Rising Storm, page 64
The twins, beyond exhaustion and pain, neared the magical gate. The water was easier in flow, and it allowed then to ease up on the furious paddling they spent grueling hours doing. The boat bumped lightly into the dock, Inline throwing the rope over the post to secure it before pulling it close. He climbed up and just collapsed to the dock followed by Zaire.
"I may actually sleep like a rival tonight," she said closing her eyes, her body threatening to collapse there.
Inline forced himself up, weakly pulling on her arm for them to get back inside. The stone door closed behind them as they reached the house door. The key clicked and the door opened to two new guards as two drillings entered.
"Halt," the first one called, the command almost as effective as spell.
Zaire was not in a good mood anymore, her face showing the agitation in the dross's derivation. She spun on her heals, holding up her house insignia and began chewing the guard out. He looked to his companion and shrugged. The other took the disk from her inspected it, much to her annoyance, before returning it and also checking Aniline's. When sure they were not imposter, the guards sent them along.
"Should we report this?" the younger guard whispered to the older one. He could only shrug confused.
Zaire closed the door behind her, leaning on it to pull off her dirty boots and tossing them to the side. She headed for her soft bed, the belt clanking onto the fur rug and her pack and FWIW dropped onto the desk. Stumbling to her bed she collapsed onto it with a content smile, her head falling nicely onto the soft silk pillow. Inline did likewise, slipping off his boots and pushing them into his closet and dropping his belongings onto his Kirkwood desk. He barely made it to the bed before falling into an actual sleep.
A knock at the door less than a minute after closing her eyes was heard. Zaire groaned, pulling the pillow over her head. The knock intensified, startling Inline in the next room. He too groaned pulling his blanket over his face as the knocked next door continued.
Ladybird opened the door, rolling her eyes. Instead of trying to fight with the girl she headed straight into the washroom for a bowl of water. Zaire didn't miss the footsteps onto the ceramic floor, already knowing what the woman was after.
"I thought we had this time off," came from under the pillow.
"Yes, there have been some change of plans."
Zaire groaned louder clearly making her protest heard.
"I have the water. Shall I use it?"
Again a pillow sailed at Ladybirds head, the half drop nimbly stepping aside of the clumsy toss. She stepped up to the bed noticing the girl was already dressed and rather dirty. A glance around she saw the muddy boots, the cloak and the backpack out. The smell of moss permeating around her and her stuff. She then noticed the dark coloration around her neck.
"Wild night?"
A grunt from Zaire but she did not move. The bowl was set on the nightstand so Ladybird could begin to go through her stuff, particularly the backpack. Zaire shot up, tossing a blade at the woman, it sticking fast into the desk. Ladybird stopped, her eyes flashing. She turned on her heel and crossed her arms daring the girl.
"I am up. So you can get lost," Zaire snapped sitting on the edge and letting her feet drape off the side.
"Good. You don't have time to bathe and eat. I suggest you choice quickly."
"Whatever," stepping onto the fur rug and heading to her washroom.
Xix
Inline was actually given another hour before the knock on his door came. As worn out as he was, and Ladybird could plainly see it, he was still easier to get up and going. He yawned and sluggishly got up.
"I would suggest a bath right away. Today, you are to be in the alchemy lab."
The boy sniffed his shirt before pulling it off and tossing it into a basket. Starting towards his washroom, he turned to look at Ladybird with a confused look but said nothing as he got into the cold water.
Inline washed and ate quickly before heading to meet with Summarizes. He wasn't sure what was in store for him, but it no doubt included cleaning of some sort; he always cleaned the areas slaves were not allowed. Soon, he knew he would be promoted. At least he hoped. Inline paused and stood at the thick stone door in thought over his options. Not that the drooling male had any, but it was nice to pretend. The wizard opened the door and ushered the boy in quickly.
The tables were cluttered with papers, scrolls, equipment, and other things a powerful wizard needed, the same as it always had been. What was different was a candelabra of six red wax candles all lit. Each were tiny flames, but to his eyes it was a brilliant intrusion. Inline flinched but his eyes adjusted accordingly. Rather quickly Summarizes noted. A desk, off to the side with a single candle was piled with tomes, parchments, and ink. The house wizard, his face a scowl, was dressed different than Inline had ever seen. A blue wizard robe of spiders, trimmed with silver and white geometrical arcane signs along the arms, and sides. Inside the robes were purple velvet and designs that resembled an ancient language. Unknown to any but the wizard was a dozen of hidden pockets containing all his spell components, wands, and spell book. His black leather belt held an ivory wand and dagger. Navy blue plain leggings and knee high boots that were re-enforced with adamantine were visible when he walked and the robes parted. Inline guessed this was one of his ceremonious or teaching robes. Three rings adorned each hand, the magic energies surrounding each powerful; but not as powerful as the amulet on his neck. It glowed with some power the boy could never guess, much less imagine.
"Sit," a slight metallic rasp beneath his melodious level voice.
The wizard remained standing erect and graceful as a dancer, hands behind his back as Inline took a seat at the desk prepared for him. Summarizes closed the door of the lab with his foot; the door magically silenced so that it made no noise. Inline saw the slight irritation in his brothers face and was sure today would not go so well. Being exhausted and barely conscious would make the day worse. His eyes began to droop, when the slamming of a tome before him startled him.
"The matron mother asked I begin you in magic. Thus you are with me until it's decided otherwise. Understood?"
Inline nodded, then gulped.
"All elves can become proficient in magic. Every drop possesses a degree of magical talent and innate abilities. What I will do is teach you how to harness these abilities through research and learning."
Summarizes opened the tome before Inline. The pages were blank except the first page. On it was filled arcane words that Inline couldn't read.
"This will be your spell book until you make your own. This for your own researched spells," Summarizes began, "Never allow another wizard access to your spellbound. Never share secrets. And never read magic with untrained eyes!" He closed the tome and scooted it to the side. Pointing to another book, Inline grabbed it and set it before him, opening to the first page.
"First things first," watching Aniline's reactions to what had been said, "there is more to magic than just flinging magical energies. First a spell requires a spoken incantation. These are what are written in a spellbound. Many spells require a measured and precise movement of the hand."
Summarizes traced a deft, magical pattern in the air with the fingers of one hand, pulling out a pork rind, all while chanting the words. The magical energy grew and the wizard created a greasy coating on Aniline's stool. The boy jumped up to see the effects of the simple spell.
"As you also saw, many spells require one or more physical substances or objects as the catalyst. These objects are kept in your spell component pouch. A wizard must always keep these around, for spell components are annihilated by the spell energies in the casting process."
Summarizes then began another spell, his dexterous fingers moving delicately, a diamond in hand given to the boy. Diamond dust was then sprinkled on Inline as he neared the end of the words and focused on the diamond in the boy's hands. The effects were instantaneous and the spell landed on the boy.
"Many of the more powerful spells have a focus component," he stated hand reaching for the diamond. As soon as it left the boys hands the spell was gone from him.
Xix
Zaire sat down in her chair in the study and leaned her head on the desk. Lying hadn't arrived yet, so the girl would close her eyes until she heard the door creaked. 'It would only be a few minutes,' she told herself. However, Zaire fell hard asleep and did not hear her sister enter the room. Lying smirked, as she walked over to the girl snoozing on the desk. Waiting a few minutes and nothing happening, her boot went on the stool leg and pushed out. Zaire awoke then as her seat carried her to the fur rug, landing on her left side. Her eyes blazed crimson red as she looked to her sister. The girl had nothing on her at the moment to throw at her sister.
"Get up, now! I have a new lesson in mind for you."
Zaire too tired to come up with a response got up, putting the stool upright but not sitting onto it just in case her sister wanted to push her again. Lying motioned for her to sit. A purple candle was light, the bright intrusion startling the girl for a second. Following the candle was a sickly-sweet incense. Lying then sat a leather bound tome down before Zaire. On the cover was words or symbols or both she didn't know. The large symbolic spider however was distinct. It was some unholy text, she guessed, of the Spider Queen. It made her uneasy as she stared at it, a cold darkness that ran down her spine.
"You should already know the basics of being a priestess of Lott," Lying began, her back to Zaire as she paced in front of the desk and began her spill, "Soon you will be feeling the draw, hearing the call," the older sister paused, spun and stared at Zaire, amber eyes to maroon, "The ultimate aim of every priestess is to achieve and keep the Favor of Lott. In doing this you gain and keep limitless and ultimate power."
Zaire was barely paying attention, but she had become a near expert at pretending to listen while someone droned on in the background. What was harder was the ability to remain awake. Soon images of returning to the cavern blurred everything. She eventually missed anything that was said. The girl nodded when Lying stared her face to face. Pleased, the older sister left Zaire alone with the tome, a smirk on her ebony face as she headed down to the first floor. Looking back to the door, then to the book, Zaire then just laid her head onto the desk and closed her eyes.
Zaire walked through the white powdery stuff piled around her ankles. Tall plants were similar to the stalks of the giant mushrooms with a strange green cap way above her head all around her. Her hood down, a breeze blew thru her red-streaked silver hair. The same white stuff that was on the ground began falling around her, gathering in her hair and melting into water once it sat on her warm face. She reached out to catch it in her bare hands, but it became ice cold water.
Zaire looked up at the strange plant and for no reason at all, tried to climb it. Their wasn't much of handholds this low and she lost grip the first attempt. Determined, she activated her levitation floating up to a low branch. The top part of the 'mushroom' was green spiky and bundled in clusters. Out into the horizon and thru the green canopy of plant material was a vast and endless 'cavern' ceiling far above and as brilliant as the black sapphires that drop loved. A large round disk in the sky, brilliant white, was just barely peeking out from behind the distant land. Dotting the sapphire sky were thousands of lesser lights that to her eyes showed not only white, but host of other colors. Everywhere she looked was green, bright and vivid in the brilliant light of the moon. She couldn't believe that was the dreaded sun. Her eyes were violet, not blue with fear nor crimson with anger or hate. It was nothing like what she would have expected, experienced none of the fear or loathing she had been taught she should feel. Rather a consuming lust to see such wonders and adventure.
Sounds of slivery music reached her keen ears from far in the distance. The sound was so intriguing and clearly drop in nature. But instead of conveying dark fears or lust, it seam to give a since of a new feeling, joy. A compelling and drawing, similar to what she told she would feel from the Spider Queen. Was this Lott?
Levitating back down, she continued to trudge on in the direction she guessed it came from. The sounds of a soft pounding and creaking stopped her. Zaire fell to the snow clutching her head as the pounding echoed in her mind and was nearing an exploding point.
The dwarf slave, a once proud Drudger now reduced to a blacksmith slave of Cilantro, was covered in black suet from the furnace. The leather apron around his waist held the few tools that he was allowed. In hand he held months of hard work, a black metal ring. In the metal was eight tiny silver spiders with ruby chips for eyes adorn in an engraved web design. Matching it, a fang-shaped crystal dangling from a loop of finely wrought silver chain in the center of a spider medallion.
He knocked softly a few times before opening the door. His face was scared badly, the prominent old wound running from the left side of his face, across his eye and nose to the corner of the right side of his lip then running down his neck to hide beneath the slave collar. His skin was charcoal grey with a bald bed and a snowy white beard matched with an equally stolid expression. His own reddish tinted eyes looked surprised to see the napping drooling. He pulled the door realizing he had the wrong room, backing up into a metal tray and the Halfling carrying the lunch. The plates, the mug, and the newly crafted jewelry clanked loudly to the bare marble floor.
Sera's head flew up from the desk with a startle and confused where she was for a moment. The scrambling slaves cleaning up were on the edge of her vision, but her mind was still in among the mushroom like plants and white powdery stuff. It had to be what some called a dream. The desk just high enough to make things worse, the Halfling set the tray of spilled food before the girl rearranging the items, trying to clean up the mess. She fully expected punishment, her eyes cast low as every slave had to for a noble. When no strike or attack was forthcoming, she dared a peek to the girl staring off to the ceiling.
"I will return with a replacement," the slave softly spoke, her voice interrupting the girl.
"Whatever," Zaire replied waving her off and too caught up in her thoughts to care either way. The Halfling exiting the room turned to Zaire calling her back and running up to meet her. "Bring me the grey pack under in the bottom drawer on the nightstand in my room and I'll consider forgiving you this mess," she whispered into the slave's ear.
"where?"
The Halfling nodded and hurried out to accomplish the task. Returning in five minutes, bag in hand, the slave handed it over. Again Zaire dismissed her with a wave and sat back down onto the stool. The Halfling surprised the drooling didn't call her to be punished, wasted no time in getting back down to the first floor. The first book came out and was sat on the desk, the unholy book of the Spider Queen scooted over to accommodate her own tome.
The entry was a similar to the one she had just dreamed about. However the writer of the journey used words she didn't know the meaning of. With no pictures in this book, another book was set beside it to find articles and entries on the words she read over. She flipped all through the book, no words of 'bluebirds' or 'needlessly' pines were found. Had she understood they were trees, she might have searched for 'trees'. The rest of the day was spent in this task, until she fell asleep again upon the books.
Eventually her dream took a very dark turn.
Soberly was barely breathing as she lay sprawled on her stomach on the cold stone; a pool of red liquid ran towards the girl's bare feet. The sword in hand was covered in dark blood. Zaire stood stunned for a moment.
"Feel the cold steel in your hands, swing your weapon, feel the icy touch of your blade soar through the air and pierce their skin and draw blood. Watch the life in their eyes fade as you pull that two edged blade out. Lott is not a merciful deity."
The scenery changed again. Only this time they were in the House chapel. Soberly was shackled and restrained to the spider shaped altar. Pungent smells of burned incense and blood reached her nose. The braziers on each side were lit giving a yellowish glow to the room. A haze thick as soup was over the room. Zaire stood beside the altar, looming over her paralyzed sister, the ceremonial blade in hand- a spider-shaped adamantine wavy kuris whose eight descending legs were the blades. The smell of poison mingled with the rest of the awful smells of that chamber. A poison greatly favored by matron mothers for use in their tortures. Brewed from the venom of the ghostly, it attacks the central nervous system, rendering its victim completely incapable of movement, though fully capable of feeling pain.
"What do you want?" a soft raspy feminine voice asked.
She held the knife over the heart of the immovable Soberly, looking into her eyes with strangely blackish hued lifeless orbs. A color no one had ever seen in the mood shifting eyes of the girl. Years of boiling and simmering hate. Something egged her on as she raised the blade higher in preparation, nothing to stay her hand.
Whispers of 'yeses' just barely audible continued to goad her.
"DO IT"
Xix
The tall and lanky female was built lean like a runner. Instead of the dark beautiful ebony color skinned, she was a paler ashen grey with short shoulder-length bluish slivery hair. Somewhere along her family history was non-drop ancestors; this left her with a rather unremarkable plain appearance. A perfect undercover agent, a Masked Traitor. Usually such priestesses who play the deadly game worked in Loot's clergy, but this one instead was sent into the rival rebel base- to pretend to be a former spider-kisser pretending to be a seeker and follower of the Dancing Lady. Vaster was up to the challenge. The goal while spying was eventually taking out Lady Relate. Shamed believed the house would not be able to maintain its facade if the priestess was removed, and thus either destroy itself or call the council down on itself.
