roughly into the bark of the tree.  Her heart was pounding and she feared for another altercation.  This was a heretic, a Keeper.  What if I’ve escaped my tormentors only to find a new one?  What if she saved me only to make me her undead servant?  Thoughts raced so quickly she had to shake her head to quiet them down. 

Niek backed away, returning to the very edge of the clearing.  The way she kept her hands raised in front, Velry could see the woman wasn’t holding anything.  A definite relief, but then again, she had summoned to undead warriors with nothing more than two pinchfulls of powder.  Who knows what she could do with less? 

The Keeper raised one eyebrow, almost a look of confusion passing over her long face.  “You know what I am, do you?  What exactly am I?”

“A heretic Keeper,” Velry replied quickly, her mother’s borrowed venom seeping through in her tone.

The woman slowly nodded, as if it was just now donning on her.  She began to smile sadly, something that made Velry incredibly nervous.  “Ah,” Niek said with a sigh, disappointment and a hint of exhaustion blending together.  “Well, when I dispatched your tormentors last night, I did not have the foresight to hide it.  I should have considered how saving you with my heretic magic would upset your devout soul.  I will not stop you if you wish to leave.”  Niek spread her arms out to showcase forest beyond.  “Go if you so choose.  After all, I do have three dead men to fornicate with before nightfall and two infants to eat before morning.  I would hate for my evil ways to make you uncomfortable.”  She waved her hand in the air, as if trying to shoo the girl away.  “Go on, I have a schedule to keep.”

She was all too familiar with sarcasm as it had been Sarry’s only form of communication.  Velry frowned, disliking the flippancy the Keeper used.  “I don’t appreciate your humor,” she replied darkly. 

“And I don’t appreciate your bigotry, so we’ll call it even.”  Velry’s mouth dropped open a touch, shocked and startled by the woman’s bluntness.  The Keeper didn’t even blink, her face hard and eyes unmoving.  It was as if wit had turned to quiet rage suddenly, and it was sweeping across the clearing with an icy speed.  Velry suddenly felt like a small, frightened animal.  She felt the need to shrink away from the cold look that came with those harsh words.  She did as much, retreating a few steps back from the tree. 

Wanting to respond, Velry began to open her mouth, but the words would not come.  She did not know what to say.  She had no rebuttal, being struck so harshly by Niek’s accusation. 

“I will hold true to my word,” the woman said much more calmly this time, a subtle fatigue suddenly coming over her.  She relaxed her body, and shrugged one shoulder as she spoke, anger melting away with each word.  It was almost like she had decided it wasn’t worth it or was too tired to maintain it.  “I will not stop you if you try to leave.  But I need you to know that I will follow close behind.  Not out of malice or ill-intention, but because the Blood Queen is still here somewhere and you have no way to protect yourself.”

Velry paled. The color drained from her face as if the creatures fed from her once more, and at the mention of the Blood Queen, her bravado nearly melted into tears.  She turned around, suddenly realizing that the Keeper was right.  She vaguely remembered watching the female run into the woods.  She’d been under the creature’s powers, but she could remember calling out to Fai.  Her eyes looked wildy through the forest, watching each and every shadow as if that were the being responsible for the year of torture. 

“You won’t see her,” Niek said and Velry could hear her now moving about in the camp, her boots rustling and crunching the fallen leaves.  “At least not during the daylight.  She’s wearing the body of a soulbound feeder.  As a price for their immortality, they subsist on blood and their skin burns in contact with any sort of light.  Even the moon hurts them.  So I assure you, that bitch isn’t lurking out there in broad daylight.”  She paused, as if considering something.  Despite her words, Velry continued to watch the never ending woods.  “Of course, if she ditches the feeder’s body, she could still feasibly come back to kill you during the daylight.”

“What?” the girl said spinning around, her blond hair flying like a cyclone around her form.  “What do you mean, ditches the body?”  She was nearly crying again, muscles tense and lungs rebelling once more.  She gasped for breath, struggling to breathe.  She collapsed to the earthen floor, using the tree trunk to prop herself up.

Niek rushed over, but stopped when Velry held a hand up to keep her at bay.  “No,” the girl said.  “Leave me be.”

Nodding, the woman instead chose to sit down directly across from her, watching quietly with some unknown face of worry.  “Listen to me,” she said very slowly.  “I know you don’t trust me.  But I saved you from that palace three nights ago.”

“Three nights?”

“Yes.”  Niek nodded, then turned to look down at her boots, a memory flickering across her consciousness.  Velry beheld the woman and saw a pained expression briefly bubble to the surface, but the Keeper turned her head and chose to passively examine the pile of brambles off to the side until the emotion passed.  When her feelings where in check, she continued, saying, “You nearly died from your wounds and I did what I could to heal your injuries.  I’m no Mender, but I know a little about herbal healing.  I can appreciate your devotion to Selassa, but she doesn’t deserve the credit you give her.”  The Keeper turned back, now only a small smile on her lips, the sort one would show to an infant or favored pet.  “So, you need not fear me, girl.  I would not go through the trouble of healing you if I intended to do you harm.  I could have just let you die at the palace and done nothing about it, but you remind me too much of someone I lost lifetimes ago.”

“Who,” Velry asked, finally back to breathing normally, though her heart was still pounding on her ear drums, violently loud and distracting. 

Niek tilted her head and considered the question for a moment, leaning back on her arms as she did so.  “Let’s just say that it was a person close to me, someone I cared for.” 

Velry wanted to inquire further, but she jumped as the woman stood up suddenly, knocking away the dirt and the leaves from her black clothing with firm and quick swipes.  “No need for dwelling on the past, though.  That’s long gone and the present’s all we have to live for.  Now, I’m sure that you’re hungry.  If you want, you can go wash up in the stream that’s not far off over in that direction and I’ll work on cooking that rabbit for tonight’s dinner.  Sound good?”

The young blond sat there, approaching the situation from as many angles as she could possibly consider.  What was this strange woman’s game?  She was so emotional, yet so closed off that Velry found it difficult to get a true read on the Keeper.  Did she really save Velry because of distant memory, a reminder of the past?  Velry found that hard to believe.  There had to be some motive, some reason.  Velry didn’t trust the woman; that much was certain.  However, in light of the extraordinary circumstances, she had to believe that Niek was the safer of the two evils.  It was either feign trust or fall victim to Fai once more.  Given the last year of imprisonment, Velry came to the conclusion that if nothing else, she may be able to outrun the Keeper if things got out of hand. 

“Sounds good,” the girl said, making up her mind and nodding.  She would stay with Niek for now, but the moment they found civilization, Velry was going to go far away from the heretic she found herself stuck with. 

Niek, knowing nothing of the girl’s internal debate, smiled warmly.  “Good.  Before you go wash up, I do have something for you.”  Velry watched curiously when the woman went over to the tent and picked up a satchel.  She rifled through it, digging through what appeared to be clothing, until she made a sound of triumph and pulled out a dingy white nightgown and a dark green tunic with yellow embroidery.  Niek threw the clothes at the girl with a proud nod.  “I won those in a high-stakes game of Knuckles when I passed through a nearby hamlet.  They’re not my style and they’re better than those rags you’ve got on.  Take them before that man’s beloved finds out her bet her best dress and comes hunting for them.”  She grinned mischievously, a fiery glint in her eye. 

“Oh, um, alright then.  I’ll- I’ll uh, wash up quickly in that case,” the girl replied, not really knowing what else to say. 

Niek burst with laughter, her surprisingly boisterous laugh rousing the birds from the branches at the sound.  “I swear, I’ll give you a sense of humor yet.”  Velry turned to go, awkwardly holding the tunic and gown, feeling the same way she did when her mother had to explain the mechanics of sex before the night of Starfall.  Before she could go too far, the Keeper stopped her once more, asking, “By the way, what’s your name?  I can’t keep calling you Girl.”

“Velry.”

“Hmm… Velry.  It’s too quaint.  I’ll call you Vallistra.”

“No, I’d-“

Niek motioned at the girl, shooing her towards the direction of the stream.  “Be on your way.  It’ll be dark soon and you should wash quickly.”  She grinned, the waning light casting shadows on her prominent cheek bones. 

The girl shook her head.  I pray to the Goddesses we find another town soon, she thought to herself as she turned to leave the clearing.  This was going to be a hard arrangement.  She glanced behind to see Niek grabbing the rabbit from the tent, a knife suddenly in her hand, though Velry had no idea where it came from.  That’s just one more thing she’ll have to wary of. 

Velry carefully navigated her way to the stream, taking certain steps to avoid pitfalls or sinkholes in the soft ground.  It wasn’t far to the water, and it seemed to be a decent size, stretching the length of two people.  The water was a bit shallow though, but it ran clean and swift down the creek bed.  She carefully placed the fresh clothing down on a knot of tree roots by the water’s edge.  Looking around to be sure no one was watching, she pulled off the shift she’d been wearing for at least the last three months, maybe longer.  She held the rags in her hand, solemnity overtaking her suddenly as she ran a hand along a tear through the side.  Time had a way of blending into one long nightmare in that place.  She only knew that a year had passed because of Vittorio, a miner for Agostan. He’d been there the longest of any of them, but only by a few weeks.  Vittorio was the one to figure out the monsters only came for them at night, so when the creatures locked them in the cell after hours of torture and blood lettings, he would take a rock from the floor of the cavern turned prison and scratch a mark into the wall.  She used to pace the wall, trailing her finger across the marks because it was really too dark to properly see them.  The eightieth notch.  That’ll be the day we escape.  It came and went, so she kept walking the wall.  Mark one twenty, it has to be.  It wasn’t, but Vittorio died on the one hundred and thirty sixth notch.  He was an old man compared to the rest of the stock and he couldn’t take it.  She picked up the duty of carving then.  She lost hope of escape after the two hundredth mark.  As Velry held the rags in her hands, she wondered if there was the same number of threads as there were days that she was held there.  The night she escaped, there were three hundred and seventy two marks.  The cloth was ripped and degraded enough that Velry thought it was entirely possible. 

She stepped into the water, delighted with the way it ran between her toes and the way the flow had to adjust as it went around her ankles, creating outward lines and waves.  Velry watched as the current erased the ripples until it ran unabated and free.  Taking a firm grip on a strip of the cloth, she pulled until it tore away.  She held the piece up to the light, examining the blood spatter she saw.  Each drop told a story but Velry had no interest in hearing the story ever again.  She released the cloth into the light breeze and watched as the memory fell into the creek.  There were hardly any ripples when it landed.  She tore another piece, and another, and another, until her hands were full of shredded recollections of the past year.   She turned to look down the length of the creek, watching its path until it veered to the right several paces ahead.  Her hands opened wide, letting the strips of cloth twist and shiver in the breeze around her until they gently dropped upon the water.  The girl watched passively as they floated away and around the bend.

Sighing, she turned around and started walking upstream.  The water wasn’t deep enough here to do any sort of washing and it would be a while before the rabbit was anywhere near done.  It was straighter going this way and Velry could see a long way ahead, so she felt comfortable wandering off for a little piece.  She couldn’t imagine there being anyone else in these woods, so she left the clean gown on the tree root and walked bare in the sunlight that was woven through the autumn branches.

The water splashed around her as she fought the weak current, and she remembered how her and her mother used to go to the stream at the bottom of the hill where their house was.  They lived on the side of a hill, in the spot where it flattens out before becoming very steep at the top.  A stream lulled through the valley at the bottom and that’s where they would fetch water and do the washing.  Before Velry’s two older brothers both died, they had helped her father make steps down to the stream.  She frowned, remembering the day it happened.  She was told they were snake bit.  She wasn’t allowed to see their bodies under her mother’s orders because she thought it would be too traumatic.  At age six, she didn't even know what traumatic meant, so she had to sleep outside for two nights until men from the village came to help move them.  Her parents cried and fought a lot during those few days, so she would go down to the creek and sit quietly. Sometimes she would take Sarry, just a baby then, and just let the water roll over her feet.  Sarry seemed to like being there as well because she would always fall asleep in the grass, one of the rare moments she wasn’t crying.  As she walked up the stream now, she was reminded how the water used to wash away all the fears.  Her fears had gotten too big for a creek now, though.  She had to worry about monsters coming and taking her away, about creatures cutting her open and licking the blood from the wound, and now she had to worry about this Keeper and her hidden agenda. 

She shook her head and stopped, deciding it was as good a place as any to wash up.  She doubted it was going to get much higher, and if she sat down, it would at least come up just above the waist.  Lowering herself down, she winced as the pain in her stomach flared up again.  No matter how well the surface of her skin was healed, it would be a long time before she was in truly good shape.  While she was held captive, she received many broken bones and fractures.  She worked to repair them herself, sometimes having to reset the bone.  She wondered if she’d ever be without pain because they never seemed to stop throbbing and she felt that the pain in her stomach would be the same way. 

As the mud, filth, and blood washed away, she looked at all the old injuries and particularly the new ones.  Running a hand over her calves, she examined the skin closely.  She couldn’t even see the familar scars from childhood, like when she tripped over a tree branch and cut her leg.  She pushed and poked and prodded, but all the pain associated with the skinning was gone.  She shuddered, remembering the night they did it.  There were two of the beasts for that adventure and they did a strip of her skin every night for four nights.  She looked next to the gash on her stomach and she could definitely feel the discomfort as she applied pressure around the area.  The skin was smooth and white except for the thin scar where the flesh had grown back together.  Other areas, small nicks, cuts, and even the bruises, were similarly healed. 

“What kind of herb can do all of this,” Velry muttered, staring once more at her stomach.  Something didn’t jive with Niek’s story, but for the time being, she was entirely appreciative of the miraculous healing.  Mender or no Mender, Keeper or not, Niek knew a thing or two about… something.  Velry just didn’t know what, exactly. 

For a while, she sat there in the water and watched as fallen leaves floated past.  It was the only moment of solitude she’d had in such a long time that she became lulled by watching the stream roll past.  Taking a deep breath, she took advantage of the calm by laying down flat in the water, completely submerging herself so that her wavy hair flowed down stream with the leaves.  She pinched her nose tightly and closed her eyes, letting everything wash over her.  Her lungs started to ache after she remained under for a while, but she made no move to rise.  She opened her eyes and saw a single green leaf pass by.  Her lungs started to burn.  She let go of her nose, letting the water run into her nostrils, but careful not to breathe in.  Her lungs were on fire.  She closed her eyes tightly shut again.  Her body was fighting her will, begging for the chance to breathe. 

Velry heard a noise reverberate through the water, and she shot up gasping for air.  She placed a hand on her bare chest to make sure it was moving properly and listened for whatever made the sound.  Was someone speaking?  She quickly looked around, scanning for any signs of Fai.   

“Hello?  I don’t sense any new corpses, so I know you didn’t wander off and die.  Where are you?”  Velry heard the Keeper shout from far downstream and when she looked in that direction, it occurred to her she must have gone farther than initially intended. 

“I went to find deeper water,” she replied standing up once more and looking up at the sky.  The clouds had become pink and orange and she couldn’t directly see the sun from where she was.  Not only had she wandered away, but she’d also stayed gone longer than she realized as well.  The sun was nearly set. 

“Well you better hurry back.  The food is almost done and my wards don’t extend that far.”

Velry splashed her way back to the gown and tunic.  With the sun setting, the air was taking on a harsh bite, so she dressed quickly, thankful that the green tunic was made from a heavy material.  Looking at it, she imagined that whoever had it last would certainly miss it.  She chuckled quietly and shook her head.  What sort of mess had she gotten herself into?  She started to walk back to the campsite where Niek waited with cooked rabbit, and Velry couldn’t help but think, Erelel protect me from this decision I’ve made.

 

4: Chapter Three

Velry easily made it back to camp. A fire danced and shimmered amongst the forest shadows, and when she entered the thicket, it crackled softly in rhythm with the crickets.  She sat down beside the campfire, opposite of Niek who held out a hunk of charred rabbit meat.  The woman may have been many things, but a good cook was not one of them.  Velry took the food and attempted an appreciative smile, but it merely came out as a small twitch of the mouth.  She touched it tentatively, worried that it was overly hot from the flame bath it had apparently received.

“I promise, I didn’t poison it,” Niek said as she watched the girl, eyes carefully gauging any possible reaction. 

She shook her head quickly. “Oh, no. Sorry.  I was just seeing if it was cool enough to eat.”  She nodded her head and held out the meat as if she were toasting with her father’s ale.  “It’s fine.”  She took a bite, and while it felt like she was grinding leather to get past the burnt exterior, the inside was certainly done.  It may not have had much in the way of taste, but Velry was glad to have food in her belly.  When was the last time she had eaten?  Obviously not in the last three days, but she’d gotten used to long periods without food.  Her stick thin frame spoke volumes about that. 

Niek watched silently, nibbling at the rabbit leg she held.  Velry felt the woman looking at her.  She could sense the watchful gaze from across the flames, but said nothing.  For a long while, the only sounds were that of the shared meal and the harmonies of fire and nature. 

It was the Keeper who finally broke the silence.  “How do you feel?”

Velry shrugged, watching a red hot log sizzle and break in the flames.  “Aches and pains still.  My stomach still hurts if I try to move too quickly, but, you know, better than it was.”

“Any new pains?  Anything out of the ordinary?”

Velry raised an eyebrow, curious about the question. “Should there be?”

The woman should her head and sighed heavily, laying down on the ground and looking up to the dark sky overhead.  The sun had fully set and the stars were blinking their sleepy eyes above them.  “No,” she said.  “There shouldn’t be, but I only wanted to check.  I had trouble getting you here after everything happened at the palace.  Ended up using that canvas and some branches to make a stretcher and dragged you here.  You may have fallen out of it once or twice…” 

Velry grinned slightly to match the Keeper’s own smirk. “Thanks so much for your careful transportation.”

Niek leaned up on her elbow, a genuine laugh bubbling up as she did so.  “Is that… Oh my, I think it is.  Someone can have a little bit of humor after all.”

Smiling, Velry tossed to clean bones of the small game into the fire, done with the small meal she’d been given. “I have been known to use wit every now and then.”

“Well then this little adventure will go by a lot more smoothly than I thought,” Niek quipped as she dropped down onto her back once more.  She was quiet for a tick, and Velry had to look to make sure she hadn’t fallen asleep.  She seemed incredibly tired anyway, dark circles forming under her eyes.  However, she was perfectly awake, eyes roving from one star to the next.  She stopped on one in particular and then turned her head to look at the girl.  “Where are you from, Velry?”

“A little village called Deems.  Do you know where it is?”  Niek shook her head.  “I think it has to be somewhere near here.  When I was taken, we were all in the village proper celebrating Starfall.  I was supposed to marry; find a good husband so I could take my family out of that one room house…  Anyway, when the creatures came, I heard people saying things about the Blood Court.  Even my father knew about them.  I had a lot of time to think about it all and the best I can figure is that the village is near this place.  How else could they know about the Blood Court?”

Niek sighed heavily, closing her eyes.  She did not open them when she began to speak. “Velry, I’m sorry about what happened to you.  When I came to the palace, I didn’t know if I would find anything or not.  I’d just heard whisperings that the Court was back.  The truth is… they’ve been around for over six hundred years in one form or another.  The villagers may have only been familiar with the stories.”

“Six hundred years?  Can they not die?  You said earlier than Fai was wearing the body of a soul… soul…”

“Soulbound feeder?”

“Yes, that.  You said they paid a price for their immortality.  So are you saying that they’ve lived in that palace for all that time?”

“Well, not exactly.  The feeders are only vessels for the true evil you encountered.  The Blood Court you met actually died when that palace was stormed six centuries ago.”  Velry gasped, the chill from the air seeping into her already shivering bones.  “Back then, this empire didn’t exist.  This whole continent was separated into smaller, warring kingdoms.  Fai was the ruling queen of this particular area, then called Bludryn.  It was one of the most prosperous and the strongest of the kingdoms.  The small coastal kingdom of Norisys started its conquest with the financial backing of foreign allies; it began to build up the empire you know today.  Bludryn was the last to fall.  They held out for a long time against the invasion, but it didn’t last.  You see, Fai believed that in order to make her subjects thrive, she needed to give sacrifices to the goddesses and their lords.  She would torture and kill prisoners, enemy soldiers, and orphans within her borders.  Her most trusted nobles joined her in the rituals at one point or another.  Thirty of them in all that she trusted to help her.  As Norisian armies came closer, the killings increased.    Perhaps she was getting scared or maybe she was desperate, but Fai took to killing her own people in the open streets, all in the name of the Erelel, damned goddess of protection.”

“Erelel would never condone such a thing,” Velry spat, eyes aflame.  “She is one of the most revered and respected of the pantheon.  She protects all life!  She would never see a kingdom like that prosper!”

“Well, Velry, not everyone believes the same way you do.  The Council of Disciples was much weaker then, only travelling missionaries going kingdom to kingdom teaching the ways of the goddesses.  They weren’t inches away from ruling the entire land like they are now.  In any case, empire soldiers stormed that very same palace, ransacking and looting it as they went on a mad search for the Blood Queen.  She was found in the catacombs and quickly dispatched.  She didn’t stay dead long, though. Some errant Keeper was outraged by the empire and brought her spirit back into this realm.”

“You mean he brought her back to life?”

Niek shifted uncomfortably and then rolled onto her side to look carefully at the girl.  “There is no documented proof that a person has ever been resurrected.  No, what the man did was bring her soul out of Death, yanking her through all seven layers of Saryle’s plane.  The Blood Queen was stronger than the weak Keeper and she possessed him completely.  Fai slaughtered over thirty people after that, leaving a wake of bodies wherever she went.  According to the Keeper’s Journal, it took two weeks before she was exorcised.”

Velry leaned forward, her knees now pulled up to her chest as she listened to Niek’s tale. “What does exorcised mean?  Does it mean she was sent back into… into Death?”  Niek nodded.  “Well, then how did we face her just now, after all this time?”

“When a Keeper pulls a soul from Death, the soul traverses all the levels and they go through all the doors.  It is such a massive place that a soul could never achieve finding an escape alone.  But after that, Fai knew the way back to the Mirror, or the first level of Saryle’s realm that’s adjacent to this world.  You hear about hauntings and apparitions all the time?  It’s a soul doing something in the Mirror that reverberates on this side. It took her two hundred years to do it, but she made it back and crossed over to the other side.  She possessed a keeper and used his power to bring a handful of her court over as well.  Even though her kingdom no longer existed, she was bent on a killing spree, desperate to see Bludryn rise back to power.  But, once again, she was cast out.  Ever since, she always manages to break through and kill her way back to the palace, a horrific cycle, with each trip taking less time than the last.  She was only here fifty years ago, so some of the older people in your village may have heard firsthand accounts.”

“And what of the soulbound feeders?” Velry asked, curious about the creatures she’d come to know so well. 

“Ah,” the woman replied slowly.  “I imagine that was a decision the Court made because feeders are excellent killing tools.  They were once humans who made a deal with a Keeper to gain immortality.  If the ritual goes perfectly, which it rarely does, the person will never die and will never age.  There is always a catch, even for the successful rituals, and this catch meant that a perfect soulbound does not heal.” 

Niek turned back to the stars, her eyes beginning to droop and her words coming slower than before as if she fought sleep.  “So if they’re injured, they have to go to a Keeper in order to regenerate the dead flesh.  It’s a ritual used on gruesome corpses that are badly decomposed, or just maimed.  Makes it easier for the loved ones to look at them while they mourn, but a soulbound repurposes it to keep themselves looking pretty.  Now, that’s when the soulbinding goes perfectly.  When it goes wrong, the body starts to function differently.  They start needing energy from elsewhere in order to keep their immortality going because they technically become an undead and can actually die, while the other cannot.  I mean, a perfect soulbound is a type of undead too, but when it goes wrong, it’s more evident in these cases.  So for a soulbound feeder, they need to subsist on the blood of other humans to live.  Because the binding went wrong, they also can never enter the light without burning the flesh away.  See, fire is a soul’s biggest weaknesses, so fire and bright light do a good job of containing them or keeping them away. The binding ritual itself uses a tight ring of lit candles so it cannot flee the body during the ordeal.  But for feeders, their bodies begin to change in order to make the bloodletting easier, gaining sharp talons, pointed teeth, and keener senses.  Over the years, they act more like animals than as a rational being, living alone in the wilderness for years at a time.  Anyway, you also have things like soulbound dreamers, lusters, and a whole slew of others that feed on different types of energies and sources.  And then…”  She was rambling now.   Her eyes were closed, but her words fell out as jagged mumbles.  Velry looked away from the Keeper, content to let the woman sleep for now.  She got most of the answers she wanted and with the heretic out of the way, Velry could do a little investigating of her own.

She waited for the incoherent words to cease, and when slow and steady breathing drifted into hearing, Velry stood up and walked over to the shelter.  With Niek asleep, it was a perfect opportunity to look for ulterior motives tucked away in satchels and pouches.  Her mother had always said that a disciple needs statues in the image of Gavriel and their goddess to use the divine magic, but Niek had not used any last night. Did she hide them in the satchel?  Casting a furtive glance at the woman stretched out on the leaf strewn ground, Velry decided she wouldn’t be waking up any time soon.

She sat down under the canvas and tried not to let the cold chatter her teeth too loudly.  She picked up the smaller of the two satchels, the one that didn’t have the wad of clothes in it.  She undid both buckles and lifted the flap to see what exactly a Keeper carried.  She roughly dumped the contents on the ground, wincing as she heard metal tinkling and books thudding onto the hard-packed soil.  She shook the bag to make sure she got it all and tossed it to the side when she was satisfied.  There were two books, one small and new, the other larger and incredibly old.  Picking up the larger text, she noticed that the spine was worn and cracked from overuse, barely hanging by a few threads.  She opened it and furrowed her brow as she looked over it.  All gibberish.  She’d never learned to read, having no use for it in her little farmhouse, but she was at least hoping for pictures.  She flipped through a couple more pages and stopped when she spotted a carefully drawn illustration of a body hanging upside-down within a circle of candles.  Or perhaps a body laying down on the ground with candles around it.  She flipped, turned, and rotated the book, but she couldn’t come to any sort of conclusion on which it was. 

Continuing on, she saw several other drawings depicting different things, some appearing to be quite gruesome.  She paused when she came across one page that was different than all the others.  She may not have been able to read, but she could recognize a map when she saw one.  It didn’t take her long to figure out what it was a map of.  There was a building drawn with more details than the others, wide and with large stairs.  That had to be the palace.  There was a path that led from the palace down to a nearby village.  Velry didn’t remember seeing any road  during the escape, so it must have been grown over with time.  Other villages and towns scattered the map, but none of them had any sort of label.  She looked at the geography around the palace and saw the forest then quickly spotted where the stream ran through it.  They had to be somewhere in that area unless Niek dragged her to a completely different region of the empire.  Though, as she looked at the distance, she couldn’t believe how far away it really was.  Velry tried to imagine the woman carrying a stretcher across that large space and through such a large chunk of the forest. It was hard to believe, but Niek had somehow managed.

Looking more closely, she saw that the path to the village actually crossed the stream.  Velry’s eyes lit up as she realized that if she just followed the water upstream, she would probably run across remnants of the old road.  Maybe, farther away from the palace, it was still in use.  Maybe she could find other travelers there to take her to Deems.  Velry had to retain her wild giggling.  She was so giddy that she found it hard to be silent.  If I can make it to the village, I can get away and find my home.  I can go see my mother and father!  She flipped through other pages of the book, but found nothing as useful as that map.  She set it to the side and looked through the other belongings, trying to see if there was anything useful to her.  The other book appeared to be a journal of sorts.  It all looked handwritten and hastily scrawled compared to the careful letters of the other book. Perhaps it belonged to the Keeper?  She set it with the other volume and picked through the rest. 

She saw ten long stem candles halfway melted from use and a necklace with a maroon and gold pendant carved and painted from a smooth stone.  It looked like a set of double doors. There was also a small hunting knife, probably the one she used for the rabbit, and a dagger with decorative etching on the blade and a bronze pommel.  So the Keeper wasn’t traveling completely defenseless after all…

The other satchel was filled mostly with clothes.  Niek carried another outfit to change into, this one much cleaner and not completely ragged.  It was a dark blue tunic in a man’s style with a silver rope belt and another pair of black pants.  As she rummaged, she heard a familiar chime and easily discovered a money bag buried in the very bottom.  She pulled it out quietly and opened the soft hide purse to see how much the Keeper had.  She was shocked to see three nobles in there, as well as a handful of imperials.  She had never seen this much money in her whole life!  She poured the entire contents on the ground and placed all the coins in a neat row.  She recognized the imperials because her mother had described the coin to her once.  It was bronze, edged in silver, with a square punched out of the center.  The noble, though…  She wasn’t for sure, but Velry didn’t know what else the coin could be.  She picked one up and examined the gold coin, tracing the intricate filigree that danced around the symbol of the Norisian empire.  When she bit it, it did not bend or give way.  It had to be real. 

The girl looked first at the money then at the woman sound asleep near her.  What was a heretic doing with so much coin?  She didn’t really want to know.  She swiped the money up and quietly put the purse into her tunic.  If she managed to get to the village without Niek noticing, she could take that money and build a mansion!  She could buy the entire village with coinage like that.  She touched the purse through her shirt and glanced over at the belt still lying there undisturbed.  Knowing that the orange powder was in there, Velry decided it was best not to go through that one.  She was afraid of what she might find.

The girl turned her attention back to the book with the map to freedom.  She picked it up once more and ran a pale hand over the rough red leather of the cover.  What was she going to do?  Leave now?  She wasn’t tired so it was feasible for her to make it to the crossing in good time before the sun even come up, but if she left now with the night so young, then she might have to deal with Fai.  If she stayed, though, she didn’t know what would happen.  The Keeper hadn’t revealed any sort of plan of action for the following day, so Velry saw the woman as a wild card.  There were too many unknowns, too many risks. 

She paused her machinations, listening to the sound of the woods.  Had she just heard something?  Gently she placed the journal back into the satchel, eyes never leaving the forest.  She craned her neck around to check the forest behind her, but no signs of movement and the sound, or whatever she thought she heard, was gone.  Nonetheless, Velry placed everything carefully back into the satchel except for the dagger, and put all the bags into a pile in case they needed to be grabbed in a hurry.  She eyed the knapsack she’d yet to go through, but decided with the amount of money and the book she’d found, there couldn’t have been anything as valuable in there.  

Darkness flickered amongst the trees and Velry grabbed the dagger and held it in her lap as if it were a baby, holding the blade carefully in one hand and the hilt in the other.  Weapons weren’t something she’d had much use for in the past.  Seeing Mathias wield a broken frame all those lifetimes ago was the only time she’d ever seen someone need one. 

As she traced the decorative lines etched in silver, she heard it again.  Something was splashing in the creek.  That had to have been what she heard the first time.  She listened and the noise continued, getting closer and louder as if it were walking against the small current.

“Lord Jopha, hear me now.  Send this beast of yours away for I have not the strength to fight it,” she whispered to herself, looking in the direction of the stream.  She was glad she’d moved to the shelter because now, the fire was between her and that side of that camp.  If it wasn’t some animal walking through the water, though, Velry doubted that even Jopha could help her.

The squawk of a startled bird echoed through the woods and the splashing stopped.  Straining, she tried to pick up any clue as to what it was.  Her heart was racing now.  The possibility that it was Fai caused Velry to grab the handle with both hands, frightful of seeing the spirit again.  The girl backed up all the way under the shelter, scooting as quietly as she could but the leaves and twigs crunched and snapped under her weight. 

She cursed at herself because the splashes picked up again, followed by the soft crunch of the autumn foliage.  It knew where she was.  When she came back to the camp after washing up, she remembered how easy it was to find the thicket because the fire was nothing short of a beacon.  It was probably even a beacon for anyone searching the skyline because smoke curled lazily into the area like a signal. 

“Niek,” Velry whispered, trying not to draw too much attention.  She didn’t want it to be any easier for the creature, so she hissed and hushed at the woman, but she did not stir.  “Niek!”  The Keeper’s chest continued to slowly rise and fall, breath quietly undisturbed.  She picked up a stick from the ground and threw it.  It fell squarely onto her chest and rolled down onto her neck before falling back on the ground.  Despite all that, she still did not wake. 

When Velry looked back up the forest, she let the dagger fall as she grabbed her mouth to trap the frightened scream.  Just at the edge of the thicket, she saw a figure she recognized all too well.  Dingy white shirt, blood matted hair, and red eyes twinkling in the firelight.  It was Fai.  

5: Chapter Four

he creature stood slightly hunched over with her head cocked to the side like a predatory bird watching a field mouse.  Velry trembled underneath the canvased shelter every time it swayed from side to side, talons twitching slightly with each swing.  She watched it warily, afraid to make any sort of move, but also knowing that staying under the shelter was not an option.  Neither advanced and neither fled, enough time passing to mark five eternities come and gone.  The only clock was the Keeper’s steady breathing counting the tense moments and Velry suddenly remembered this soulbound feeder had infinite moments to waste in silent battle. 

Still holding her lips shut to snare the scream, she decided it would be wiser to hold the dagger she’d dropped in her lap.  She couldn’t afford to wait, not with Fai so close and her escape so fresh.  She pushed her fingers away with an exhale and began to lower her hands.  The creature saw and snarled angrily, air escaping as a violent hiss, clicks and squawks following close behind.  Velry took the opportunity to quickly grab the hilt and pointed the blade outward, holding the bronze pommel close to her chest.  She had no idea how to properly hold the thing and she felt like she was holding a warm mug of mead instead of a deadly weapon.  The Blood Queen leaned forward and pulled its sharp claws up to its chest, both mimicking the other in an odd way.  The feeder still rocked from side to side and Velry sensed that it was slightly uncertain of the situation. 

Suddenly, it occurred to her that something was off about the creature.  Niek mentioned that Fai could ditch the body, and looking at the animalistic female in front of her, she sincerely felt that the Blood Queen would never stoop to such primal behavior.  She was now even more certain that the spirit wouldn’t have hesitated to storm the thicket at the first sight.  Of course, this opened another set of questions.  What was holding the creature back if it wasn’t Fai controlling it and did she have any chance of scaring the thing off?  If this feeder had lost all rational thought, maybe there was some hope of scaring it off like she used to scare the coyotes that encroached on the farm.   

The woman on the ground suddenly stirred, breathing become quick and erratic as she tried to lift her arm.  “Wards,” Niek mumbled, rolling onto her side with great effort when she could move her limbs.  It came out as a jumbled sound more than an actual word, but the girl was able to piece together what she meant.  Velry remembered her saying that the wards didn’t extend as far as where she had been washing earlier and imagined the Keeper meant that something had broken through.  Clearly something had. Velry looked down and saw the woman open her eyes slightly, her jaw hanging slack as she lay there in what appeared to be a borderline vegetative state. 

The movement was enough to spur the creature to action.  The blood-stained beast took a step, then two, and then a few more until it fully entered the clearing, ragged hair hanging matted over its face, but not enough to conceal the snarl and jagged teeth it bore with malice.  As it stood fully exposed in the light, the feeder suddenly held up an arm to shield its eyes from the light of the campfire and hissed and howled as the exposed skin began to bubble and blister.  Velry stood up then, realizing that it was the flames that had been holding it back.  In the time it had taken to get to her feet, the soulbound feeder had retreated back into the woods to hide behind one of the tree, but the girl could see the red eyes peeking furtively around the wooden giant.  If she ran now, she might be able to put enough distance between her and the thing before it figured out how to go around the camp.  But Velry glanced down at the woman on the ground whose eyes fluttered as if she were fighting to stay conscious.  Was that some part of being a Keeper or had something gone wrong?  She didn’t have the expertise to guess.  While she had considered leaving the Keeper only moments before the creature arrived, Velry now felt a small amount of guilt pull her down into indecision.  The creature won’t come back into the light, not after receiving the burns, right?  If I run, it will follow me and Niek should be fine. 

Niek closed her eyes, body going slack once more, and the girl suddenly realized that she could not leave the woman behind.  Whatever game Niek was playing at, whatever motives she had for dragging the girl to safety, Velry was alive because of the Keeper’s actions.  She clenched her teeth, both angry with herself and with the heretic because she couldn’t abandon the woman no matter how much she wanted to.  She would save the woman’s life and then the debt would be paid.

She quickly went over to Niek and bent down, shaking her as hard as she could but still keeping a watchful eye on the beast.  “Wake up!  The feeder’s here,” she screamed, frantic that it would charge at her while the two women were prone.  The beast shrieked at the night sky, rage fueling the scream for longer than any human should be able to yell.  Then again, it wasn’t human. Not anymore. 

The Keeper opened her eyes once more and mumbled something, but Velry didn’t catch and didn’t have time to ask her to repeat it.  With all the strength her frail body could muster, the girl grabbed one of her arms and hefted the woman to her feet with great effort.  The woman was able to support some of her own weight, but Velry found that she was the one bearing most of it.  It was a struggle to keep Niek from falling forward into the fire, but they managed to stagger backwards a bit.  She maneuvered the Keeper so that one arm was draped around her shoulder and Velry placed a hand around her back, firmly grabbing the woman’s waist for stability.

Even through the woman’s clothes, Velry could feel that she was cold.  Sleeping so close to the fire had apparently done nothing and the girl was worried that whatever was happening to Niek was not a good thing.  The two stumbled back to the shelter and Velry propped the woman up against the tree and bent down to pick up all the bags.  This thing was an undead and Niek was the only one capable of fighting it.  Velry wasn’t about to leave behind her powders and pouches.  She hastily threw the dagger in the pouch, not wanting to run with a sharp object in a dark forest.  The creature howled and took a tentative step forward and Velry hurriedly slung everything over her shoulder. 

Going over to the fire, she grabbed one of the branches that was sticking out and held it out as a torch, knowing that it may be the only thing to save them.  Going back to the tree, she held onto Niek and Velry led them stumbling out of the thicket.  Niek’s head drooped down and her feet seemed be to weighed down as she dragged them numbly.  Velry glanced behind as they left the camp and she saw the creature step into the light once more so it could see them flee.  The shriek brought back memories of her year of torture, but she just shut her mind to it and let her happiest thing she could think of take over her mind.  She thought of Mathias and the way they’d danced at Starfall, the way he kissed her and led them away to a private spot and how he’d asked her to be his bridge.  The shrieking stopped, and she could hear the thing shuffling around the camp.  It was going around the thicket now, determined to catch them.  Velry spurred the two on, but she feared they would not make it because Niek was suddenly growing colder.  In the light of the burning branch, the girl swore she could see some sort of icy steam rising from the woman like snow being thrown into a burning pot.  At least the Keeper was starting to hold her own weight a little better, and as they ran stumbled into the blind darkness, Velry decided that now was the best time to head for that path. 

“Come on, we’re getting out of these woods,” she said as she glanced behind to see if the creature was in sight.  She couldn’t hear it over their own progress and there was no sight of it in the camp. 

“Can’t outrun it,” Niek whispered as she whipped her head around with a heavy jerk to search for the feeder as well.  Velry nearly pushed the woman away when she saw the faint, unnatural glow coming from her pale blue eyes, the light mingling with the cold mist that seemed to be rising from her at an increasing degree.  The girl slowed her pace and turned to face the forest in front of her, not entirely wanting to look at the new phenomenon.  It was certainly some kind of power, but Velry had no idea what.  The woman wasn’t using statues to channel the Divine power like her mother had said magic users needed to.  Disciples, ordained or not, need images or statues of the Goddesses to connect to the heavenly realm.  But Niek certainly wasn’t using one now and Velry wasn’t sure if this was even Keeper magic or not. 

Without warning, Niek pushed herself away from the girl, turning to stand on her own to face the dancing light of the campfire still burning.  Velry almost grabbed the Keeper to steady her, but something told her to leave the woman be.  Niek stood there, arms hanging heavily at her side and head slumped over onto her chest.  Her breathing was labored from the exertion of running, though the girl realized they hadn’t actually made it that far.  

Both women stood still and listened to the darkness around them.  Off to the right, leaves crunched with the weight of the creature still approaching.  Velry turned and saw it approaching through the dancing shadows, loping like a grotesque performer in a death march.  It chirped and snapped as it walked towards them.  The feeder stopped a short distance from Niek and tilted her head, nostrils moving quickly as it sniffed the air.

“Throw me the dagger,” Niek said, her voice stronger now, though still hoarse.  Velry did not hesitate as she slung the pack onto the ground and pulled the blade out with haste.  She passed the weapon off and took several steps back, fearful for the showdown that was about to take place.  If the Keeper didn’t think they could outrun it, then Velry say that a fight was the only option.  It wasn’t an option she favored, not with her companion so badly affected by the mysterious ailment. 

The creature watched curiously, occasionally flicking an eye over to the makeshift torch Velry still held to light the way.  “I know you can understand me, bitch,” Niek said slowly and deliberately, raising her head up to look directly at the beast.  The female snarled in return. 

“Niek, don’t make it angry!”  Velry wobbled back a few paces, torch erratically casting light across the heavily forested battlefield. 

Niek chuckled, though it turned into a cough at the end. “That’s- That’s the point.”

“Angry,” the beast said in a scratchy voice, the first time it had spoken on its own since Fai had left the body.  Velry had no idea it could even speak after all the grunting and chirping. 

“That’s right, you cow.  Angry.  I want to make you angry.”

The feeder began shifting its weight from foot to foot again, as if weighing options with each slow movement.  Velry saw it as the primal desire to fight or flee. 

“Angry,” it repeated again, more slowly this time as if trying to think about what it meant. 

Niek laughed at it, wielding the dagger in front of her as she staggered backwards a bit, but righting herself quickly.  “You know what I am, don’t you?  I’m a Keeper and I’m going to put you down just like I put down the three others in that palace.  I’m going to put an end to you.  You want that?”

The soulbound feeder hissed and raked her talon through the air.  If she were a wild dog, Velry could just imagine hair bristling down the spine.  Niek began to walk forward, playing with the dagger as if were a toy.  The cold vapor was quite visible now and Velry started to back away, some instinct deep down telling her not to get too close to the haze.  As she watched, Velry had to wonder why Niek wasn’t shouted and striking like she did with the Blood Court at the palace.  Was it because of the souls possessing the bodies?  Could she not do that here?  If she could, Niek showed no sign of going that route.  Whatever the ploy, it was working because the feeder was becoming enraged. 

It shrieked and screamed, “Kill you!”  The beast lunged forward with a startling swiftness that Velry hadn’t seen before.  Had it only been playing with its slow gait before?  It charged at Niek and was upon the woman instantly, tackling her to the ground.  The feeder roared and pulled an arm back, ready to shred the Keeper open.  Niek used her free hand to grab the creature’s arm with a sudden strength and managed to roll it over and put her full weight on top of the creature.

Her eyes fully bright now, Niek plunged the dagger into the creature’s chin, blade going full up into the skull.  It gurgled and writhed, unable to scream.  Niek let go of the hilt and placed both of her hands on the beast’s face, both thumbs fully covering the eyelids.  Where her skin met the creature, the same blue light began shine and it howled in agony.  A spark of light began to appear overhead, the same light that Velry saw flashing at the palace during the battle.  The feeder kicked and squealed, but Niek did not let go.  The Keeper just stared down harshly, her upper lip curled back in disdain and an anger that frightened Velry. 

The girl could feel the air becoming highly volatile and charged. She grabbed her chest abruptly, feeling a tightness there as the unknown power grew in strength.  The creature howled as the crackling in the air increased, wind rustling through the trees with increasing velocity.  The female struck out and managed to tear through the Keepers shirt, blood dripping from the talon.  Velry yelped, but Niek didn’t even seem to notice as she gritted her teeth and pushed her thumbs down even harder.

“Yakuhmuh valei no tuul,” she growled with a dark venom, and Velry fell to her knees as a pain shot through her chest suddenly, dropping the burning wood to the ground.  The vapor was everywhere now and she could hardly breathe as it enveloped the woods in all directions.  The flashes of light came more quickly now, the forest falling in and out of blazes of blue daylight.  She was doubled over, but she scrabbled to pick the torch up and patted out the burgeoning flames with her hand. 

The creature made an intense and garbled sound of pain, and as if the Divine Realm had opened up, a clap of thunder resounded with a bright flash and suddenly, all was still and the pain was gone.  Velry opened her eyes, which she didn’t remember clenching shut, to see Niek lying face down and the creature completely vanished, along with the haze.

With the power seemingly gone, Velry sprang to her feet and rushed over to the woman. “Niek!  Are you okay?”

“Mmph,” the Keeper responded, lifting herself off the ground.  Velry didn’t see any of the blue glow in her eyes, but she did see them started to droop closed again as she started into the stupor once more.

“Oh no you don’t,” Velry said quickly as she helped the woman to her feet.  “We are getting out of here before you fall asleep again.  Come on, there’s a road upstream.”  Niek didn’t question it as the two of them stumbled and fell through the woods, Velry praying that they found no more trouble.

6: Chapter Five

The ambient glow of the full moon dripped from the branches, lighting the densely overgrown forest below.  As the two women rested against the trunk of a tall hemlock, it was obvious that there was not enough light to drive back another feeder attack if Fai decided to possess another cursed immortal.  Velry had disposed of the burning branch earlier in the night as it had nearly burnt to the end.  Without the cotton and tar of a proper torch, it was nothing more than a matchstick slowly dwindling away. 

“How are you holding up?” 

Niek slowly turned her head at Velry’s question.  Through the moonlit darkness, Velry was just able to make out the striking line of a raised eyebrow.  “I’m doing swell, Velry.  Just swell.”

“Someone’s cheerful,” Velry responded as she folded her arms against her chest, fighting the cold shiver that had been seeping into her bones for some time.  They’d been making slow progress for the better part of the night, each moment growing more and more chilled, both in the air and between them.  Several times Velry had tried to pry, desperate to find out what was wrong, but Niek continued to say nothing on the subject.  When they did exchange words, the conversations quickly became terse and cold. 

Looking up at the sky, she could see the beginnings of pink beyond the silver moonlight.  Naiona was painting the morning sun beyond the horizon and Velry’s lip twitched in a restrained smile.  The first sunset in over a year and she was stuck in the middle of the woods unable to really see it.  “Come on,” Velry said as she rose to her feet and knocked away the leaves on the tunic.  “We need to get to the path.  If we make it in time, we should be able to see the sunrise once we break away from the forest.”

Groaning, Niek used the tree as a brace to push herself up.  The last two stops, she’d insisted on walking without help, but it was becoming increasingly difficult.  She was fatigued and despite the boisterously cold air, sweat continued to drip from her forehead.  Every five or so steps, Velry had to stop and watch the Keeper to make sure she did not collapse from the weight of her own body.  As Niek righted herself, she kept a hand on the tree to steady herself as the world swayed.  Velry handed over the walking stick they’d found, which was really a gnarled branch with a twig still attached.  Niek took it and began walking alongside the stream once more. 

Velry watched, biting her lip as she considered her options.  The map in the book hadn’t labeled any of the towns, so Velry had no idea what they would be walking into if they reached the village on the path.  When the Blood Court had taken her, they used a mix of pain and lull to keep her unconscious for the journey.  They could have traveled for weeks or months.  What if Deems was too far away?  What if no one knew where it was?  She started walking closely behind the disciple and stared at the gently flowing water to her left.  Was this the same stream of her valley or a creek that carried away someone else’s fears?

“What do you know of this area,” Velry said as they walked, mulling over the possibility that she was lifetimes away from her home.

“It’s- It’s forests, mostly,” the Keeper replied between heavy breaths.  “It op- opens up into hills after the- the trees clear.”

“Are you from around here?”

Niek scoffed.  “I’d like t-to say no, b-but I was born in the v-village I th-think you’re taking us to.  Didn’t stay there t-too long though.”

Velry stopped and let her eyes widen at the woman dragging her feet through the foliage in front of her.  Niek paused and turned to look back.  “Why didn’t you say anything earlier?  Well how much farther is it from the stream?”

The woman leaned heavily on the branch, her face resting on the hand that held the wood.  She glistened in the changing light, sweat dripping like the white of the moon above.  “I didn’t say anything because you’ve clearly looked th- through the book.  You saw the map.  You should know h- how much farther it is.”

Cheeks red with embarrassment, Velry turned away quickly.  “I don’t know what you mean,” she said sheepishly.

The Keeper sighed and began walking again.  “I can hear my money jingling in y-your shirt, Velry.  Don’t act like I’m stupid.”  She paused and turned around again, chest heaving from the exertion of talking.  “And another thing- you w-went through my stuff a-and you saw the book and journal.  So st-stop asking questions about what’s wrong with m-me and if I’m o-okay.  You obviously know if you r-read that.  I’m surprised you haven’t brought it up yet.” 

“Is that why you’ve been so upset?”  Velry threw her hands up in the air, grunting her frustration at whatever Goddess or Lord would listen.  “You’re upset at me for going through your stuff?”  Niek said nothing.  “Well let me tell you what, Keeper.  I saw the map, yes.  But I did not read anything in it.”

“You expect me to believe that?  Really?”  She was several steps ahead now and Velry had to quicken her pace to catch up after having stopped to look at the woman. 

“Yes,” Velry said, almost shouting.  “I expect you to believe me because I never learned how to read!”

She expected a sharp tongued remark, or at the very least a biting insult.  Niek did neither.  “Come on,” she said quietly, tone unreadable and dulled.  “It shouldn’t be much farther.”

The two of them continued on in silence, ambling towards the blossoming fuchsia light.  Velry had to catch the woman more than once as they trekked over fallen longs and through dense briar patches, but the air remained quiet except for the early morning birdsong twittering above their heads.  As they struggled slowly, Velry found herself quietly wondering what Niek had meant.  The answer was obviously in that book, which did her no good then or now. Growing up, her father had always said that if they ever needed to read the written word, the goddesses would provide someone to read it for them.  Looking back now, much older and much wiser, she knew that it would be better to read the words for oneself rather than believing the faith of others. 

“Stop!”

Velry looked up, jerked from her reverie to see Niek standing still with her hand held in the air to halt their movements.  She hadn’t realized, but the trees were starting to thin out and the morning glow revealed a small dirt path ahead. 

“We’ve made it Niek!”  Velry said, smiling with mirth and grateful relief. 

The Keeper shook her head and motioned for the girl to be quiet.  “There’s someone on the road,” she whispered and leaned from behind a tree to examine the area ahead.  Velry followed suit, though she could see nothing. 

Several long moments passed.  A breeze stirred up the leaves in a merry dance, but she could hear nothing else.  She looked over at the woman, who still scanned the road.  Niek had a hand placed on her chest, breaths coming as forced heaves and wheezes.  “Come on,” Velry said going to the woman.  “There’s no one there, but if there is by chance, they might be able to help you.”

Niek tried to smack the girl away, but removing her hand from the tree caused her to topple onto the forest floor.  “N-no,” she hissed, struggling to lift herself into a sitting position.

“You saved me.  Now let me return the favor.”  Velry grabbed the woman’s shoulder and acted as a brace so the other could rise.  She was weak, barely able to stand like when she first came out of the stupor at the camp.  Velry cursed herself for falling so deep into reverie and not noticing her deteriorating health.  She was getting worse.  Niek tried to fight and shrug the girl off, but Velry held fast and started guiding them to the path. 

As they neared the road, she heard the definite sound of travelers.  She could pick out the sound of a cart, several horses trotting and neighing, and the laughter of conversation. Perhaps in any other situation, Velry would have erred on the side of caution, but she could not afford such a luxury when Niek was degrading so quickly and so suddenly. 

“Help us!” she screamed as she struggled to get over a rotten log.  “Please, please help us!”  Niek muttered something in argument, but her head drooped down upon her chest, words nearly unintelligible.

A few more steps brought them out of the tree line and into full view of the road.  Velry lay the Keeper down on the ground, Niek’s chest heaving and eyes fluttering with the effort of staying awake.  The girl turned around and saw a wagon coming down the road, four riders following on the sides.  She waved her hands frantically, motioning them to hurry.  Friendly or miscreant, it didn’t matter now because the small caravan stopped and a single rider hurried to meet them while the rest stayed beyond the stream.  There was no turning back now. 

Water splashed high in the air, glistening in the sun, as the horse crossed the stream to where the two of them waited.  Velry could see the long, black haired man wore padded armor, some sort of crest emblazoned on his chest.  He had to be part of the army as best she could tell.  The rider came several paced from them, his hand firmly gripping the sword at his side as he looked them up and down.

“In the name of the Council, I order you to state your business here,” he said, voice deep and baritone, though laced with a heavy accent Velry did not recognize.

Velry staggered towards him, but he drew his sword and pointed it at the girl.  She stopped, frozen as her eyes widened at the man. 

“I said, state your business.”

“P-please, this woman is ill.  We’ve been through quite an ordeal and she needs help!”

The man looked over at Niek, who did not stir.  After a moment’s pause, he dismounted, but kept his sword drawn at the ready. “What’s wrong with her?” 

“I don’t- I don’t know.  It started last night and she’s been getting worse.  Please, we mean you no harm.”

The girl stared beseechingly into his gray eyes, searching for any sign of progress.  He stood tense, eyes flicking back and forth between the women.  He sheathed his sword slowly and looked at Velry, distrust and wariness etched onto his lightly wrinkled face.  It seemed years of living in this world had hardened him, making him look much older and more haggard than what he actually was.  “What are you two doing out here?  The village is back that way.”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you,” Velry replied, taking a few tentative steps forward.  He made no move to stop her. 

“I tend to believe a lot of things.  Give it a go,” he said and made his way to the Keeper.  He bent down and began examining her thoroughly, calloused hands forgoing any attempts of being gentle.  She’d apparently passed out like before, and as he lifted her eyelids and listened for breath, Velry was worried they might not be able to rouse her again.

As worried as she was, Velry found that another problem presented itself.  The man said they were with the Council, not soldiers at all.  Of all the possible people to be on the road, it just had to be Council members.  The very people who would see Niek executed for being a Keeper.  Thinking quickly, Velry responded.   “We’ve been kept prisoner for the last year.  Last night the two of us managed to escape, but she’s badly hurt.”

“Prisoner?”  He quickly jerked around, eyes squinted as if he searched the girl for deceit.  “Speak quickly and carefully, girl.”  He flicked the sword up at her, the blade pointed squarely between her eyes. 

She nearly gasped, but continued, speaking and fabricating the story as quickly as she could.  “I was taken from my village by these terrible, horrible creatures.  They took me to some abandoned palace out that way and I found there were other captives there.” She pointed at Niek frantically, her eyes bulging like a horse frightened by a viper on the ground.  “She was prisoner too!  The others, they-they were killed!  Oh, the beasts!  The monsters!  We were the only two left alive and last night, they left the cell door unlocked and we m-managed to get away!  But I think they did something to her.  I think she’s dying!”  It was enough of the truth to bring Velry into a fit of tears.  She choked back the sobs and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of the borrowed tunic, no longer playing pretend with the situation. With everything that had happened, she found that this man was the first outside she’d spoken to about the ordeal. 

He looked carefully at her and pursed his lips. “Alright, lass.  Calm down, calm down.”  He sheathed his sword and scooped the woman off the ground, her long braid dangling as lifeless as her arm.  “We’re going to put her in the wagon.  Come on.”

“Oh, thank you sir!  Thank you!  Can you help her?”

The man shook his head as the two of them walked, the horse trotting dutifully behind.  “I’m sorry, lass.  There’s not a thing I can do, nor any of us here.  There is a Mender back in that village.  I believe he can do more good than any of this lot can.” 

Approaching the wagon, Velry got a good look at the other riders.  They wore a similar padded armor, some of them appearing more clean than others.  The cart driver…  The cart driver stood up from his post and stared at the girl in awe.

“Velry?  Is that you?”

She had only known the boy one day, but there was no mistaking him.  It was Mathias. 

7: Chapter Six

She ran towards the young boy she’d met so long ago, who now seemed to be a man in the way he’d aged and took on a gruff look.  Mathias jumped down from the cart to meet her embrace and Velry sobbed with relief, arms locked and tangled around him like desperate ivy.  It was like divine providence, seeing him now on this abandoned road.  She gripped him frantically, fearful that such a gift was only an illusion. 

“It’s alright, Velry.  You’re safe now,” he murmured, rubbing her back with a shaking hand, though Velry sensed an air of awkwardness about it.  He was tense and rigid.  She looked up at him.  Her tear soaked vision revealed a pained look about his face.  His brows were furrowed and lips slightly downturned. 

She took a step back, confused and worried.  “What is it?  What’s wrong?”

The boy- no, the man pushed his hair out of the way and turned to watch the other man place Niek in the back of the cart.  He seemed intent on what they were doing.  Velry reached out and touched his rough hand.  He jerked, turning back to her.  He replied quickly and stutteringly, saying, “I- I really don’t know what to say.  After everything that happened, I thought you were gone forever.  I just never…  I never expected to see you again.”

She smiled and placed her fingertips gently on his cheek, staring into his eyes. “Mathias, I never expected to see you either.”  His lip twitched into a small smile, the rigidity fading away as she watched him, though a distance still growing in their gaze.  “I am just so happy to see you right now.” 

He lifted his arm and removed her hand from his face, holding it instead in his calloused grasp.  “How did you get here?  I mean, how are you here?  Alive?”

“The Goddesses and their Lords have favored me this night.  I was able to escape the creatures and through their holy guidance, I found my way to you.”

Mathias looked down and gripped her hand in his.  “That was quite a miracle indeed. “

“Mathias,” the older man barked from behind the wagon.  “Your orders have changed.”

He released the girl quickly, leaving her to look surprised and offended by the quick dismissal her touch.  He turned to stand stiff in front of the older disciple, bowed and said, “By Erelel’s order, what would you have me do?”

“This woman is ill and needs to be taken back to the village.  We’re close enough now that we don’t need the supply cart.  We will take our statues and you will take these two that way while we go on ahead.”

“But Sir, I would rather accompany you and complete the assignment.  I can be useful!”

The middle aged man shook his head sternly and pointed to the wagon seat.  “You can be useful by making sure this woman doesn’t die.  You swore your life to guard and protect.  Right now, you can fulfill that duty by protecting these two.”

Velry could tell Mathias wanted to say something back, but the way another one of the riders pointedly coughed, he chose instead to hold his tongue.  “Yes Sir.  What would you have me do after I take them away?”

The man began walking, leaving both Mathias and Velry to turn in order to hear him.  “Stay there until we come back.”  He mounted his horse and whistled shrilly into the blossoming morning.  “Let’s ride.”

Velry stood there, slightly dumbfounded, as she watched the four horses gallop off, each of the riders now holding two large statues in their saddle bags.  Mathias watched them go across the stream and when they rounded a bend in the road, he turned and silently climbed up into the driver’s seat of the cart. 

“And you’re not even going to say anything after that?”  He did not respond to her question.  Mathias looked at the horses waiting patiently in front of him.  Clicking his tongue, he gave the reigns a quick shake.  The horses were staring to turn the wagon around.  Velry had to jump out of the way as he maneuvered contraption in the small road.  .

When it was fully turned, Mathias looked down at the girl who stared incredulously at him.  “Come on, Velry.  We need to get going if we’re going to save the woman in the back.  Climb up here so we can get going.”

She gave him an icy glare and walked to the back of the cart.  “I’ll ride back here with her, if you don’t mind.  I can be useful by making sure this woman doesn’t die,” she said, sharply repeating his superior’s words. 

The cart had been covered with a thick tarp, but it had been rolled back when they placed Niek down.  It was filled with various sized boxes and lots of hay.  She could see the impressions where the statues, nearly the size of her arm, had lay.  Now, Niek’s still body lay there, her chest barely rising up and down. 

She sat on one of the boxes and held onto the edge of the cart as Mathias spurred it into motion.  “Fine.  If you want to sit back there, that’s your choice.  Not too comfortable though.”

Folding her arms, Velry stared at the back of the head as the trees ambled by.  “You’re not how I remember you,” she said after a pause.  She’d debated whether or not to confront him, but the heat of anger spurred her onward.  He had acted so cold earlier.  He was rigid, stony, and more concerned with these Disciples than the welfare of his once betrothed. 

“I’m sorry, Velry.  But a lot’s changed in a year, and you only knew me for a day.”

“A lot may have changed for you in a year, but everything changed for me in that one night.  I lost my sister, my home, and my freedom.”  She wanted to yell at him, but the pain was too raw that she could barely croak the words.  “I’d love to hear what you’ve been up to while I was being tortured.”

He sighed and let his head droop.  “I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean-“

“You didn’t mean anything.  Back at Starfall, all those honeyed words you said, they didn’t mean anything, did they?”

He turned in the seat to finally look at her, gripping the reigns tightly as the cart rolled forward.  “Of course it meant something.  I meant every word.  I was prepared to marry you, Velry.  I wanted to the Goddesses to envy the life we were going to have.”

A single tear slid aimlessly down her cheek and she looked away, staring at Niek’s muddy shoes instead.  “Then why don’t you feel that way now?”

“I never said that I didn’t,” Mathias said quietly, turning back to face the dirt path. 

“Then why were you so cold earlier?  Why did you want to go with them so badly?”

Mathias shook the reigns again, the horses taking the sign to go more quickly.  After great consideration, he haltingly replied, “Because I met Janna.”

Velry froze, unsure of what she just heard.  Had he really moved on so quickly?  Had the trauma of that night gone unremembered?  “You love someone else,” she said as she repeated the name in her head as if she were tasting an unfamiliar fruit.  She didn’t like the taste.

“It’s not that.  Of course it’s not that.  No, after everything happened, I left Deems.  A lot of the villagers did because the fire had spread to other buildings and homes.  Janna was a Guardian that I met in Grimcross.  She’d been sent there from Arcinthium on an assignment and I happened to fall in the crossfire when she was fighting a heretic’s undead abomination.  Janna introduced me to the ways of Erelel after that and she gave me purpose. I couldn’t protect you when the Blood Court came that night, but she told me that if I became a Disciple, that it would never happen again.   I’ve been in Arcinthium since, studying and learning the teachings of the Goddess so that I could one day learn to channel her gifts through Gavriel.”

“So you’re a Guardian now?  All the Disciples from just now are as well?  All of you are Guardians?”

Mathias nodded.  “When I learned everything I could, knew all the rituals and all the lessons, I took the final test before the Council.  I was able to channel without the raw influx of power killing me.  They said I was ready for my first assignment.  I had told them about everything that had happened, told them about you and the attack, so they put me in this detail.  We were tasked with finding and putting down the beasts that did this.  We’ve been on the trail for months, but Lord Gahdur came to Mar Gor in a dream just last night, telling us the way to their lair.  It was wonderful luck that we find you right after.”

“I wouldn’t call it luck,” a weak voice rasped.  Velry nearly jumped, suddenly looking down to see Niek’s eyes flutter open.  “Please tell me this sob story is almost over.”

“Oh my goodness, are you alright?  Hold on a little while longer.  We’re taking you to a Mender in the next village!”

“What?  No!”  Niek tried to rise but Velry quickly pushed her back down onto the hay, a worried look overcoming her face.

“Shh. Just calm down.  We’ll get you better.  Everything will be fine.”

“Saryle be damned it will,” she hissed as she swatted the girl’s hand away.

Mathias was turned around now, watching the two bicker.  “I’d appreciate some respect for the Goddesses,” he said sternly as he watched his charge closely.

The woman lay still, breathing jagged and strained.  “I th- thought Saryle was the heretic Goddess.  Goddess of Death and, and of Keepers.”

Before it could escalate any further, Velry chimed in quickly, saying, “Let’s not get into this right now. Niek, you’ve been through a lot.  You need to rest.  The Mender will make everything better.”

The woman turned her icy blue eyes on the girl and gave her a cold, yet burning look.  “Do you know how a Mender works Velry?  No?  You there, Boy, why don’t you explain it.”

Mathias turned back to the road and gave the reigns a quick snap.  “The Mender touches you and then you’re healed.  Simple as that.”

“Oh no, not simple.”  She coughed suddenly, hand flying groggily to her chest as a pain seemingly shot through her body.  After a moment’s pause, she relaxed her body and continued.  “If you have a gash, sure.  He touches it and all is healed.  But if you have a broken bone, he has to cut through your flesh to touch the bone, which hurts just as much, if not more, than the original injury.  But what about me, Velry?  What’s my injury?  He’s going to have to cut me open and start poking at every organ I have until he finds something that’s not right.  And you and me both know, after everything that’s happened, he won’t find anything.”

“What do you mean,” Mathias inquired.

“She means that those creatures did something.  They must…”  She had to pause.  Velry got the sense that Niek’s ailments stemmed from the use of Keeper magic.   She couldn’t very well say so.  But what could she say?  Thinking quickly, she said, “They must have used Keeper magic on her!  There was a man there, a man not like the monsters.  It must have been him!”

“Keeper magic?  Are you sure that’s what it was?”

Velry nodded emphatically, eyes wide and slightly panicked.  “It had to have been him.”

Mathias looked sadly at both of them, but chose to face the road when he quietly said, “Then I’m afraid your friend is going to die.”

8: Chapter Seven

Chapter Six

"Die? No, there has to be a way!"

Niek closed her eyes and let out a long sigh, though it came out as a rough hiss more than anything else. Now that the sun was starting to rise, Velry could see a waxen pallor on the woman's face. She looked much worse in the daylight than she did in the fire light. The dark circles under her eyes seemed to be the only real color on her face, almost as if something had drained it all away. As Velry looked at the sickly woman, she realized how genuinely worried she was for this stranger. She knew nothing of the woman, and yet she had ferried the two of them through dark woods after Niek had expunged all the energy she had fighting the feeder. Stranger or not, Niek had saved Velry from Fai and from the feeder, as well as somehow healing all of her injuries. Velry refused to believe that the Goddesses would repay such deeds with a painfully slow death.

"Isn't there something you can do, Niek? Something along the lines of, well, you know?"

"There's only one way that I know of for sure, and I'd much rather save that as a last resort."

Velry leaned forward, a spark of interest and hope mingling together as she quickly said, "If ever there was a time for last resorts, now would be that time!"

"Well, as a Guardian, I might be able to help," Mathias said, craning his neck around to look at his charges. "I don't know what magic is at work within her, exactly, but if it is Keeper magic, then I can maybe fight it off."

The girl looked at the man, speechless. Eyes flicked from Keeper to Guardian, but Niek lay quiet in the hay. Even with her eyes closed, she had a single brow raised, so Velry was sure the woman was at least listening. When Velry looked at Mathias, he had that same fervor in his eyes from a year ago. The same look when he brandished a wooden shard in the heat of a lost battle. It was a mix of determination, excitement, and something else she couldn't quite place.

Curious, Velry asked, "Fight it off? How?"

"Well, Guardians and Menders are both able to fight off the undead. A Mender's touch burns undead skin and a Guardian acts as a holy weapon, stronger and more resilient against the creatures."

"What are you going to do," Niek scoffed. "Are you going to fight me then? Sit me down on the ground and use your Goddess given power to beat me to death?"

Mathias frowned and Velry instinctively nudged the woman with her foot. Niek groaned and Velry jerked back, already guilty. "No," the Guardian replied indignantly. "If I channel, maybe I can direct some of the Erelel's power into you. She might be able to cleanse you…"

"If the white hot flames of a foreign divine power coursing through my veins doesn't kill me first, you mean."

"Well, I said I could maybe fight it off. I didn't say I could do it for sure," he said with a frown, facing the road once more. They were going at a brisk pace, and when Velry looked ahead, she saw the road disappear down a hill. The trees were thinning out, just like Niek had said they would, and she saw small mountains and hills covering everything until the horizon.

"Maybe our best bet is the Mender," she said after consideration. "Is the village just over this hill?"

Mathias nodded, long brown hair blowing back in the sudden breeze that brought autumn trees to life. "It's at the bottom of this hill. But I said it before, I don't think the Mender can help."

"Niek, what do you think?"

The woman opened her eyes and thought for a moment, squinting into the dawn. After consideration, her face fell fall into a resigned dread and she rolled her head to look directly at the girl. "Pray to Gahdur," she said flatly.

"The Lord of the Lost," Velry said, slightly surprised. "Why?"

"I think you should listen. Gahdur is Saryle's consort. He's the one who gave Mar Gor the location of the lair. If he hadn't have given us that vision, then we never would have found you. I'm sure Saryle gave him the whereabouts of the beasts, and I'm confident both of them would want to help!"

"You know, Niek," Velry said, "I never considered you to be the religious type."

The Keeper scoffed and rolled her eyes, making Velry smirk and chuckle. "Didn't you know? I'm the paragon of a true believer. When the Lords visit the ethereal realm to commune with the Goddesses, I'm always on my knees, hoping and praying that they come and bestow that wisdom onto me."

"You're really a smartass, aren't you?"

Niek flicked her eyes up to the man driving the cart and with utter seriousness, replied, "Unlike any you've ever seen."

Mathias opened his mouth to respond, but Velry stopped both of them when she pointed out the settlement nestled at the bottom of the gently sloping hill. However, it looked more like ruins than anything else. Crumbling stone walls lined the outer ring with dilapidated guard towers spaced evenly around the perimeter. Thatch roofs crumbled into the structure itself, though a few of them seemed to be undergoing repairs. For such a remote village, it seemed to be well fortified from intruders. The path they were on ran right past it, and was much more worn in the other direction than this abandoned road. Velry suspected the villagers were highly aware of the dangers at the palace, or why else would they never travel that way? As she continued to examine the area, her attention was drawn to the large iron and wooden gates opening. A group of ragtag men came out, all holding makeshift weapons of some sort- clubs, pitchforks, and even a few daggers. Velry's heart stopped as she beheld the daggers, red with some sort of residue. As they grew closer, she saw that it was actually rust. These villagers haven't had a need to use such violence in a while, that much was obvious.

The group of ten burly men stood still and watched the cart come down the path and halt. Most of them were rough looking, uncombed hair and dirt smeared faces. A few clean shaven fellows stood out as being the only two aware of their appearance. However, every one of them sported rips in holes in their tattered garments. Mathias gave the crew a nod, but they did not return the gesture. The shortest of them, a red haired man with a beard as long as his face, stepped forward and motioned at the cart. "What's this business then?"

"On Council orders, I need to speak to your Mender."

A couple of the men shifted in the background, but none of them came forward. Velry jumped down from her perch on the side of the wagon, shoes squishing loudly in the mud that had accumulated from the downslope of the hill. "Please," she said, painfully aware of all of their crude weapons now pointed towards her. That was the second time today someone had threatned her like that, the first being the man she assumed to be Mar Gor. Gulping slowly, she lifted her hands in front of her and calmly spoke. "This woman in the back is sick. This Guardian was kind enough to escort us here. Please, we have been through a lot and we only wish to speak to your Mender."

A younger man, slightly older than Mathias, lowered his axe and cocked his head at her. His brown eyes were curious and afraid. "Ain't nobody ever come down that hill before. Of course, ain't nobody ever went up that hill before that ain't been Blood Court in the last year. How we to know you isn't one of 'em?"

Clearing his throat, the man that originally spoke ran his hand down his beard thoughtfully and looked at the two he could clearly see. "What Vint means to say is that when the Blood Court starts acting up and making their way to that palace, and they always do, we never see anyone leave it. Not me, not my Da, and not even his Da." He jabbed the club into the air with each emphasis, causing Velry to back up against the wagon to avoid being smacked with it. "I know you're with the Guardians, Boy, but this woman wasn't with you when youns left. We've protected ourselves from the beasts for this long, and we ain't about to let these defenses fall to some pretty eyed demon." He looked directly at Velry and bowed his head a little bit, adding, "Though I apologize for that if you are indeed a lady."

"I can assure you I am not one of those monsters! Please, you only have to trust us. I am told that a Mender can touch the undead and hurt them. Why don't you let your Disciple come and examine us. That way, we solve two issues at once."

"No, stop," Niek said. Velry turned to see pale white hands come out of the cart and grip the side. With a cough, she pulled herself up and looked at the group before them. "There's no need for any Mender touching anybody."

"But Niek, we need-"

"I said no." The woman carefully scooted towards the end of the cart and slowly lowered herself down onto the slippery group. Her legs wobbled for a moment and Velry raced to the Keeper's side, but Niek shooed her away and stood on her own. Although, Velry noticed that the woman's hand never left the cart. Niek locked eyes with the leader of the group and in a stern voice, said, "If you lot ever had an ounce of respect for Genora Morenta, you'll give her daughter the courtesy of dying inside the walls of her old home."

The red haired man squinted carefully at Niek, looking her up and down, and after a tense moment, Velry saw a realization flash across his eyes. "By the Goddesses, it's you! You're-"

"Tired," she nearly yelled, stopping his voice in his throat. The man was cowed and his warriors swayed uncomfortably, unsure of the entire situation. A violent spasm hit Niek, however, and as all of them watched, the Keeper toppled forward into the mud with a groan. Velry did not wait for any of the villagers to make a move, because at this point, she didn't think they were going to. Mathias followed the girl's lead and came down from his perch and the two of them slung an arm over each of their shoulders and started walking towards the open gates, halfway dragging Niek between them.

"We're taking her inside. Stop us if you want," Mathias said with a very cold and disguised invitation. "If you try, the Guardians will be quite interested to hear why you let a woman die at your feet."

None of them made a move. As the trio neared the gates, ruts in the muddy road made them weave and dodge to keep from falling down. When they passed under the crumbled stone arch and through the wooden doors, Velry was startled by how poorly the village was kept up. In Deems, it never looked nearly as bad as this. Pigs and other livestock roamed through the grimy village, rooting through the piles of rotten food that were starting to accumulate. White stucco walls were now brown and the wooden beams that held all the houses together were starting to sag from the weight and the moisture from the area. There was really no rhyme or reason to the layout of the village except for the obvious temple built in the very center beside a massive willow tree.

"He'll be in there," Mathias said, pointing with his free hand. "The Mender will most likely be in there."

Niek chuckled quietly. "We're not going there, remember? The Mender can't help me."

"What would you have us do?" Velry stopped and looked down at the weak woman, her black clothes now covered in mud from her earlier fall. The villagers were starting to come out of the houses now, all looking at them curiously and with a significant amount of fear. The ten from earlier were trailing a safe distance behind, even stopping when they did.

"Velry," she said darkly, her voice taking on a suddenly serious tone. "I have an idea. But I'm going to need to rest first. Talk with one of these simpletons and find an empty bed in a secluded house."

"What are you going to do," the Guardian asked, shifting his weight so he could fully support her as Velry untangled the Keeper.

"I'm going to sleep," she replied, snark masking any inkling of her previous seriousness.

Velry left the two of them alone, completely certain that they'd duke out their differences one way or another. Niek wouldn't reveal her secret and she was fairly certain Mathias would strangle the woman, so it was relatively safe to leave the two to bicker. After everything that had happened in the last few hours, she needed a break from the drama that hovered in a cloud around them, respectively.

She trudged over to the leader from before and beheld him carefully before she spoke. "What may I call you?"

"Nort," the man said with a frown. "But don't be getting friendly. If some of these folks find out about her being Genora's daughter, you might find that her death will come more quickly than you anticipated. "

Velry raised an eyebrow, uncertain if that was a threat or a warning. "What are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that the company you travel with ain't nothing sanctified by the Goddesses. She's from this village, but her and her folks were run out for a reason."

Velry turned to look and Mathias and Niek, and watched them as she mulled over her options. Mathias could never find out what Niek was. No matter how much or how little he loved her, no amount of pleading could keep him from seeing the Keeper dead. Just from the short conversations they'd had in the cart, Velry knew that a year's worth of hate had been ingrained into him. Of course, it had been taught to her as well, but… Just last night she was ready to leave the woman to die because she was a Keeper, but now Velry felt a strange responsibility for Niek's welfare.

Going back to Nort, Velry decided how she should approach the situation. "I'm well aware of what she is, and I get the feeling you know as well. Because of that, I can tell you that it was her magic that saved me twice in one night. Once from the Blood Court and again from a hungry beast. Now, whatever misgivings you might have about her, I assure that I share them too. But I will do whatever I can to repay my debt to her."

"That's a pretty speech, Girlie," Nort replied, leaning back and giving her a mischievous eye. "But what about your Guardian friend over there? I'm willing to place a bet that he ain't got any idea about the things she conjures."

"And I'd like to keep it that way," Velry said lowly, holding his gaze with stern intensity. After a silent battle of wills, Nort cracked a grin and laughed. Hearing that, the men behind him loosened up and she heard a string of chuckles like they'd been trained to mimic everything he did.

"You've got spirit, Girlie, I'll give you that. All I can promise you is that I won't say anything and neither will my men so long as your business here is done by tomorrow. I'm only letting you stay that long cause her Ma was one of us a long time ago, though."

Velry nodded appreciatively. "Thank you. I have one last thing to ask of you, though." Nort raised an eyebrow. "She needs a bed to sleep in. Somewhere out of the way, preferably. Like you said earlier, some of the villagers won't be happy when they find out who she is and I'd like to avoid Mathias finding out as well."

"Well, you can use her old house. She hasn't set foot in there since she was barely a tot, I bet. I was a young lad then, but I remember that she used to live in the house down on the far end, right against the wall."

"Who lives there now?"

"Not a soul. We all seen what she could do. She didn't even need a statue to use any magic. For her, it just happened. Ain't never seen another like her. After she did all the things she do, my Da ran her family out, and the whole village stayed clear of the place. A couple of the young'uns go in from time to time, trying to be the big man, but they've never bothered nothing."

"Thank you," Velry said with a brief nod. "We will try to have her sorted out and fixed up by tomorrow."

The girl turned to leave, but paused when she heard Nort add one more thing, partially under his breath. "Ain't no fixing something like her." Velry let it go, however, and rejoined her companions. Judging by Mathias's stony face, the Keeper had either offended or bested him in an exchange of wit. She slung the woman's arm around her shoulder once more and took off walking.

"Are they sending me to the catacombs?" Niek lifted her head and grinned at Velry, thought the girl just sighed in response to that.

"We're taking you home, actually. Your old house is empty."

"Well shit," she breathed, head drooping once more. "I never thought I'd see this village again, but my old house? This day just keeps getting worse."

Mathias bellowed out a hearty laugh, causing one of the women looking out of her doorway to shuffle back inside. "For someone who's been held captive by monsters, you sure are reluctant to see your own house."

"I was what?"

Velry feigned tripping, jabbing Niek in the side as she righted herself. The woman winced and said, "Oh, yes. Yes, being captive. It was a horrible. But I haven't lived here since I was about four. So p-pardon me if I-I'm not too fond of it h-here."

She was starting to lose her breath again, and Velry was afraid that time was racing to an end. She had no idea what was causing Niek to fall ill. She was fine when she fought the Blood Court at the palace and after Velry woke up. But the moment she fell asleep, it was like something had drained her life away all of a sudden. They needed to lay the woman down again, because at least in the cart, Niek was able to talk with relative ease.

Mathias and Velry walked slowly and silently the rest of the way, occasionally nodding to the curious folk trying to look at the new comers. When they made it to the other side of the village, Velry was convinced they'd seen every living soul in the settlement. Clearly they didn't see new faces very often. She could only imagine their reaction when the Guardians had come that morning. Despite all the onlookers, Velry had no trouble finding the house. It was nearly rotting down. A large oak tree grew on the other side of the wall and a branch had fallen down into the roof. It was bigger than Velry's house, so she imagined there were at least a couple rooms with the roof still intact. The door hung by its bottom hinge alone and Mathias was able to kick it open easily. It hit a wall with a resounding thwack and as the girl looked inside, she felt a pit growing in her stomach.

The smell of rotten wood and mildew wafted out, as well as the smell of something actually rotting. Of course a Keeper's house would smell like that. Of course it would. She could clearly see the source, because there was a dead cat curled up under a table beside the fireplace. Even from the doorway she could tell it had been there a while. Both Mathias and Velry had to cough and gag at the smell, but it did not stop them from going in. They maneuvered the woman so that it was easy to put her onto the hard packed dirt floor, leaned against the old wall. Once her hands were free, Velry covered her nose and mouth to keep the stench away.

"Let me get rid of this," Mathias said as he daintily approached the cat with a stick he'd picked up off the floor. It was probably from the tree branch, though it hadn't broken through this part of the house. He held out the stick and tried to scoot the corpse, but the brave Guardian jumped backwards when he inadvertently revealed a host of maggots.

"I- I have something in my bags that'll take care of that smell," she said with strained amusement. "Velry, do you have my satchels?"

The girl shook her head. After getting in the wagon, she'd left them laying in the hay under the rolled back canvas. "I left them in the cart. Would you like me to go get them?"

Niek shook her head. "No, I'd much rather this big strong Disciple get it. Would you please?"

He was already walking outside when he replied, "Anything to get away from that smell."

With her mouth still covered, Velry glanced around the dim room. There was a window by the door, but other than that, there was no light coming in and if they intended to stay the night, they need some sort of lamp or torch. "I'm going to look around," she said, turning in a circle and looking at all the nooks in crannies of the room.

"Tear some wood off that tree branch in the roof. Use that to get the fireplace started," she said as she groaned and readjusted. "See if there's anything in this house not completely rotten or termite infested."

The girl nodded and made her way out of the main room and off to the left. The oak tree was quite visible in this part of the house, and Velry had to step over fallen twigs to get a good look at the room. It appeared to be a bedroom with one very large bed. She imagined it was shared between several people. A chest of drawers was wedged beside an old chair and a bedside table had a bowl full of stagnant water, probably from a recent rain. When she opened the chest, moths and mice escaped into the musty morning, leaving behind chewed clothing and empty drawers. The house may have been bigger, but it seemed that the two of them grew up with the same amount of prosperity.

"How many lived here with you?" Velry shouted into the next room, curious if the woman had any siblings. She opened a few more drawers only to find the same thing, though she paused when she heard nothing from the next room. "Niek?"

Velry turned around, suddenly worried that the woman had fallen asleep again. As she stepped through the doorway into the next room, Velry heard a quiet humming, but Niek was not slumped against the wall. She listened, suddenly very weary. It was coming from the only other room in the house. "N-Niek," she mumbled, eyes becoming heavy and tongue like lead in her mouth.

One step after the other, she shuffled into the other room, but before she could get a good look, everything went black and her world drifted away.

9: Chapter Eight

“You care too much for the girl,” the woman said, running a finger along the lip of the well she perched so precariously on.  She gazed into the swirling torrent below, watching the churning blue energies sizzle and crack.  Mist and fire danced within the well, cerulean dreams burgeoning and dying before her icy stare.  In between the sparkling crescendos, white stars would erupt and the mist would shrink away.  Though sometimes, haze flooded the flames and the explosions would cease under a calming grip.  Saryle languidly turned away from the old scene, looking instead at the man standing like a dwarf amongst the giant black granite columns.  His little balding head stood out as a sore contrast, though the remaining tufts of yellow hair matched the gold trimmings of her prison quite nicely.  Even the massive chandelier that hung in the long room accented his puny appearance. 

He bowed his head and despite his overwhelming stutter, asked, “Is it so wrong to want her to do well?”  He gripped the shining golden key in his hand, and Saryle couldn’t help but notice the way he clung to it- like a lifeline in a drowning sea. 

“No,” she said after a pause.  The Goddess stood up and stretched her arms, grinning with mischief as Gahdur looked away.  She enjoyed this scrawny man’s company because he was so meek and prudish.  She began walking towards him, the sheer white material swaying seamlessly with each step and her long brown hair floating as if in a suspended breeze.  She could tell he was uncomfortable, but that’s what she hoped for.  The metallic clinks of the chain she wore echoed across the room as the goddess approached.  When she felt the familiar tug of the chain at its end, she stopped, just out of arm’s reach of the man.  He was keenly aware of how long that tether was and always made a point to keep out of the woman’s grasp.  She was bound to the well, her right ankle heavy with the burden of imprisonment.

“It is not wrong, Gahdur.  It is natural.  But you can’t keep interfering.”  She tilted her head, lips turning upwards in a seductive smile.  She’d thought of a fun game to play with the once human man.  “Though, you know what else is natural, Gahdur?” 

He turned and started walking away, mumbling short and quick words under his breath.  Her brows furrowed, and she felt a familiar rage bubble under the surface of her skin.  He always did this.  He never played her games, never bantered back.  Her fists clenched when she watched him walk down the length of the room, towards the tall golden doors.  He still held the key.  Lord Gahdur paused after grabbing the massive handle, and then turned to look at her.  She was seething and the pity in his eyes did not help. 

“I’m sorry, Saryle.  I’m doing all this for you, I just wish you could see that.”

She launched forward, rage in her eyes because she knew what came next.  She jerked and pulled against the chain that bound her to this realm, and screamed with a howling fury.  He ignored her and pulled open the gigantic door with ease.  She could see the other realms floating as bubbles in a black void.  She could hear the rush and feel the wind as air was sucked out of the room.  Gahdur gave her an apologetic look, then turned and fell out into the darkness.  The door slammed shut behind him and the Goddess fell down onto her knees, shrieking with burning vehemence, but at the same time, crying with a primal terror.  Chestnut tresses fell down to her sides and she slowly sank to the floor, screams evolving into painful sobs. 

“Please don’t leave me here,” she choked as the chandelier’s light faded, leaving behind only the blue glow of the well.  But her pleas went unheard, as her chosen consort had already left to meddle in the lives of humans once more.  “Don’t go.”

10: Chapter Nine

Pressure.  A warmth lay down the length of her chest, pushing and rubbing at her collar bone.  The injury from her stomach screamed with the unfamiliar weight, and Velry was reminded once more that Fai had truly caused quite a bit of damage.  When she heard the purr, Velry’s eyes flicked open.  She was sprawled on the floor in the middle a doorway, with a white pawed black cat kneading her contentedly.  Its green eyes blinked ever so slowly as if it were about to fall asleep.  That was quickly remedied when the girl scrambled to her feet and the animal easily jumped away.  Turning in a mad dance of panic and confusion, Velry struggled to get her bearings.  What happened?  Where was she?  The wood rot and smell of putrification brought her senses back.  She was in the village- the old house under the oak tree.

The room she was in appeared to be an eating area, having a small iron cook pot hanging over a fire pit, as well as a roughly made wooden table.  Herbs and spices hung on the walls, though they’d been eaten and weather-beaten beyond any sort of recognition.  Back tracking into the main room, she saw Niek leaned against the wall, just like she was supposed to be.  The cat had wandered over to her lap and the Keeper gently stroked her with a smile.

“What did you do?” Velry said, bile rising in her throat when she saw the pile of maggots under the table, but no corpse. 

Niek looked up, a small grin on her face as if she knew something but wasn’t telling.  “I didn’t do anything, Dear.  You did.”

She was dumbfounded.  Anger, fear, and panic cascaded within her, waves of absolution confusion overwhelming all of her rational thoughts. “Do not even attempt to jest.  What just happened?  I went looking for you, you weren’t there, and then all of sudden I’m unconscious on the floor.  Is this your Keeper magic?”  Velry waved a hand angrily at the small creature, seemingly ignoring Velry’s rising pitch.

“If you are talking about this cat, then yes.  You can tell Mathias you got rid of the body and this little guy must have been still hanging around.  Believable enough, don’t you think?”

The girl had to look away, hand flying to her forehead as if she were about to pass out again.  There were knots in her stomach and she suddenly felt immense regret for helping the Keeper.  Velry squatted down and grabbed her head in both hands.  Back and forth, back and forth she rocked to push away the tears and panic.  Mathias was never going to believe the story.  They were both going to be killed.  The boy had made it very clear that he had a new purpose, a new destiny.  Velry was now an accessory to this Keeper, the little assistant, and the moment he pieced it together, he was going to tell Mar Gor and the rest of the Disciples.  They’d be marched to Arcinthium where the Council resided, and they’d be executed.  Her mother always talked about how beautiful Arcinthium was in the fall, but Velry had no intention on seeing the city now. 

“What is it?  Cat got your tongue?”

Velry lifted her head and gave her a disgusted look.  “I should have left you in the woods with that feeder.”

Niek only grinned wider, unphased by Velry’s biting words.  “And I could have let you bleed to death, but here you are, perfectly alive and well.  And here I am, a little worse for wear, but with a heart that’s still beating away.  No matter what you say, I think at the end of the day, we’re both just good people.”

“You think you’re a good person, Niek?  When Mathias finds out what you’ve done with that cat, he’ll have us both killed.”  Velry stood up quickly, wiping her eyes.  “I’ll look over at you when we’re both on the gallows, and I’ll ask if you’re still a good person then.”

The girl didn’t linger to see the Keeper’s reaction.  She was already outside and trudging on the mud soaked ground.  The air was chilled from the fresh morning sun, and despite the heat in her face, the girl had to hug her arms closely to keep from shivering.  The way the wind rolled downwards off the hill made it seem like winter was almost upon them.  Residual anger spurred her towards nowhere in particular, paying little attention to the squalor she passed.  

She was done with the heretic, finished with the madness of the last year.  All she wanted was to go home to Deems and settle back down; live out the rest of her days in peace.  No more Blood Court, no more feeders, and no more Keepers putting her life in danger by doing irresponsible things.  The Guardian had to know where Deems was from here.  Once she found out, she would be gone.  Niek could find her own way out of this rotten little village and take that damned cat with her.  How could the Keeper be so reckless?  Velry had no idea how long she’d been out or how Niek had done it, but the woman endangered them both.  Mathias could have come back at any moment to see her putting flesh back on a rotten cat.  Not only that, but Velry had to wonder what caused the blackout in the first place?  Had the smell gotten to her?  She remembered going to find Niek, but not much afterwards.  Had the Keeper done something to her as well?  She was honestly reluctant to know.

Velry had to pause when she realized she’d walked as far as the wooden gates.  Her legs burned from walking so quickly and her lungs ached from the cold air stagnating in the walls of the village.  She felt like screaming, frustration and anger beating against her rib cage, but she restrained it when she saw Mathias leaned against the cart, right where they’d left it.  He was talking with one of the village women, a pretty young thing with large bosoms and long raven hair.  It rankled with her the way the Guardian was leaned so casually against the side, smiling and laughing with the flirtatious girl so easily.  The woman, probably the same age as Niek, chuckled and blushed at something Mathias said, and Velry flashed back to the night of Starfall. 

He had acted that way with her once, long ago.  Now, Velry got the feeling that he saw her reappearance as a shocking inconvenience.  When she laid eyes on him after breaking through the forest with the Keeper, he was so distant.  It was like he had already gotten over the girl he had once promise to spend his life with.  I suppose that’s what happens when marriages are based on a single night of naivety and bliss, she thought sourly, still watching the two of them, oblivious to her scrutiny. 

She was determined to get out of this village, however, and Mathias was her best option of finding out where her parents were.  She walked through the edge of the gate, chest puffed out, chin held high, and arms stiff at her side. “Mathias!” she shouted, grabbing his attention.  The young harlot noticed as well and locked eyes with Velry.   A brief look of confused shock overtook the black haired woman’s face, but it slipped away quickly to be replaced by seemingly innocent embarrassment.  She quickly stumbled away from Mathias, never taking her eyes away from Velry until she was well inside the gates.  Mathias tried to wave her back, but the girl did not even glance back in his direction. 

He sighed and looked at Velry with a downturned lip.  “I think you just scared away the only decent conversation in this town.”

She was already fuming and without having the foresight to retrain herself, retorted, “What?  Did she have a little starlight on her to make her so interesting?”

Mathias sobered at the mention of Starfall.  Velry remembered all too well the words he used that night and clearly, he did too. “Velry, I’m sorry.  We were just talking.  That’s all.”

Looking down at her toes, arms once again crossed tightly against her chest.   Velry did not regret her words, but if she was going to find out the best way to get out of here before he discovered Niek’s secret, she needed to play nice.  “Sorry,” she mumbled, inwardly aggravated with everything that seemed to be happening.  “I need to ask you something.”

“After that outburst, I’m not sure I want to hear it.  What’s wrong with you?”

Walking over to the back of the cart, she sat on the edge, back slouched and lips set in a straight line.  Mathias followed and sat beside her, placing a gentle arm around her shoulder.  She smiled a smile that never reached her eyes and sat there quietly like that for a moment.  She wanted to shrug him off, but something about his touch seemed to quell the fury inside her.

“Mathias, I want to go home,” she said tersely, staring into a mud puddle.  “I miss my mother and father.  And… I miss Sarry.”

He leaned over and lay his head on hers, and Velry hated herself for relishing in the warmth he brought.  This time, she scooted away, causing him to sit back up.  The Guardian sighed.  “You’ve been through so much.  I can’t even imagine what this last year has been like for you.  It’s a miracle that you aren’t hurt.”

“Yeah…  A miracle…”  But it wasn’t a miracle.  It was Niek.  She had done something to take the surface injuries away, but all the pain of the torture was still there, deep inside.  The memories of having layers of skin peeled off with sharp talons were too strong to forget.  The miraculous herbal healing, as Niek called it, was another thing the girl was starting to become more and more suspicious of.  She needed to focus.  Niek was not the current issue.  Escaping was.  She looked at Mathias and asked, “You’re going with the Guardians when they return, aren’t you?”

He nodded.  “I have to.  If I had known you would come back, I never would have become a Disciple.  But I’ve swore my life to Erelel.  I have to go back to Arcinthium.”

Velry slowly pulled away and looked him in the eye, searching for something, anything to show that he was reluctant to do so.  He was sad, that much she could tell.  But she had a hard time believing anything he said, especially after the earlier display with the woman.  “What about the promise you made to me at Starfall?  What about the life we were going to have together?”

“Did you know that in Arcinthium, they don’t celebrate Starfall the same way we did in Deems?”  She frowned, frustrating with the way he was avoiding the question.  She didn’t care about Arcinthium, but she sat quietly and listened to what he had to say.  She was curious if he would say anything redeeming.    “They celebrate and drink themselves into stupors.  They dance all night and sleep all day.  No one is forced into a marriage they’re not ready for.  It’s a different world in the city.  Things are just… different.  I’m different.  In Deems, you won my heart, but in Arcinthium, Erelel won my soul.  I can’t turn my back on the Goddess now.”

She looked down at her lap. So many thoughts were ambling through her head, so many emotions, that she didn’t know what to say at first.  A ragged breath escape and she slumped lower, laying her head in her hands like it was the heaviest burden she bore.  He was right.  Things were different.  She lied to a squad of Guardians, helped a Keeper escape, even though the Council would have commended the girl for letting Niek die, and she even hid the truth of Niek’s most recent act of heresy.  Was she the same girl that had sacrificed herself to save the boy she loved and the family she relied on?  She didn’t feel like it.  The anger had sizzled out and now, she was left with a hole where her heart should have been.  Velry mumbled to herself, “Then I really did lose everything to the Blood Court.”

“Shh, shh,” he said.  She didn’t stop him when he started rubbing circles on her back.  “No, there are something that can never be taken away.  Despite everything that’s happened, you’re the same selfless girl I remember. You sacrificed your freedom to save our town.  I will never forget that.  And the way you helped that woman to safety today?  Velry, you are a good person.  You can never lose something like that.”

She couldn’t help but chuckle sardonically to herself.  He sounded just like Niek did earlier, with speeches about goodness.  If this is what goodness brought, Velry wasn’t sure it was worth it anymore.  “Please, I don’t want to talk about this anymore.  I just… I want to know where the village is so I can go home.  I want to be done with all of this.”

“Alright.  But you should know that your parents aren’t there.”

“What?”  The girl jerked upright, panic rising into her throat.  “Why not? What happened?”

“Calm down.  They’re fine as far as I know.”  She relaxed a little bit, but watched cautiously as he continued.  “I said before that a lot of villagers left for the city because of the damage.  A big group of us went into Grimcross looking for work and for new lives.  Your parents went too because there was nothing left for them in Deems.  Not after what happened to Sarry, and then what you did.”

She remembered her father talking of Grimcross often, though he’d never had anything glowing to say about the cesspool.  The Norisian Empire was known for many grand cities and impressive architecture.  Grimcross was not one of those jewels.  The stream at her home emptied out into the Blackland River and she’d always been aware that it flowed quite a way down into Silverlake.  Grimcross sat on the shoreline, a prime spot for traders coming down the river as they continued on through the lake and down to the coast at Arcinthium.  Unfortunately, that didn’t help her any.  “Well, I don’t know where Grimcross is from here.  Where is this, anyway?”

“You mean, you don’t know?”  He looked quite surprised, but Velry only shook her head.  “Oh.  I suppose the Court didn’t give you a detailed tour on the way here.  Well, in that case, you’re in the Ganjin territories.  It’s the far east of the empire, nearly at the mountains that create Norisys’s border.  If you go directly west, you’ll hit Silverlake.  It’ll be a long journey, though.  You and Niek could travel with us since we’ll be going there before continuing on to Arcinthium.”

“No!” she said quickly, almost too emphatically.  He raised an eyebrow at her, and she stutteringly injected, “I mean, no.  It’s- It’s too painful of a reminder.  I’d rather make the journey myself.”  The truth was that she was loath to stay with either of them.

Mathias chuckled and rubbed her back with a smile.  “You really think I’d let you walk the Empire alone?  No, it truly was divine providence that we found you.  I’m not going to abandon you to the wilds now.”

The girl regarded his face, the way his strong jaw gave him such an imposing look.  His shaggy brown hair hung loosely over thick brows, and she could tell that even though this past year had aged him, he was still the same handsome boy.  Just like he was then, he was willing to fight anything, and stubborn to boot.  Velry gritted her teeth because she remembered the stubbornness he’d possessed when face to face with the creature.  He wouldn’t back down then and she feared he wouldn’t take no for an answer now.  She needed to put her plan in motion before he was in a position to stop her.

“I have to go,” she said suddenly jumping off the edge of the cart.  He stood up and watched her run back to the village, confusion etched into his face.  Velry paid him no attention as she wove and darted around the milling villagers and livestock.  She couldn’t go back to the house, not with the Keeper there.  She needed to find a place where she could think in peace.  There were some preparations she needed to make. Instead, she hurriedly walked into the temple in the center of the village, closing the door quickly behind her.  She leaned against it and closed her eyes, taking deep breaths as she tried to calm her racing thoughts. 

“What is it, Poppet?”

Velry slowly looked up, an uneasiness washing over her.  Those words…  She was not alone in the temple.  The young strumpet from earlier sat on her knees on the other end of the building, kneeled before a ring of statues.  A tall statue of Gavriel, Goddess of Magic glowed brightly with a white blaze of power.  Surrounding it was five other small statuettes.  Selassa’s image radiated a gentle green glow and the woman seemed to be… to be channeling the Goddess of Healing.  She was a Disciple.

“You’re the Mender here in this village, aren’t you?”

“I suppose I am.  Come this way,” she said, motioning Velry to approach.  As she waved her faintly colored green hand, shimmers and sparks seemed to linger in the air.  Her eyes were a fiery emerald and Velry felt very uneasy near the woman, though she couldn’t place why.  Velry looked around the temple quickly and made note that this was the only door inside.  There were wooden benches all through the room, with prayer candles stacked on several tables.  Each table had a framed picture of one of the Lords, with the statues at the other end representing the Goddesses.  It was a simple building, much like the one in her village.  It was only made of wood and reverence.  When Velry flicked her eyes back to the Mender, the woman had stood up and was dusting off her simple brown frock with a white dress underneath.

“I’m sorry.  I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Velry said, mesmerized by the green sparks that wafted from the girl’s hands.

“Oh, it’s quite alright,” she said, wandering across the length of the room with a smile.  “I apologize about earlier.  I didn’t mean anything by talking with your Guardian fellow.  Just harmless fun. You understand?”

“He’s not my fellow.  At least… Not anymore.”

The woman giggled, stopping in the center of the room and cocking her head.  “Oh?  Then you wouldn’t mind…”  She paused, as if choosing her words carefully.  She began walked towards the door, just feet from Velry now.  “You wouldn’t mind then, if I just happened to take a rusty knife and rip out his bloody heart?”

Velry gasped and scrambled to find the handle to the door, but never taking her eyes off the woman with glowing hands and a suddenly sinister smile.  “I-  I really-  I want to-“  She stopped, panicked because she couldn’t find the knob. 

The woman threw her hand against the door and smiled, baring all of her teeth, surprisingly rotten for such a beautiful siren.  “Don’t try to run, Poppet.  I went through a lot of trouble to find this body,” she said, as Velry jumped away from the woman.  “These people are part of my kingdom.  I do not harm them. But this girl… She was sent here from Arcinthium by the Council.  She’s fair game, and quite the catch for a wandering spirit like me, don’t you think?”

Velry paled as she backed away, stumbling over bench after bench.  “Fai?”

The Mender laughed mirthfully, throwing her head back as she reveled in the moment.  Velry, however, found that she could no longer breathe.  It felt like the building was closing in on her, like she was trapped.  Sweat started to bead on her forehead and she could barely gulp down her fear. 

When the laughter died down, Fai looked Velry straight in the eye.  “I’m done with those soulbound beasts.  In this body, I can make sure I kill you properly.  That Keeper’s nowhere around to save you this time.  It’s time to finish with my sacrifice.”

11: Chapter Ten

She was going to die.  As Velry looked at the spirit possessed Mender, she recognized that Fai was blocking the only exit to the temple.  When the girl had stumbled back, she’d removed herself from the only chance of escape.  There were plenty of open windows in the building, but they were all blocked by inconveniently large tables covered with Lords and candles.  Velry was currently back up against one and it felt too heavy to scoot out of the way.  The girl silently cursed, knowing that Fai would be at her throat before the table could even be moved.  Despite the cool breeze of freedom gently wafting through the windows, she was trapped.

It was Deems all over again.  Except this time, the threat was inside the temple and staring her straight in the face.  The Queen had more smothering power than a whole throng of villagers and Velry felt like her lungs were collapsing. 

“W-why,” she cried with jagged inhales.  “You’ve already k-killed all those people.  Why m-me?”

The Mender grinned and took a few tantalizing steps forward, causing Velry to take just as many back, having to sidestep around the table.  “Because I must finish what I started so Erelel will be pleased with me.”

“Erelel protects all life!  You-  You are just a twisted soul, a murderer!”  Velry tried to sound strong, angry.  The quiver in her lip revealed otherwise. 

Fai spat angrily, hair bristling like predator.  The fierceness in her magically green eyes intensified and the deranged aura about her grew tenfold in magnitude.  Velry nearly quaked when she saw the Queen’s smiling façade crack with a furious grimace.  “My kingdom prospered because of what I did!  A simpleton like you would never understand what a royal must do for her people.” 

She was nearly against the ring of statues opposite the door now.  Velry yelped when she felt the wall against her back, desperately rough and splintered.  She’d backed herself into a corner, and the girl felt like sinking down into a ball.  But Fai took a few steps forward and Velry saw an opening.  Fai needed to get close to kill her, meaning that the woman was going to follow every movement Velry made.  If she could just maneuver the spirit… Maybe she could make a run for the door.  Her eyes flicked from Fai to the exit, calculating the distance. 

Velry started to inch to her right, walking carefully around the edge of the statues.  The goddess of healing’s statue radiated a painful heat as the Mender channeled power through it.  There was only a coolness coming from Gavriel, the tallest central figure that allowed Disciple to even use magic in the first place.  The raw celestial energy    Velry was mildly surprised that it was even possible for Fai to take control of the body since Niek said a Mender’s touch burned the undead.  But then again, Fai didn’t have a body.  When she passed the area of intense heat, Velry quickly and stutteringly fell over her words, enacting her plan for distraction. 

“Y-you’re right.  I don’t understand, but you’re kingdom is gone.  This is part of the em-empire now.”  Just like expected, Fai came closer and moved to the right.  However, the gap between them was smaller now.  Velry was going to have to barrel through the statues in order to get around. 

“This empire is corrupt, run by a puppet emperor under the Council’s thumb.”  Fai stopped and tilted her head, as if something just occurred to her after six centuries of body trails.  A profound sadness alighted in the emerald orbs as she stared into the blank space of the raftered ceiling.  Velry was on the other side of the statues now, but she carefully placed a foot behind the statue of Zelah, Goddess of Love and Fertility, ready to knock it over and run.  “You know,” Fai continued, “I do this to bring my kingdom back.  For hundreds of years, I’ve tried and prayed.  Body after body, but Bludryn never comes back.  But maybe that’s not what I need to be doing.”

The girl nodded emphatically, staring nervously at the glimmering hand that Fai waved tantalizingly through the air.  “Th-that’s right.  You can’t bring it back.  You’ve been wandering this world f-for so long.  You should take your rest.”

The strumpet turned back, previous emotion vanished.  She looked sardonically at Velry and rolled her eyes, much like Sarry had a tendency of doing.  The memory brought a pang of grief that shot through her abdomen to match the ever-present throb of internal injury.  It did not stop her from counting the steps she’d need to take to dodge around. 

“Take my rest?  No, don’t be silly, Poppet.  No, maybe what I need to do is make my way to Arcinthium.  Perhaps Emperor Cyne needs a new puppetmaster…”

Fai shifted her weight to the other side, leaning far enough to the right to create a space between her and the bench beside her.  This was it.  The Queen wasn’t wearing a feeder’s body this time, so Velry had just as much chance to escape as Fai did of catching her.  Taking a deep breath, Velry feigned to the left and using her carefully placed foot, knocked over the five smaller Goddesses in a chain reaction.  Naiona and Selassa broke with the fall, and the divine energy dissipated from the channeled statue.  With the intricately carved images laying on the floor, it was easy to jump over them. 

Fai looked down at her hands, a brief flash of surprise as the healing energy disappeared altogether.  The green light of her eyes vanished and as Velry landed clear and free of benches and statues, she caught a brief vision of startled brown eyes on the raven haired Mender.  Fai quickly snapped her jaw shut and furrowed her brows right as Velry shot past.  For once, the girl was thankful for her short, lithe frame because Fai spun around to try and grab the girl, but Velry turned and ducked out of her grasp. 

She was home free.  So long as she could outrun the spirit, there was nothing stopping her from reaching the door.  Her feet pounded louder than her heart as she ran across the wooden floor, a familiar determination coming over her.  She was not going to die today.  There was no lull to draw her back, no claws, no unnatural speed to stop her.  Not even-

She was blinded.  An intense pain rippled through her skull as her vision flashed white and black all at the same time.  The girl fell forward as something smashed against her skull, dazing her for a moment.  She managed to catch herself on the door handle, but when she looked down through her spotted vision, Velry saw that Fai had thrown one of the painted images of Jopha.  The wooden frame lay broken on the ground.  Velry groaned and put all the weight on the door handle to pull herself upright. 

“Not today, Poppet,”  the Blood Queen said as the Mender came from behind and tangled her bony fingers in Velry’s hair. A strong arm looped around to lock Velry’s arm in place and the girl winced when she felt a hot breath against her ear. “I don’t have the Mender magic to put you in your place, but I can still smash your face against this door until not even Niek can piece you back together.”

She was not going to go out like this.  Not after everything, not when she finally knew her way home.  Fueled by steel determination, the girl reared her head back, and with a firm kick against the door, launched herself backwards into Fai.  Velry howled with all the power in her lungs as skull cracked against skull.  The landed on top of Fai with a loud clatter as a bench was knocked back, the force of it even budging one of the tables at the windows.  Fai released her grasp and Velry took the opportunity to jump up and run for the door once more. 

She didn’t waste time looking back to see if Fai was following.  Velry threw out a hand and pulled the door open and stumbled out onto the steps, screaming with all she could muster, “The Blood Queen’s here!”

12: Chapter Eleven

Author’s Note:  I just wanted to let you guys now that I had the most fun writing this chapter.  I enjoy it more than any other so far, except maybe the soulbound feeder fight.  I hope you enjoy it just as much as I did!

 

 

People scattered as Velry barreled past the old weeping willow and into the village center.  Many looked on in confusion and with concern for the girl who’d broken out of the temple with a bloody scream.  Velry appeared just as shaken as she felt after the close encounter with her ghostly tormentor.

“Your Mender is the Blood Queen,” she shouted, chancing a quick look behind her shoulder.  Fai was standing in the doorway, an innocent, though bewildered smile on her face.  She dusted off her sleeves and the front of the frock as if nothing had happened.  A small bit of blood trickled from her nose from Velry’s skull smashing against it, but the woman discreetly wiped all evidence of the fight away. 

Velry pointed at the possessed woman and repeated her demands, trying desperately to rouse the villagers to action.  They had to do something!  There were only a few milling about, but as she ran from person to person, more came out of their homes to see the commotion. 

“This woman is possessed and just tried to kill me!  We need to get the Guardians back!”  Velry paused when she saw the disbelief and doubt on the villagers faces.  Fai smugly raised an eyebrow, and Velry picked up a clod of dirt from the ground and chucked it.  The Mender easily dodged, titling her head so that the filth smashed against the temple wall. 

The girl yelped when someone grabbed her shoulder firmly, and without thinking, turned to blindly swing at the perpetrator.   The rough villager had to duck to avoid her clenched fist, though she managed to graze a wisp of his red hair.  The bearded man held up his hands and easily caught her flailing limbs next time.  She was clearly frightened and besides herself.  She could not register the man’s face, so she struggled and screaming, closing her eyes tight as she flailed.

“What on this plane is wrong with you, Girl?”  He yelled, restraining her through her mad fit.

At the sound of his voice, she fell still.  She recognized him as the man from their arrival, Nort.  She opened her eyes felt relief wash over her.  A familiar face!  She began to stumble and stutter through unintelligible explanations of the events in the temple, barely taking any breath as she quickly let everything fall on the man’s ears.  There was quite a crowd now, straining to hear.  However, only the red haired man could hear her as she lay her forehead against his chest, uncaring that he was a complete stranger. 

When she finished, Nort carefully pushed her away and regarded her suspiciously.  “You trying to tell me our Mender’s part of the Blood Court?  She don’t look nothing like those monsters we seen going up the hill.”

“The real Blood Court are the spirits who ruled this land six centuries ago!  They can move from body to body, and I’m telling you, that woman is the Queen!”

 “You hush your mouth,” an old woman barked as she hobbled closer to Nort and Velry.  She pointed a finger accusingly, one eye squinted with distrust.  A round of agreements shot through the air, causing Velry to jerk free of the man’s iron grasp.  The simple minded villagers didn’t believe her.  In their lifetimes, they’d only seen the feeder bodies go the palace.  They couldn’t even see the lie right in front of them!

“How dare you accuse Meela of being one of those beasts!”

Fai had come down from her temple perch and came to stood beside her.  Velry backed away, though only making a few steps before running into a tall, burly man with a dour expression.  The people were closing in around her now.  She gasped and staggered to the left, disoriented and frightened by the crowd coming out of their homes to see the show. 

“Please, please, calm yourselves.  This girl is clearly disturbed.  She does not understand what she says.”  The Mender smiled gently at Nort and the others, nodding with polite acknowledgement to the old woman up at arms.   “You all know as well as I that I’m not possessed.  She’s only frightened after being held captive by that Keeper.”

“Liar!”  Velry roared, but strong arms interlocked with her own to keep her from mauling the woman in the face.  Without the strange magic, Velry found that she was much more open to kicking Fai in the teeth.  Velry didn’t understand the strange glow, but there was a new, innate fear of Selassa’s touch within.  Now, without it, Velry let the courage and brazen anger overflow.  “That Keeper saved me from you!  You’re the real monster!”  She writhed and twisted, mud squirming up her legs with each futile struggle.  The man held tightly and she only managed to root herself further into the sludge.

The crowd hissed, but Fai held her hands in the air to quiet the mass.  “Please, do not be angry with this girl.  I take no offense to her ravings.  What she needs right now is a Mender’s touch.  Does anyone have a statue of the most reverent Selassa?  I’m afraid our visitor made a mess of the temple when I tried to help her just now.”

Nort stepped forward, eyes darting quickly to Velry, though he did not linger on the restrained lunatic for long.  He had a curious gleam to accompany his apprehensive grimace.  “Meela,” he said calmly, “I believe you brought your own statue to our little Ginjin village when you came.  Was I mistaken?”

Meela smiled gently and placed a hand on his cheek.  “Of course.  Would you be so kind as to fetch it from my home for me?

Nort turned to look at Velry full on now, though he addressed the woman when he said, “Yes, Mender.  I’ll get it from your wagon.”  The way he emphasized the last word gave Velry hope.  His jaw was set and lips downturned.  He nodded slightly towards the girl then made his way out of the crowd.  Velry stilled herself for a moment and hoped the man was on her side.  Did he believe her?  It appeared that Meela had failed his apparent test, but she wasn’t sure if the others bought Fai’s woven lie.  Velry felt like biggest target in town because she accused the lovely and innocent Meela.  She feared the archers were lining up for target practice based on the way everyone stared at her with steel and grit. 

“What’s your name, Poppet?”

A man’s voiced boomed from the outside ring of the crowd, answering for the girl. “Her name is Velry.  In the name of the Council of Disciples, I demand to know what is the meaning of this!”  Mathias threw villagers out of the way despite their indignant cries and Velry let a relieved breath out as she saw the other Guardians file in behind him.  What absolute luck they had made it back in time to find Fai!  The last two in the back each carried a statue, a massive one of Gavriel and one of Erelel.  It was clear they were prepared to use their magic against the growing mob.

Mar Gor looked first at Velry and then at the surprised Mender who beheld all six of the tense Guardians.  Thank Erelel for horseback or they wouldn’t have made it to the palace and back in time, Velry thought to herself as Mathias stormed angrily towards the man holding her.  With a forceful shove, her captor stumbled back and let go of the dissident girl.  The young Guardian caught her easily to keep her from falling as well.

“Are you hurt,” he asked.  She ran a hand over the back of her skull where she was hit with the frame, but when she didn’t see any blood on her fingertips, she shook her head. 

Meela’s nostrils flared and Velry couldn’t help but feel a little triumphant.  This was the opportunity she needed to sway the people to her side.  The Blood Queen took a deep breath and held her sickly sweet smile.  “Ah. Guardians.  You have returned from the palace so soon.”

“To our surprise, there was nothing there.  Only a pile of unfortunate bodies, but no Blood Court,” he said, slowly beginning to circle around those in the innermost circle of the crowd.  His black hair shone darker than hers in the now midday light. “Would either of you wenches know anything about that?”

The Mender bristled indignantly, though Mathias voiced his resentment first.  “Mar Gor! Velry d-“

“Hush, Boy.”  Mathias snapped his mouth shut as his superior eyed him with a stern look.   “Do you think Lord Gahdur would have given me that vision if that palace was empty?  No.  The Blood Court’s moved on from there and this is the closest settlement around.  I think they’re walking here amongst us right now.  Interesting how we just picked up two women leaving the empty palace.  Where’s the other?  The injured one?”

“Please, Sir,” the Mender said with a small bow.  “They are but humble villagers and I their Mender.  I’m close to being offended after being accused twice in one day of not being myself.”

Another of the Guardians stepped forward and jabbed a finger at Meela’s sternum.  Judging by his imposing stature and frightening brow bone, Velry was not surprised by the deep baritone when he asked, “What do mean accused twice?”

The Mender seemed unphased and waved a flippant hand in Velry’s direction.  “This poor girl went into fits just before you arrived.  She was raving about me being the Blood Queen, but I think it’s more true that she was traumatized by that vile Keeper you brought inside our village.  She’s jumping at her own shadow, poor thing.”

Mathias looked incredulously down to Velry, though his comrades turned to her a more reproachful look.  They were rippling with a violent bloodlust, she could see that, but Mathias was different.  He appeared hurt, betrayed.  “Niek?  She’s a Keeper?  And you didn’t say anything about it?”

The other Guardians began to walk towards their leader and group around Mar Gor, but Mathias did not move.  Velry noticed they were placing Gavriel’s stone statue into the mud with a smaller Erelel at her feet, but the boy gently grabbed her chin and forced the girl to meet his gaze instead.  “Velry, did you know she was a Keeper?”

She tried to speak, tried to remember how to form words, but she couldn’t.  She looked sadly at the boy and he let go of her chin, disappointment pulling his lips downward into a pained frown.  She didn’t have to speak for him to see the truth, and she dropped her head in shame and defeat. 

“Don’t blame the girl,” a voice rang out above the din of the shocked crowd.  “She’s mostly ignorant to the world anyway.”

The cat came out of the temple first before she ever saw Niek.  Turning around, Velry saw the little miscreant strutting casually out of the building, followed by a bloody-handed and surprisingly lively Niek.  The mysterious ailment of the past day appeared to have vanished and she was left standing wild and tall in the cloudy light.  She carried both satchels and had her belt securely fastened.  A streak of red painted her cheek as if the woman had tried to wipe it off unsuccessfully, and the silver thread on her tunic shimmered in crimson.  A wild smile overtook her face.  It was almost as if she got a thrill out of all of the dramatics.  Despite the Keeper’s frightful appearance, the only thing that came to Velry’s mind was, She had to have went in there through those blasted windows.  The woman and her pet stopped at the bottom step and she started wiping her hands across her pants while the feline licked its paws lazily.

“If that is not the image of a Blood Queen, I don’t know what is,” Fai commented with her borrowed voice.  “That woman is the real danger here!”

“No, don’t listen to her!  Niek is harmless!”  The Keeper scoffed at Velry’s quip, but remained silent.  “Your beloved Disciple is the true threat!  She is possessed, I’m telling you!”  Velry let her hands fall to her sides when she realized that none of the Guardians were even listening.  All eyes were on the men that stood around the stone idols.

The girl looked around and worriedly stepped back when she saw the statue of Erelel begin to glow with a red fury.  Mar Gor was channeling.  He inhaled the Goddess’s energy and old eyes rolled back in ecstasy, invigorating him with each inhale.  Both Velry and Fai retreated farther back when his body began to spasm and ripple as if his muscles were bulging from the force of power flowing through his blood.  The villagers started to loosen and disperse.  Velry didn’t entirely know what a Guardian could do, but it couldn’t be good based on the way people got out of the way.

Mathias slumped his shoulders and looked solemnly at his brethren. “Mathias, please don’t do this,” she pleaded, afraid of what he was about to do.  He was hurt, she could tell.  But no amount of apologies could change their current situation, and without even acknowledging her words, he walked away from Velry.  He placed a hand on Mar Gor,  and the others followed suit.  One after the other, all of the Guardians formed a circle around their captain, each in turn absorbing the overwhelming power he was channeling as it passed from Guardian to Guardian.  The statue was such a bright, burning red that Velry had to look away.  Shielding her eyes, she trudged over to the temple steps to stand by Niek.  The cat wove itself in and out of her legs, rubbing its head against her calves completely oblivious to the display of the Council’s might. 

“Velry, this is not good,” Niek said she leaned down to whisper in the girl’s ear.  “Nort came to find me when he realized you were telling the truth.  I didn’t have a lot of time to prepare, and I’m not sure I’ve got enough to hold back fully activated Guardians, so I’m going to need you to trust me.  Can you do that?”

No.  Velry was not ready to trust the Keeper.  However, with Fai just feet away and a mass of pulsating, heavenly warriors preparing for an attack, the girl recognized the Keeper as her best chance at not being killed or taken prisoner.  The girl nodded, deciding to place her life in Niek’s hands one more time.

The Guardians separated, though their leader stayed in front of Erelel, seemingly a beacon that sent power out to his Disciple soldiers.  They were larger now and almost feral looking with the way they held bulging arms out to accommodate their increased muscle size.  Mathias was unrecognizable now, and he jerked his head to both sides, popping his neck in preparation.  His eyes were a furious red, along with the rest of the Disciples.  The five of them starting marching towards the temple in unison while Mar Gor stayed rooted to control the flow of power.  She wasn’t sure how far they could stray from the statues, but it was clearly a long enough tether for them to approach the building.

Velry glanced over to see Fai trying to sneak away into the crowd, but the Disciples noticed as well.  Despite the slick mud, the one closest to her broke rank and spurred himself through the bodies. He launched himself into the air with great power and speed.  The Mender tried to dodge, but she was not quick enough, falling when the Guardian managed to clip her back. The two landed hard on the ground, but neither of them noticed as the Guardian quickly managed to subdue the Blood Queen.  Fai howled in rage and Velry saw Niek shifting her weight, as if weighing several options.  Clearly, the woman wanted to intervene, but there was a more pressing matter.

The remaining four Guardians were marching towards them now.  Villagers were running and scattering into their homes.  The level of frightened screams was deafening.  Velry saw that Nort had returned and was waving people into safe places.  Like the Keeper, he was covered in blood.

“Niek,” Velry said, slightly panicky.  “Your brilliant plan would be really useful right about now.”

As soon as the words left her mouth, Velry felt a new cold seep into the air.  She looked down and saw a familiar blue haze swirling around her feet.  The cat curiously sniffed the air, but otherwise did not seem fazed.  Looking at the Keeper, Velry paled at the sight of her blue eyes glowing madly.  Niek was laughin gleefully it seemed.  She was definitely feeling much better, but that wouldn’t last long if she didn’t hurry up. 

The wild Guardians were close enough that she could feel the rage boiling the air around them.  Was that truly Erelel’s gift?  Such fury and hatred pulsated amongst the group that Velry began to think that the heretic had more goodness than the frenzied and wrathful warriors marching towards them.  True they had the physical ability to protect and defend, but they looked more adept at killing than saving.  This is what Mathias chose?  This is what he wanted to become?  He wasn’t even himself anymore.  She took a step closer to Niek, frightened that they weren’t going to be detained.  She was terrified they meant to slaughter. 

Mar Gor howled, his voice magically amplified throughout the village.  The other Guardians joined him in unison.  It was as if they were all connected by a sort of hive mind, and Velry supposed they really were if they were channeling through him.  He was probably even the one controlling them.  The group stopped at once and looked at Velry and Niek.  It was disconcerting when they spoke.  “In the name of Erelel, we order you to surrender yourselves to the Council.  This village is under our protection and we will put an end to your dark magic.  You may do this peacefully or we will do this by force.”

Niek tapped her chin in feigned thought, hazy mist rolling off of her in waves.  It was getting thicker, seeming to emanate from nowhere and everywhere around her.  She placed the other hand carefully behind her back and Velry heard the sound of a pouch opening.  “What about the girl here?” 

They solemnly replied, “The Council will decide her fate for harboring an enemy to Norisys.”

“Pish posh,” she laughed mirthfully, rolling back onto the balls of her feet.  “I’m no more an enemy than this cat is.  I do a better job cleaning up after the spirits than you oafs do.  All you are capable of is brute force!  You can’t even exorcise the Blood Queen, which, I assure you, is in that Mender.”

“This is your last warning, Keeper.  If you do not surrender yourself, we will not be kind in apprehending you.”

“Here’s my answer.”  With a giddy laugh, Niek pulled her hand out and threw a familiar orange powder to the ground.  She shouted in the same foreign tongue and a ringing grew in Velry’s ears as the smoke cleared to reveal the same two warriors.  This close to them, she nearly gagged at their rotting stench.  An unfamiliar feeling was growing in the pit of her stomach, and a small nagging feeling send her thoughts scattered in all directions.  What was that all of a sudden.  She gasped and stumbled backwards, landing heavily against the wall.  Placing hands on her head, she pressed firmly against her temples, disoriented and ill all of a sudden.

When the Disciples saw how Niek could use magic without any sort of statues, the Guardians gasped in unison and took a step back, saying, “She’s a Born Keeper!  Keep steady!”

The sword bearing warrior handed Niek the ghostly claymore and Niek held it high in the air.  “Kuureira al nah kavei marneiluh!”  As the charged words left her mouth, the ground shook as livestock began stampeding from behind the temple.  Bloody sheep, pigs, goats, and a single horse barreled straight into the Guardians, knocking many of them over. 

Velry choked upon hearing the words, the air in her lungs stinging with a frozen need.  She had to join them in the fray.  She had to fight the Guardians.  A cold tendril coiled around her conscious thoughts, telling her to charge the Disciples.  She left the wall, stumbling blindly ahead with nothing but the sight of an enraged Mathias in front of her. 

“Not you,” Niek said, placing a strong hand on the girl’s shoulder.  Velry suddenly shook her head and saw Niek gently kick the cat to keep it from pouncing on a fallen Guardian who fought with an angry slit-throat ram. 

“What did you do,” Velry asked incredulously, thankful that her head was clear once more.  The chaos in her mind had calmed, leaving her to think clearly.

Niek grabbed Velry’s hand and dragged her off the side of the steps, running away from the fray.  In any other situation, it may have been comical to see holy Disciples accosted by farm animals.  But the way many of them were still dripping with fresh blood made Velry want to vomit.  It was clear what she and Nort had been doing.  As they raced behind the temple, Niek easily responded, “It was a rush job, but I made an undead farm to keep the Guardians distracted.”

“You did what?!”

Niek shrugged as the two of them darted directly behind the building and leaned against the wall.  Velry was gasping for air, but Niek, eyes still frozen and aglow, seemed stronger than ever.  “It was either have the chickens fight or sacrifice a villager or two.  Now, here comes that trust part we talked about.  Are you ready?”

“Wh-what’s going on?  What are you about to do?”

“Probably something really bad,” she said, dropping the ghost sword on the ground. “Not going to need that where we’re going.”

“And where is that!?”

“Well, we’re going to Grimcross,” she replied matter of factly, leaning around the building to see if anyone had followed.  When she turned back, Niek halfway mumbled under her breath the last part that really made Velry’s heart hump.  “And to get there, we’re going to go through Saryle’s realms...” 

Before Velry had time to say anything, Niek picked up the cat and grabbed the girl’s wrist.  The blue haze was so thick now that Velry couldn’t see where the Keeper was leading her.  She tried to struggle, tried to protest.  Saryle’s realms?  Velry had no intention of visiting the land of the dead and she immediately regret placing any trust in the woman. 

From behind, Velry  heard a familiar chuckle.  As Niek dragged her forward like an unstoppable force, the girl turned to try and see the source.  It was Fai, she was sure of it.  “I’ll find you, Poppet,” a voice echoed in the thick haze, clearer and closer than the sounds of the Guardians’ battle with the undead. 

She wanted to scream, cry, or yelp.  Anything.  But she couldn’t.  The natural light had suddenly disappeared and a new feeling tickled the senses.  It was as if she were both weightless and yet heavy with an impossible weight.  Through the glowing fog, she saw a new, brighter light that held her absolutely captivated.  It hovered high in the air, pulsing like a living thing.  She jerked her hand away from Niek.  Fai wasn’t important.  Nothing else mattered.  It called to her.  It beckoned her.  She held out her free hand, grasping at the beacon of hope and light above her.

“Not that one, Velry.  Not again.”  Niek shook the girl away and suddenly they were falling.  Or had they always been falling?  She really did scream this time, looking above to see the light growing smaller and smaller as the distance grew until it was a speck in a black void.  As they plummeted in whatever realm they’d found themselves in, the fog dissipated until there was nothing but desolate emptiness.  As tumbled in space, she started to turn into midair until she was looking the opposite way.  Her shrieks intensified as she saw something getting closer with alarming speed.  This place wasn’t empty after all.  Below her, there was an infinite reflective surface that extended forever in all directions.   It was like a silver, shining pool floating in nothingness.  It was the Mirror.

Niek laughed joyfully, seemingly unfazed by the chaos around them.  “Brace yourself.  I’ve never actually done this, so it might hurt.”

 

 

 

 

13: Chapter Twelve

 

 

Passing through the Mirror was easy.  Preparing herself for what she would find on the other side was the true challenge.  Niek had taken them to the first level of Saryle’s realms, the place that supposedly resembled the living world.  The Keeper had been sorely mistaken.

Not only did departed souls come here, but it seemed like even time itself came after it passed.  Velry stood dumbfounded as she saw the entire history of time evolve and decay in a matter of moments.  She saw a house rise from the ground and a village grow around it before everything decayed into dust, only to have trees spring up and then disappear again in a blink.  The cycle repeated endlessly and the landscape shifted from building to forest more times than she could count before the yowling shook her from bewildered reverie. 

The cat tried to bound through the growing and shrinking grass, but it eventually gave up its play to stretch across Velry’s feet where she stood unmoving and unchanging, an out of place being in a no place world.  It was easy to forget the thing had been dead not long ago, but in this realm, weren’t they all dead?  Had Niek killed them both in order to escape the Council’s pawns?  Scanning the ghostly plane where it appeared to be dusk at all times and the setting sun a massive swirl of white stars and blue haze, she saw Niek off to the side staring in fascination at the space of time.

“I can feel them,” she said blankly, craning her neck forward every time the village came.  “And look, just there!  A face stares at me from the window before time passes on.”

Stray hairs blew across her forehead from an unknown breeze and Velry picked up the cat to join the Keeper.  She could see neither a face nor any other spirits around them.  “What is this place, Niek?”

The Keeper shrugged.  “It’s Saryle’s first realm, the one closest to our own.  But where are we exactly?  I’m not entirely sure.  I feel like we’re seeing the same village we were just in.  Seeing it it’s birth.  What do you think?”

“I don’t know what to think.  I mean, how is this even possible?  Why is everything changing?”

“No Keeper has ever physically crossed over before,” she said, watching the unrecognizable face in the window.  “Unlike me, they all need to keep their bodies near the power source of Saryle’s statue, but they can separate their souls to visit this realm and leave their bodies behind.  They see the same world they left behind.  It’s like…  Oh, I don’t know.  I think the spirits remain in the time that they die.  I think, to them, everything is the same as it has always been, just like when a Keeper enters here.  But the two of us are not currently dead, so I believe we’re seeing everything that ever was all in an instant.  We don’t have an anchor to a specific time like they do.”  The girl relaxed a bit upon hearing the last part.  At least Niek hadn’t killed them like she’d originally feared.  They were just… ghosts among ghosts. 

Velry couldn’t help but smile as she watched the Keeper work everything out in her head.  “I thought you said you didn’t know.”  Velry laughed nervously, still disoriented from the surroundings. 

Niek looked over with a grin slowly returning.  She raised an eyebrow and snarkily replied, “You have a better theory?”

“Well, no,” she said, running a hand over the soft fur of the enigmatic cat. 

“Then we’ll go with what I said. It’s the best we have.”  With one last look at the cyclical village, the woman sighed heavily and finally turned away.  “Come on, we need to work.  There are some denizens in the upper levels who sometimes make their way to the Mirror and I’d prefer to avoid meeting them in their own territory.”  Niek slung one of her satchels onto the ground and begun rooting around in it.  “Aha,” she mumbled and pulled out the necklace Velry had found from her earlier snooping.  The crimson and gold pendant reflected oddly in the dusky blue light.  Niek lay it across her palm and stared at it sadly, gently caressing the two small doors.

“Get to work?  What do you mean?  I thought we were going to Grimcross?”

The Keeper shook her head and quickly closed long fingers around the necklace.  “We are, but we’re taking a shortcut.” 

“Wait,” Velry said quietly, regarding the woman as she hefted the bag over her shoulder once more.  “Before we do anything, can I ask you something?”

Niek pulled her braid from under the leather strap and nodded. “I suppose I can’t stop you from asking.  What is it?”

“Please forgive me,” Velry began slowly and cautiously, not wanting to upset the Keeper with the issue that had continuously come to the girl’s mind since the palace.  “… but just now you said Keepers couldn’t physically cross over because they can’t leave the source of their magic, and yet here we are.  And the Guardians in the village looked a little wary when you summoned those two fighters.  They called you a Born Keeper.  What is that?  Why are you not like any other Disciple?”

“I was wondering when you were going to ask about it,” she replied.  Lifting the flap of the second satchel, she pulled out the silver dagger and started wiping the blade on the side of her shirt.  It was still bloody from the sheep massacre.  “Sometimes a person is just born with the magic already inside them.  On occasion, it’s because the mother channeled during pregnancy.  Though sometimes, it’s because our lovely pantheon just can’t keep themselves from meddling in human affairs.  It’s not very often, but whatever the reason, the Council takes notice when it happens.  A Born Disciple will rise quickly in the Order because they don’t have to lug around those statues in order to perform miracles.  Most of the time, they don’t even have to do the proper rituals to use magic.  Things just… happen.  But lucky for me, I don’t have to deal with their theologies since they hate everything I am.  I’ve only ever met one other born Disciple.  A Siren.  And let me tell you- that was an experience.”  Niek smirked, her teeth glinting in the blue light. 

“A Siren?”

“Oh, I’m sorry.  Little Velry never left her little village, did she? ”  Velry rankled at the condescending remark, but didn’t feel that it was a battle she needed to fight.  With a pouty huff, the girl crossed her arms and waited for the Keeper to continue. 

“Didn’t mean to ruffle your feathers, there.  But a Siren is the Goddess Zelah’s Disciple.  They specialize in love and all things considered.  They’re the ones who bless marriages, usually.”

Velry thought back to Starfall, noting that Deems never had such a person.  The Council had never sent any sort of Disciple to her village and marriages had always been part of the festivities.  It made the girl wonder how much of the world she’d really been sheltered in her one room farm house.  Since her two brothers had died, Velry had always assumed her family never let the house for fear of something else happening.  Now that her parents believed all their children to be dead, Velry found irony in it that they’d left for Grimcross. 

But that wasn’t the thing that froze Velry in place.  The more she pondered over all the implications of those born with holy power, the more Velry began to realize a horrifying fact.  It was horrifying in that a pang of absolute pity and guilt wracked her body.  The girls’ face twisted with shame and she covered her mouth with a delicate hand.  “You never asked to be a Keeper, did you?”  Thinking back on all the hurtful things she’d said in the past about Niek being a heretic Keeper, Velry regretted every word.  Remembering the fight in Niek’s childhood home sat heavily on the girl’s shoulder, hating herself for being so angry.

The woman shook her head and shoved loose hair out of her face quickly.  With a completely stoic face, unusual for the woman fueled by reckless abandon and fire, she began to walk away from Velry.  The girl put the cat on the ground and began following her guide, careful to avoid the ethereal trees continuously growing and dying.

“No,” Niek said quietly from a few steps ahead.  The woman was so tall and moving so briskly that Velry nearly had to run to keep up.  She was suddenly starting to prefer the weaker version from earlier.  “If you want to know the truth, I would never wish this on anyone.  But I make the best of it.  I have certain connections and certain circles that allow me to keep up with the Council’s doings.  I can usually go behind their backs and properly take care of the mess rogue Keepers make, or the mess that Menders and Guardians leave behind when they try and fail to mop up.  Now come on, enough of this,” she said, her former light-heartedness forcibly returning.  “We’ve got some things to do.”

“Well, I have another question!”

“Is this a character trait of yours,” Niek asked as turned around to jokingly laugh at the girl.  She did not, however, slow down.  Velry looked around curiously as they made their way to the top of a nearby hill.  Velry was relieved that it always stayed the same, except for the changing grass and flowers.  At least they wouldn’t have to be dodging trees. 

“I’m sorry, it’s just that up until now, you were very near dead.  My curiosity is starting to build up and now that we’re safe, or, at least away from immediate danger, I’d like to get some answers.”

They reached the crest of the hill and Velry fell into speechless awe as she looked around.  She could see for leagues in any direction.  She watched the hills and forests grew and thrived in absolute splendor.  As the time passed in the curious way that it did, she saw the hints of cities in the distance and dozens of other villages. Velry was suddenly sure this was part of Fai’s kingdom, before the Empire had invaded and taken over.  The way certain areas were swept away by blinking fires gave way to easy deduction. 

“Watch Puss and hold my bags,” Niek said, suddenly throwing the satchels on top of the girl.  The Keeper laughed as Velry had to jump a little to catch the bags.  Puss, or so Niek called him, darted away with ease, leaving the girl to look frazzled as flaps and straps covered her face and arms. 

“Warning would have been nice,” she retorted, trying to get adjusted and settled.  She couldn’t hide the mirthful smile.  As odd as it was, the Mirror gave Velry a sense of peace.  She certainly felt more at ease here than anywhere she’d been in a long time.  It was easy for her to smile suddenly, knowing that Fai wasn’t even in the same world. 

With dagger in hand, Niek sat down on the ground and started pulling up wads of grass.  Velry expected it to grow back, but to her surprise, the earth stayed barren as the woman pulled up all the vegetation.  “If you have more questions, ask now before I get this shortcut going,” she said, sweeping away the loose blades of grass.  Many of the caught on the unnatural wind and gently wafted down the hill towards the village.

“I suppose I’m most interested in how you’re so miraculously healed.  When Mathias and I brought you into that old house, you were a mess and getting much worse.  What changed?”

Niek thought long on the question, mulling over the answer carefully.  “I suppose you could say that I find cats to be very therapeutic.  Do you remember when I told you about soulbounds?”  Velry nodded.  “Well, I may have… gotten involved with a different kind around the time we met.  A soulbound corpse.  Instead of living on blood like a feeder, this entity drains away the very life of another person over a period of time.”

“Oh Goddesses above, why didn’t you say anything before?   That’s horrific!“

Niek averted her eyes and started cleaning the blade again, although it was clear and spotless.  “Because until now, you had every intention of making a run for it.  I didn’t want to give you more incentive.”

Velry looked down sheepishly, a little embarrassed that Niek had figured it out.  Though, given the circumstances, the girl supposed it probably wasn’t that hard to see.  “So, what changed?  Did you banish the feeder, or exorcise it?”

“I couldn’t bring myself to do it.  So instead, I’m using Puss as a filter to control the leeching.  The soulbound is now drawing from the cat and the cat is drawing from me.  On a whole, a cat takes a lot less out of me than a person.  That’s why I put you to sleep at the old house.  I needed you to be asleep when I reanimated this lovely little creature.  It’s a convoluted chain, but it feels better.  I’m not as strong as I was at the palace, but I’m not brain dead.  ”

She wanted to be mad, but honestly, she felt better knowing the truth.  Both why she blacked out and why Niek had been acting so strangely.  It explained the Keeper’s reaction when Velry had gone through the books.  “I’m sorry for all the things I’ve said in the past,” she said.  “What I said back in the village… About you not being a good person.  I take it back.  You’ve helped me more than I’ll ever be able to repay.  I am completely indebted to you.”  She folded her arms politely in front of her and humbly bowed to the Keeper. 

Nieked scoffed.  “Just stop getting yourself into trouble and it’ll be fine.  If everything goes as planned, we’ll get you home to your parents and then I’ll be on my way to deal with Fai.”  She went quiet for a moment, blue eyes falling quietly to solemnity.  Glancing up at the girl, Niek suddenly asked, “Speaking of trouble, how did you get into that mess earlier?  All Nort told me was that the Blood Queen tried to kill you and the villagers were getting riled up about you making accusations.”

Leaving no detail forgotten, Velry recounted everything from the moment she left the house.  As she spoke, Niek became visibly disturbed and worried.  When the girl finished, the Keeper was clearly alarmed.  “Shit,” she spat, going back to clearing the ground.  “If she threatened you with a Mender, that means she’s smarter than I thought.  I didn’t put it together before, but if she was using Selassa’s magic, then it’s a good thing you got out of there when you did.  But the more pressing issue is the business with Arcinthium.  If she really intends to go after Emperor Cyne, then we have a real problem.”

“You don’t think she was serious, do you?”

“After six hundred years of failed attempts, she was bound to change her plan at some point.  But she’s not going to waltz up to him and take him by herself.  No, they’d just lock her and the Emperor away and she’d be foiled again.”

“Well, then what’s the danger?”

“She never makes a move unless she has her loyal Blood Court with her.  I’d be willing to bet anything she’s intending to find a Keeper and bring some over.  If they can infiltrate several members of the government and the Council, then who knows what she could do.”

Niek began carving something into the barren soil with the dagger, and Velry watched carefully, saying, “What are we going to do?  We have to stop her.  I’ve seen firsthand the evil they are capable of.  I wouldn’t want them unleashed on an entire empire!”

“WE are doing nothing.  You are taking Puss and staying safe with your parents.  I’ve interfered with your life far too much and you deserve to be done with all of this mess.  I’ll deal with Fai.”

On the ground, the name Kelida was etched into the soil and the Keeper brushed away disturbed dirt.  “It’s because you’ve interfered with my life that I’m coming with you,” Velry retorted and she went to sit directly in front of Niek.  The Keeper was forced to look directly at the girl’s fiery green eyes.  “Don’t take this the wrong way, but from where I’m sitting, you don’t have an ally in the world.  There’s a troop of Guardians who know your face and I doubt it’ll be long before your name is passed out to every Disciple in the Living Realm.  Those circles and connections you have?  Will they still be willing to help you when you become the Council’s biggest enemy?  If what you say about being a Born Keeper is true, you’re about to be the biggest threat to the Council.”

“Oh, look at you deciding to be bold.  But tell me, Velry.  They know your face too.  You’ll name will be just as well-known as mine.  At least if you’re with your parents, they could hide you if it came to that.”

The girl shook her head, smiling slightly.  “No, they won’t know my name.  I have to hope that, despite everything, Mathias still cares for me enough to keep me out of it.  He’ll convince Mar Gor to forget about me.”

“You were the village fool in Deems, weren’t you?  Did you really not see that catastrophe?  He marched against you, Velry.  You protected a Keeper and according to the Council, you’re just as liable for the destruction of everything holy and good.”

“What?  No!”

Niek leaned over to scoop Puss up into her arms.  Firmly hold the black and white cat in her lap, Niek flatly respond, “We’re done talking about this.  Are you ready?”

Velry cocked her head, frustrated with the woman.  “Ready for w-“

Niek slammed the pendant onto the ground and spoke in the peculiar Keeper tongue and there was a blue explosion around them as the shifting world fell apart. 

14: Chapter Thirteen

 

 

The Goddess froze, her eyes flicking cautiously to the well.   She could feel the unmistakable presence of a living soul inside her realms, something that hadn’t happened in at least a hundred years.  With a few rattling steps forward, she approached the glowing swirl of energy, her true form that she’d mistakenly left, and peered deep inside its vast, swirling depths.  It was inimitable.  Even chained to a human body, removed from most of her power, she could feel the leech, one of Gahdur’s bastards, enter the Mirror. 

The chain around her ankle thrummed, sensing the woman’s presence as well.  Saryle let a giddy smile slide onto her lips as she leaned onto the edge, overwhelmed by the possibilities.  For twenty-three years she’d been trapped and tied to the well, and for twenty-three years she’d tried every tactic to get the key from Gahdur.  He was always too much of a prude to fall prey to her coy seductions, yet too neurotically strong-willed to cave into her rage. 

“It’s all for you,” she mimed, sneering as she remembered his words.  Her consort had long ago decided that it was his mission to restore faith in the Goddess in the Living World.  But he just couldn’t understand that she did not care about the mortals and she never had.  Even when her sisters took human men into their planes of existence, giving them power and eternities to live, she had not.  She instead created her own world, one she could change and shape at will.  She wanted to be left alone with her creative powers, but the other goddesses could not leave well enough alone.  They sent out their lovers into the world and the Lords began to preach of their power and benevolence.  Saryle rankled when she saw her sisters grow tenfold in power and then became infuriated when the others began to pity the loneliest Goddess. 

Perhaps it was in bad taste, and perhaps it was an unfair strike against her family, but Saryle had ripped the souls out of humanity and catapulted them into her own personal world.  Her siblings could have the humans and their love during their short lifetimes.  She would have their souls and their fear for an eternity.

Saryle spun around, running her hands nervously down the sheer fabric of her gown.  Her eyes darted about the room, her hands nearly shaking from tension and excitement.  This could be her chance.  This could be the moment she escapes her bindings.  A crazed laughed bubbled up and she covered her mouth, startled by the sound.

“Pull yourself together,” she mumbled, shaking her head and trying to focus.  The past was gone and Gahdur’s betrayal could not be undone.  She needed to, instead, find a way to break the bonds.  When the others had chosen Gahdur to be her consort, already given him power and a title, Saryle was furious.  But the little nervous man grew on her after thousands of years and he fashioned himself as her champion.  One regretful day, he tricked her into a human body so they could be together, but with the help of Erelel, Saryle found herself bound and chained while Gahdur skipped out into the Living World to copulate with some heathen.  He’d even taken a vial of her power with the intention of creating the most powerful Born Keeper.  The man had not realized the lasting effects he would have on the mother, however, because she did not have only one Keeper.  She had a two more years down the road. So instead, what he created was a little family of filthy leeches, directly tied to her and tapping into energies that were not theirs to command. 

“Don’t be angry,” he said, eyes furtively downcast as the Goddess howled with rage.  “The humans do not understand you, do not understand the world you have created for them after Death.  Your followers are persecuted and killed!  I will make sure these girls change all that!”

“You puny man, you don’t understand!  I do not care about their petty lives!  I don’t care about your insignificant existence!  Unchain me, now!”

But he didn’t.  Twenty three years into a prison sentence and she was still trapped.  She had a small bit of hope when the first prodigy inadvertently killed the youngest.  The chain weakened at the event and the Goddess cried out, overjoyed.   Her mirth quickly faded when Gahdur noticed the thin chain.  The Lord of the Lost went to give the human woman and gave her one more child- one completely unknown to the first born. 

But no matter.  If Saryle’s plan went smoothly, Niek would not have the chance to know her baby sister.  With Gahdur elsewhere, probably manipulating and pulling strings in mortal affairs, the Goddess took her opportunity.  If she could kill the oldest, she could weaken the chain.  Surely with the biggest drain on her magic gone, she could easily dispatch the last child. 

She thrust her hand into the swirling energy and cried out when it burned.  She’d been too long in this form and her own magic felt foreign to her.  She fought against the pain and began tweaking and turning, forcing her realms to buckle at her command.  If she could separate the Keeper and her toy, Niek would go search for her lost companion.  With enough luck, she could bring a few obstacles out of the higher levels to take care of the mess.  After all, living souls who spent too long in her world tended to become… distorted.  The mortals called them demons.  Saryle called them the answer.

It was time to play cat and mouse, and the Goddess grinned darkly when she felt her minions awaken in the darkness. 

 

15: Chapter Fourteen

 

 

Her body was ripped apart by the sudden explosion of magic and the girl became lost in a virulent storm of raw and rippling energy.  It was as if she were suddenly sprinkled amongst the stars- a soul ravaged by cosmic explosions and dusted across all of time and space.  Velry could not feel her body or her surroundings, only the chaotic distortion of her consciousness.  As she searched the boiling storm for any other signs of life, the once-girl felt others being ripped to and fro by the same peculiar magic controlling the fury. 

She could not discern who or what was with her, no matter how hard she tried to grasp at the energies around her.  However, her attention floated to something new in the cataclysmic power, something more prominent than the faint signs of life.  Even with each part of her scattered to the reaches of Saryle’s realms, she felt a warmth flourishing in the emptiness.  She felt it trickle through her soul and coil lazily around her mind.  It reminded her of the light right before they fell into the Mirror.

The longer she focused on it, the more Velry was certain that it was the same.  She could feel the familiar and welcoming pulse calling to her.  With each thrum of its refulgent heartbeat, pieces of her physical body began to come together.  Particles journeyed from the farthest reaches of the howling tempest and despite the magic, the girl found herself becoming whole in the presence of the light that now shone in the darkness. 

“Do not go there, Little One,” a man said from the space around her.  He was like a beacon on the sea.  “She would not have the strength to bring you back a second time.”

Words were difficult, but after a moment, Velry found her voice once more.  She was floating, the light drawing her closer in a suspended calm.  She wanted to go.  “I have to find it,” she replied, holding an arm out as she rose closer and higher, paying no attention to the man’s voice.  She did not know what kind of magic held her.  She did not know how she could be sitting on a hill one moment and disembodied the next.  She did not even know to whom she spoke.  The only thing Velry was certain of was the ache she felt deep inside, the yearning for the light.  Deep down, she knew it was where she belonged.

“You have to fight this,” the man said.  He was closer now, though still everywhere at once.  “This is not my realm and I do not have the power to save you.  But I can be your shepherd.”

Velry smiled, feeling bliss unlike she’d ever known.  “I do not need you, Shephard,” she said serenely.  “I am home.”

“You would leave Niek to face the dangers alone?  She needs you, Little One.  She is lonely and weak, and needs your strength.”

Velry fell silent and her ascent slowed.  Niek…  The girl blinked quickly, suddenly remembering the Keeper that brought her here.  How could she have forgotten?  “Who are you,” the girl asked, torn between the light above and the swirling torrent below.

“I am the Lord of the Lost, and I beg of you to follow my voice if you wish to help your friend.”

A shiver shot down the girl’s spine and if she were on solid ground, the young woman would have fell prostrate on the soil before the man she know recognized as Lord Gahdur.  “Great and benevolent Lord, please forgive for I did not know to whom I spoke. I hon-“

“You need not say anything.  Just leave the light, Little One.”

Velry squirmed, a discomfort growing at the thought of leaving the warmth.  Its pull was strong and despite the urgings of a demigod, she was reluctant to obey.  She waged a tumultuous battle in the seat of her soul and a gentle breeze wafted across her as she heard a sigh of relief.  She was descending. 

“Follow my voice.  We must find Kelida and reunite you with Niek before Saryle succeeds.”

“Succeeds in what?”

“In finally killing your friend.”

 

-----------------

 

After what seemed like an eternity, Velry found her senses had returned to her and she was back to a recognizable world.  Gahdur had carefully guided her back to the Mirror, and it was with shock Velry realized she’d been taken into the sixth level of the realms.  If she’d went into the light, there would have been no coming out.  After a test of wills, the girl managed to ground herself once more and said a silent prayer to the Lord for aiding her escape. 

Velry looked around to get her bearings and realized she was inside an inn.  She knew they were still in the Mirror, but there was no shifting or changing.  Everything was the same and she only had to assume that by going to whoever Kelida was, they’d managed to anchor themselves somehow.  Looking around now, Velry noticed how big the area was.  There was a lofted area with several rooms, as well as a set of stairs going down into what she guessed was a cellar or storage area.  The main room was large with a bar taking up the length of one wall, an old fireplace on the other.  The cat sat on the mantle, tail flicking nervously as it watched her.  Opposite the stairs, to her back, she noticed a door and two windows on either side.  Tables scattered the floor and Velry saw Niek sitting in one of the chairs, bent over with her hands covered her head.  She was rocking back and forth. 

“Niek?”

The Keeper did not respond.  Velry navigated the maze of furniture and bent down next to the woman.  She carefully placed a hand on the woman’s shoulder and Niek looked up, eyes red and tear soaked.  An entire spectrum of emotion flitted across her suddenly aged face and Velry noted worry, fear, disbelief and finally, utter relief.  The Keeper leaned forward and locked arms around the girl, her chest heaving with sobs.  Velry was taken aback, shocked to see the strong woman falling apart all of a sudden.  She patted the woman on the back, unsure of what else she could do.

“Kelida’s gone,” she howled in despair, and Velry pulled back and grabbed both of the Keeper’s shoulders.

“Niek, who’s Kelida?  How is she gone?”

She fell out of the chair and onto her knees and Velry held the Keeper and stroked her disheveled brown hair.  The braid had come out and it appeared that there were rips and tears on her clothing.  She’d been in a fight, that much was clear.  As the girl quietly shushed and comforted, Niek began to shake her head quickly.

“I tried, I tried to save her.  I couldn’t, Velry.”

“Shhh.  It’s alright.  Just tell me what happened.”

“Demons came.  A-a-and I couldn’t find you, and w-when I turned around, they were taking her.  They were taking my Kelida away!”

“Who’s Kelida, Niek?  Who is she?”

The woman crumpled further and Velry was quickly becoming worried.  Niek screamed as she threw herself to the floor, forehead thudding loudly on the wood.  She screamed into the grain, her nose squished against the dirty flooring.  She screamed until her lungs gave out and Velry watched helplessly as the woman only took another breath and did it all over again.  After what seemed like hours, she quieted into hushed tears, lacking the energy to continue with the exhausting grievous screams. 

“I wasn’t strong enough,” Niek muttered when she was finally spent.  “I never should have come here.  I should have let her be.”

“I can’t help you until you talk to me,” Velry said, grabbing Niek by the shoulder and helping the woman into a sitting position.  “What happened?”

“I watched them take her soul away,” she replied, staring blankly into space as tears ran and dried on her cheeks.  “After we were ran out of the village, my mother brought me here to start over.  She met an innkeeper and we moved in after they were bonded by a Siren.  It wasn’t long before they had a child together.  Kelida.”

“Your sister?”

Niek nodded and wiped away a tear, pulling her knees up to her chest.  “But Terl was evil- a vicious man, and he quickly realized that Kelida wasn’t actually his.  My mother had turned to a night with my own father once more.  And you know, I could handle a lot of things at that age, but I couldn’t handle Terl after her found out.  I took to sleeping out in the streets even though I had a warm bed.  I couldn’t stand being under the same roof as that man.  Kelida was spared since she was just small child, but my mother and I… We were never so lucky.  He knew what I was, so he relished in punishing me for being a filthy heretic.”

“Did this happen a lot?”

She nodded and Velry suddenly felt sorry for the woman.  Even though Niek was in her early twenties, Kelida saw her as a frightened child in that instant.  The way her eyes darted to different parts of the room and the way her breath caught, she could tell Niek still lived with the fear.  “This went on for years, but one morning when Kelida was six and I was thirteen, I came in to steal some bread from the cellar and I saw that he’d nearly killed her.  She was lying behind some barrels.  Just… lying there.  She was breathing, but it looked like every bone in her body was broken.  Kelida was there too and she was crying something awful.  Just bawling.  We both were.  I told her to go to the temple and find a Mender and she did.”

“What did you do?”

“I knew he was upstairs passed out.  He always was in those days.  So I left and did the only thing I was good at.  I raised a corpse.”

Velry’s eyes widened in shock.  “You did what?”

“I went outside of the city and into the graveyard on the hill.  I dug and dug until my fingers bled,” she said looking down distantly at her hands.  “By the time I’d reached the body, it was dusk.  I was just so… I was so angry.  I’d gotten my hands on some Keeper texts through some traveling folk, so I knew a little about the rituals.  Looking back, I should have known more about them, but I knew I had an innate power, so I let my anger guide me.  What came out of the grave was a rotting mess, but I was determined to avenge my mother.  I was determined to kill Terl.”

“Oh, Niek…”  Velry could not hide the sympathy she felt for the woman, and she felt water build up at the edge of her lashes.  A thirteen year old girl put into that position…  Velry didn’t know what she would have done give the circumstances, but she hoped she would never have to.

“I sat down against a tree and I figured out how to bind my eyesight to the monsters.  I wasn’t strong enough to kill the bastard myself, so I wanted to make sure I could see everything that happened when my creature ripped his heart out.  The thing about it all was…  A person can’t run on anger for long.  As I sat in the graveyard, I spurred the thing on and it burst through the inn, scaring all the people away and into the streets.  Tarl and Kelida came out to see, and Kelida screamed in terror.  I mean, I could even hear everything, and when the deed was done and I’d heard Tarl’s neck snap, I just sort of shut down.  Remorse, I guess.  Guilt, maybe.  But nothing compared to the moment that I lost control of my creation.”  Another sob echoed through the room and the Keeper had to hold her mouth to keep from wailing.

After a moment, she regained her composure, but Velry said how painful it was with the way tears flowed unabated.  “I- I couldn’t stop it.  I didn’t know the rituals, I didn’t know how to take it back.  But I was still tied to it and I watched as it tore through the inn.  I- I screamed when it turned on Kelida. She was b-backed into a corner and its hand- MY hand came down on her hard.”

Velry leaned over and embraced the woman tightly, horrified and yet sympathetic.  She had accidentally killed her own flesh and blood, forced to watch as a creature did the unthinkable.  There was nothing she could say.  Velry was speechless and only leaned her head against the Keeper’s. 

“That was the only time I ever prayed to the Goddesses and Lords,” she said so softly that Velry had to strain to listen.  “It was the only time I ever asked my father for help.  He came and took the creature away and severed my ties to it.  I’d always hated him for making me what I am, but at that moment, I’d never been so glad to see him.”

“Wait, who’s your father?”

“The Lord Gahdur.  A pretentious and manipulative little prick, but he’s the only real father I have.”

She was sent reeling, spinning into a chaotic dive that knocked the wind out of her.  It didn’t take long before she found the words to dumbfoundedly mumbled, “Shit…”  There were no other words to encapsulate the overwhelming shock and yet, she found it easy to accept after being personally escorted from the brink of permanent death from the Lord himself.  Suddenly, a lot of things made sense.  Niek’s conveniently timed rescue at the palace, finding the Guardians on the road, their vision, and even the cat.  It was all too convenient and yet, knowing that Gahdur was Niek’s father, Velry realized that he was willing to pull any string for his daughter. 

Another thought hit Velry, however, and she looked alarmingly at Niek.  “So, where is Kelida now?  This is the realm of the… of the…”

“You can say it.  The realm of the dead.  She’s been here ever since it happened, stuck at six years old for eternity.  She’s never left the Mirror, always watched our world.  No matter how much he seventh realm calls, she’s stayed here.  I talked to her from the other side often and I promised her that I’d find a way to bring her back.  I’d always hoped that I could...  That I could do a resurrection.”  Niek looked over at Velry, a sad smile on her lips.  “But it hasn’t worked right yet.”

“But where is she?  By the looks of you, something happened.  What?”

“I don’t exactly know.  I transported us here, but you got separated somehow.  I saw Kelida for a split second, and I turned to look for you.  When I heard her wail, I spun to see demons taking her away.  I tried to go after them and fight, but they aren’t like anything I’ve ever faced.  I’d always knew they were hear, lurking in the realms, but I’d never actually seen one.  I was helpless against them.  And now, for a second time in my life, I’m responsible for my sister’s tragedies.”

“Maybe we can get her back,” Velry suggested with a weak smile.

The door behind them suddenly swung open and the two women turned to see Gahdur standing in the doorway, panting heavily.  “You need to go!  Now!”

“Gahdur,” Niek said sharply, brows sharply downcast. “What’s wrong?”

“Saryle’s sending her demons back for you and they’ve got all the Blood Court coming to help.  You two need to get out of here, now!”   

16: Chapter Fifteen

 

 

Velry widened her eyes at the mention of the Blood Court.  A memory from what felt like another life bubbled up and the girl bit back rising panic.  At the campsite, Niek had said that Fai’s court was made up of thirty of her most trusted nobles, all of them tasked with aiding in the torture and sacrifice.  Niek had exorcised three of them at the palace, but Velry felt her chest tighten when she realized that the Keeper had sent them here.  Now, those same terrors were racing towards them with horrific reinforcements. 

The girl clenched her jaw and looked back at Niek.  “Get us out of here,” she said sternly, green eyes boring into Keeper with steely resolution. 

“What about Kelida,” Niek asked, ignoring Velry and tossing her hand in the air towards Gahdur.  “I am not leaving her.”

“Leave the child to me,” he said and in a swirl of gray smoke, he was gone, leaving nothing but lazy wisps in the doorway. 

“Fat bastard,” Niek mumbled before turning to look around the room. She appeared to be searching for something.  Her eyes alighted on the three barrels in the corner, beside the staircase leading downstairs.  She smiled grimly and pointed.  “Help me barricade the door with these.”

“You think that’s going to stop them?”

The two ran quickly over to the heavy barrels and as Niek pushed one over onto its side and began rolling it, she replied, “Not at all.  But it’ll hold them off until I can figure out how to get out of here.”

Velry stopped and stared at the woman.  “You mean you don’t know?”  Her voice was strained and slightly angry.

The woman stood the cask upright after she reached the door with it and motioned Velry to hurry up with the other.  Once it was in place, Niek went for the last one and with the girl’s help, managed to stack it on the other two.  “You know, I’m sorry,” the Keeper said with obvious snark.  “This is entirely my fault.  If I hadn’t been forced to think on my feet, hadn’t been forced to save you from angry villagers and insane Guardians, we wouldn’t be in this mess.  So please, accept my apologies for doing the only thing I could think of to get out of that chaos.”

“Save me from the villagers?  Save me?  If I recall, you’re the one who set the Guardians off in the first place!  I could have handled myself, but you showed up they went into that hive mind rage!  It’s because of you Mathias turned against me!”

Niek raised a hand, a silent rage burning in her eyes.  Velry could see the woman was seething, but she was equally enraged by the Keeper’s lack of foresight.  However, Velry bit her lip when the woman said, “We don’t have time for bickering.  We have to-“

“Hello, Playthings.”

Velry jumped backwards towards the opposite wall, but Niek stayed put beside the barrels.  The Keeper’s eyes flared blue for a moment while she looked at the door, but Velry felt a twinge of panic when she saw the woman begin to back up.  “There’s so many of them,” she murmured.  The way the power dimmed and vanished from her eyes, Velry could tell that Niek was taken aback. 

“A certain Goddess told us that our plaything had come to visit and that she’d brought us a Keeper as well.”  The thing on the other side of the door chuckled darkly as Niek came to stand beside Velry at the back of the inn.  “Normally, we only take orders from our Queen, but when a Goddess tells you to play, you tend to follow the order.”  A loud bang echoed across the large room and the barrels shook as something beat against the door.

“What are we going to do?”

Niek paled, her escaped brown hair hanging frantically in front of her face.  “I don’t know,” she whispered.  “I’ve never- I’ve never felt so many spirits at once.  And the demons…  Velry, I don’t know.  I don’t know, I don’t know, I don’t know.”

Before Niek could mutter another uncertainty, Velry reared back and slapped the woman across the face with surprising force.  The girl narrowed her eyes and said, “Now is not the time to give up.”  Another thud reverberated across the room.  “What happened to the woman who went into battle against the Blood Court with a wild smile and a massive sword?  What about the Keeper who fought against a feral feeder, despite being drained of energy?  What happened to her?”

“Don’t play that game,” she replied darkly, clearly aggravated by Velry’s implications.  “Things are different.  We’re stuck here and I have no idea how to get out.  Being reckless now will get us both killed.”

The stacked barrel teetered dangerously as the door was shoved open by a small crack.  Fingers and claws wiggled their way in.  Velry turned to stand directly in front of the woman who seemed to be breaking down. “What about your two warriors?  Summon them.  Make them fight for you like you have before.”

“I don’t know how to do that here.  The method is different here,” she replied shakily. 

“Niek, you are a Born Keeper.  You told me that things just happen, that you don’t need rituals.  If there was ever a time, now would be the best time for things to just happen.  Summon your warriors.  Now.”  Velry felt like she was suddenly talking to Sarry.  Despite Niek being at least seven years older, it was as if she were the responsible one.  “Come on, Niek, they’re forcing their way in.  If you don’t do something soon, they’re going to kill us both and you’re never going to see Kelida again.  If you give up, Fai is going to reach Arcinthium and summon this entire hoard to swoop down upon the city.   Do you want that?”

“No….  You’re right,” she said, opening her eyes.  She was tapping into Saryle’s power.  The Keeper’s eyes were fierce and blue once more, a cold vapor flooding the floor.  Mist snaked and whirled around the table legs until it reached the door and roars and hisses erupted as the beasts came in contact with unnatural fog. 

Niek stood up a little straighter and squared her shoulders back.  Velry could see her lip trembling a bit, but the creatures could not see that trace of uncertainty.  They only heard the woman’s strong voice shout out.  “My name is Niek Morenta, daughter of Genora Morenta and Lord Gahdur.”  The onslaught paused outside the door.  “You have taken my sister’s soul and I warn you now, I am not about to let that go unpunished.  Whatever power Saryle has over you, I assure you it’s nothing compared to the wrath you’ll face if you come through that door.”

“Pretty words, Keeper.  But I think we’ll take our chances.”  And with that, the windows blew out, sending glass spraying into the room.  Velry dropped to the floor and covered her face to avoid the shards that exploded into the inn.  She looked up to see Niek standing tall, pulling a piece of glass out of her arm as if it were nothing.  Her face seemed different than before.  Her brows here furrowed and her nostrils flared as the air became frozen with misty anger. 

The intruders paid it no mind as the most horrendous creations in the world began climbing through the two windows.  They appeared human upon first glance, but their faces were distorted.  It was as if some of them were blurred beyond recognition, as if Saryle had taken her thumb and tried to erase who they’d once been.  They didn’t even have mouths.  Others were completely intact, only exaggerated.  Their face was too angular, too pointed as if a force constantly pulled at them and tugged their skin in one direction.  Even their lips were pulled back until they were left with a permanently deranged smile and their eyes wildly open at all times.  There was no question.  They were demons.   

Velry jumped to her feet and pressed herself against the wall of the rising stairs.  She watched as the mist retreated from the monsters.  After at least six of them had entered, creating a wall in front of the door, the spirits entered close behind.  Velry didn’t know what to expect. She didn’t know what a soul would look like.  Once the vapor was far enough away for them to safely enter, she saw that they looked surprisingly normal- except for the gaping wounds all over their bodies.  Velry presumed it was from their slaughter at the palace.  The only other tell-tale sign was the ethereal quality to them.  They were opaque with swirling, icy orbs in the center of their chests.  It was as if that was the true soul and their bodies were merely an outer shell, a projection for the world to see. 

From her vantage point, she could see dozens more demons and Blood Court waiting patiently outside the window.  Velry looked over at Niek and nearly jumped when she saw the woman’s hair floating, suspended in the mist.  The aura had returned and the Keeper had a cocky smile, though she could see the rage building with the way the edge of her lip twitched and her eyes glinted just a little too wide.

What was going on with the Keeper?  She’d changed so drastically that she could feel the woman’s emotions smothering the room.  The creatures paid it no mind.  Instead, one of the Blood Court spoke up.  A woman with her throat sliced open, though in this world, she spoke quite clearly and with great malice.  “This little show will not save you.  I think it’s time to put you in your place.”

With no other warning, the demons lunged forward and Velry screamed as she dodged right to avoid a chair flying through the air.  The monsters were throwing furniture out of the way as they barreled forward.  Velry yelped and ducked, quickly taking to the stairs and heading up to the lofted area that looked over the main level.  From below, Niek screamed and her aura extended throughout the room, weaving around the demons that seemingly repelled it.  As it snaked around, the misty energy rolled straight at the Blood Court.  They howled with pain and rage.  In a familiar explosion, Velry saw the warriors appear from the fog in the same ancient armor.  In this world, they did not smell of decay and Niek took the spare sword and the three of them ran into the fray, ready to decimate Saryle’s servants. 

The warrior with the partisan used his weapon in a grand sweeping motion to knock many of the demons away while Niek and the other used their long claymores to follow up on the prone monstrosities.  The way they yowled in agony, Velry felt certain that they were made of some sort of flesh and blood and not quite as ghostly as the Court.  Perhaps they were living, physical humans who’d spent too much time in Saryle’s realm?  If Niek couldn’t get them both out, was that their fate?  She prayed it wasn’t the case. 

As Velry watched with noxious anticipation, the conflict below unfurled with dangerous ferocity.  While the inn was quite large, it was not enough for an overwhelming battle.  Niek and her mysterious warriors were not enough for the encroaching undead.  The Blood Court could not fall and the demons, despite being wounded over and over again, continued to get back up and fight.  Niek was swinging the sword as if it weighed nothing, and as it ripped through the air, Velry realized that the Keeper’s efforts would not be enough.  Velry was going to have to take things into her own hands.