Mindbender (44 page)

Lacy fumbled for the key to the crypt as she raced for the door. She could hear the hoof beats of the horse as it came around and headed for her. The shouts of other soldiers in the distance frightened her and made her rush and she dropped the key.

“Watch out!” Saul called to her.

Lacy turned to see the soldier quickly dismounting and heading straight for her. His face was scarred and pockmarked. His teeth were yellow and crooked. His hair was stringy and greasy. And the look in his eye told her in a glance that he would have his way with her before he killed her.

She faced him in a low stance with her knife drawn and waited for his attack. He grinned as he stopped just out of range of her blade and sneered at her. Suddenly, he looked behind her and smiled. Lacy whirled to see if another man was coming, then realized her mistake in the same moment. There was nothing behind her but the door to the crypt. When she turned back to face her attacker, he grabbed her wrist with one hand and slapped her hard with the other. She was dazed for a moment while he wrenched her knife free and shoved her into the door.

When Saul called out a challenge to the soldier, the man spun to face him. Saul had just killed the man on the ground and was speaking words of power forcefully as he advanced toward the soldier threatening Lacy. But the soldier had a knife in hand. As he flipped it around and drew back to throw it at Saul, Lacy drove her boot knife into his back. He stiffened in surprise but couldn’t even muster a scream. She twisted the blade the way she’d been taught so long ago and the man slumped forward off her blade to his knees.

“Well done, Lacy,” Saul said. “Now open the crypt, quickly.”

For a moment, she stood mesmerized by the spectacle of death caused by her hand, but her trance broke when she heard the shouts of soldiers approaching. She snatched up the key and thrust it into the lock. A tingle of magic raced over her body as she turned the key and heard a muffled click. The door swung open to reveal inky darkness beyond. Saul led two horses into the darkness without a word and motioned for her to follow. Once inside, he quickly shut the door to the crypt and spoke a few words of power in the darkness. A faint magical light leapt from the tip of his staff and traced around the outline of the door, then faded. He held up his staff and the tip glowed brightly, revealing the entrance to the family crypt of Fellenden.

Lacy had never been here before but she had heard of it in stories about her ancestors. The antechamber was about twenty feet square with a high arched ceiling and a single door on the wall opposite the entrance.

Saul whispered a few words and touched each horse in turn. They calmed and stood quiet and still. He motioned for silence and led Lacy to the door. Once they were through and the door was closed, Saul breathed a sigh of relief.

“When they discover two of their horses missing, they will assume we have taken them and fled. Hopefully, they will attempt to pick up our trail and leave this place while we search the crypt for the correct tomb.”

“Won’t they try to search the crypt?” Lacy asked.

“They may try, but I’ve spelled the door. Without a wizard’s help, they won’t be able to open it. Come, it’s been many years since I was here last, but I believe I know the way.”

“What’s in this box and why is it so important?” Lacy asked as she trailed behind the wizard in the dark.

“The legend says that the last Reishi Sovereign created an item of such power and malice that it could bring darkness to the entire Seven Isles. To ensure he retained control over the device, he created a number of keys. One of those keys was stolen by the Rebel Mage during the war and given to the House of Fellenden for safekeeping. It was placed in this crypt and has remained here, hidden from the world and from magical detection, for all this time. It cannot be allowed to fall into Zuhl’s hands. If he discovers it and learns of its power, he may be able to use it to his ends.”

“What is this item? Could we use it against them?” Lacy asked.

Saul stopped and turned to face the princess. He held her with a very stern look for a long moment before he answered. “No, the legend says that Malachi Reishi’s greatest and most terrible creation would mean the doom of the world. As for what it is precisely, we don’t know. The Rebel Mage was careful to ensure that its true nature remained a secret.”

He gripped her shoulders and looked her straight in the eye. “The greatest duty of your entire bloodline is to prevent this key from falling into the wrong hands. Do that and you will preserve the world.”

Lacy swallowed hard then nodded. Her father had entrusted her with this task. She would honor him by living up to his trust.

Wizard Saul turned and resumed the winding path through the ancient tombs in search of the oldest sarcophagus in the crypt.

They found it after an hour of searching. The sarcophagus was made of marble and carved with an intricate scene of Carlyle Fellenden’s final battle. With a great effort, they pried the heavy lid loose and slid it open. The bones had long ago turned to dust, leaving nothing but a small box resting just beneath where Carlyle’s feet would have been. It was black as night and had no markings, hinges, or keyholes anywhere on its surface. Lacy lifted it from the tomb and inspected it carefully. Her curiosity burned to look inside but she didn’t know how to open it, even if her father hadn’t forbade her from doing so. She wrapped it in a piece of cloth and put it in her pack. Then they replaced the heavy lid of the sarcophagus and made their way to the antechamber where their stolen horses waited in a magically induced state of calm.

“Have something to eat and get some rest,” Saul said. “We’ll have to wait here at least for the rest of the day, so we might as well take advantage of the time and safety.”

They stayed in the darkness of the antechamber until well past sundown before venturing forth. The woods were quiet when they opened the door and led their horses out. Lacy resealed the crypt with the ancestral key before mounting up.

They headed out into the night, moving quietly and carefully to avoid any soldiers who might have remained behind. The plains surrounding the butte were wild grasslands with no cover for miles. When they reached the base of the butte, a man standing in the middle of the trail waiting for them. Saul stopped and searched the surrounding area for any sign of other enemies but saw none. Lacy wasn’t sure what to make of the single soldier standing in the middle of the path—until he spoke. There was something about his voice that wasn’t quite right, almost like he was being tortured from within.

“Give me the keystone and I will permit you to live, for now,” he said with a hint of menace.

Saul started muttering words of power. The man began to advance toward them, not quickly, but like a man who has the advantage and knows it. Saul released his spell and a burst of invisible magical force caught the man in the chest and knocked him back ten feet, crushing his chest in the process. He was dead when he hit the ground.

What happened next threatened to overwhelm Lacy’s sanity. A shadow rose up from the corpse and looked straight at her. Its eyes glowed with malice and it began sliding through the night toward them. Saul gasped with sudden realization of the enemy he faced and the cost of it gaining the treasure that Lacy carried.

“I won’t be here to protect you anymore, Lacy,” Wizard Saul said with a slight tremor in his voice. “You must go on alone now. The shade will take me and I can’t stop it; I carry too much guilt from past deeds. If you see me again, run, I won’t be myself. That thing,” he pointed at the shade moving toward them, “will be in control of my body and my magic. No matter what happens, protect that box and know that I believe in you, as did your father.”

With that, Saul drove his dagger into the neck of his horse and slipped off the dying beast to face the shade. As it reached him, he broke his staff and tossed the pieces aside. The shade flowed into him. They struggled against each other for several long seconds.

Lacy sat atop her horse, frozen with a mixture of curiosity and horror as she watched a beast beyond her imaginings destroy her protector.

When Saul looked up at her, she could see the eyes of the demon through his and the sound of his voice was somehow wrong when he spoke.

“Give me the keystone and you may live, for now,” he said.

“What are you?” Lacy asked.

“I am Rankosi. Now give me the keystone!”

Lacy kicked her horse into a gallop and charged into the night away from the terrifying creature. The scream of rage that rose up behind her was not of this world.

Chapter 26

“You’re going to do what?!” Abigail said.

“I’m going to fight Gabriella to the death,” Isabel said firmly.

She was still angry at the turn of events. It was clear now who was behind the attempts on their lives during the time they’d been on the fortress island. If for that reason alone, Isabel was happy for the opportunity but there was much more at stake. Gabriella was a triumvir. If Isabel killed her in a challenge, she would take her place in the triumvirate. That would give her a voice in deciding the course of the Reishi Coven and the Sky Knights. They would make powerful allies and add to Alexander’s army a capability that was difficult to match. She knew she was taking a terrible risk but it was well worth it, considering the potential gain if she succeeded—if she survived.

“She’ll kill you,” Abigail said as she started to get out of bed.

Isabel stopped her with a gentle hand on her shoulder. Abigail was still bruised and beaten up from her fall into the ocean. Her recovery was coming along better than anyone had any right to expect but she was still stiff and weak.

“No, she won’t. I’m going to kill her,” Isabel said with deadly seriousness.

“Isabel, I know you’re angry. I am, too. That witch tried to kill me,” Abigail said, “but think about what you’re doing. She’s a high witch. Her magic is beyond you. Don’t do this.”

“I have to. As long as Gabriella is alive, she’ll keep trying to kill us both. Sooner or later, she’ll succeed and then any chance we have of bringing the Reishi Coven and the Sky Knights into this war on our side will be lost. You know what Alexander will do if one of us dies here.”

“Exactly my point,” Abigail said. “Gabriella’s dangerous. What makes you think you can beat her?”

Isabel smiled without humor and touched her necklace. She hadn’t spoken to anyone except Abigail about the power Desiderates had given her and she wanted to be sure that no one found out about it until it was too late for Gabriella. Isabel’s plan hinged on Gabriella coming to the battle on her wyvern, and she expected as much. The rules were clear. Any and all weapons were permitted. It only made sense that Gabriella would come to the battle with everything at her disposal.

“You’re playing a very dangerous game,” Abigail said. “I really wish you’d reconsider.”

“There’s too much to gain in one stroke,” Isabel said. “If I defeat her, I will become a triumvir.”

Abigail looked at her sharply. “Are you sure?”

Isabel nodded firmly.

“That certainly would change things,” Abigail said. “Magda seems like she’s willing to throw in with us already. With your voice on the triumvirate . . . still, are you sure you can beat her? If she kills you, all is lost. Alexander will destroy this place and everyone in it.”

Isabel nodded seriously. “I know. That’s why I have to win.”

“Take my bow,” Abigail said. “They said any weapon at your disposal, right? Well, it’s at your disposal.”

“I hadn’t considered that,” Isabel said, “but I doubt I’ll be able to get to her with a normal weapon. She’s bound to come prepared.”

“Take it anyway,” Abigail said. “Use it as a distraction or a ruse. She might think you’re desperate if you come to the field with a sword and a bow. My father always said the most powerful weapon on any battlefield is deception.”

“You have a point there,” Isabel said, considering her strategy.

Until now she had allowed emotion to drive her, and she hadn’t fully thought through her battle plan. Abigail’s bow would certainly add to her capability, even though she knew she would never win the day with weapons. Magic would be the deciding factor in this battle. She just had to trust in her newfound power.

There was a knock at the door of the bedchamber and Lita peeked in. She stepped back and Magda entered, stood at the foot of the bed, and put her hands on her hips. She was angry.

“Gabriella will kill you, Isabel,” Magda said. “She’s a powerful, intelligent, and very devious witch with years of experience. Let me fight in your stead.”

“Thank you, Magda, but I can’t.”

“Why not?” she demanded.

“Because there’s much more at stake here than just my life,” Isabel said. “If I defeat her, then I take her place on the triumvirate, is that not correct?”

Magda frowned deeply and nodded. “Yes. But she will kill you!”

“If you fought in my stead and she killed you, what then?”

“I doubt she would defeat me but I see your point,” Magda said. “Still, there are other options.”