The Exiled Princess

The Witch

Astrid woke to the sun's rays kissing her face and she was relieved to find only mild soreness as she stretched. The silver marks on her arm remained, a token she assumed was from the linking ritual Clara had performed.

As if summoned by her thoughts, Raiden appeared in the doorway, regarding her intently. "How are you feeling?" he asked.

"Much better," Astrid replied, smiling up at him. "Thank you for being here."

"I promised," he said simply. He set a small pile of clothes on the end of the bed. "Clara left these for you," he said. "They left this morning."

"Why?"

"The town heard about Greyfair," Raiden replied. "They all left. Clara said we could stay as long as needed, but we should probably move out as soon as you're able."

Astrid gingerly sat up, testing her limbs to make sure pain wasn't going to lance through her body once more. "Are the Fiends coming?" she asked.

Raiden nodded. "I can feel them on the edge of my senses," he said. "So they're several miles out still, but it would be best to get a head start, especially since you're carrying the Seal."

"It might be better if you kept it," Astrid said. "You're the superior fighter."

He grinned at her. "I thought you were pretty badass with it," he said, handing the crystal to her. "Besides, you're the remaining heir of Starfell. Chances are it will bind to you anyway."

"That leaves me with a question," Astrid said, rummaging through the clothes Clara had left. She held up a green shirt and studied it, trying to gauge whether or not it would fit. "I shouldn't have been able to use the Seal, right? Since I haven't gone through the ceremony?"

Raiden c****d his head. "In a sense. The Seals are considered sentient magic, so they are capable of making decisions within the bounds set by their creator." Seeing Astrid's eyes widen, he chuckled and waved for her to get dressed. "We can talk later. For now, we need to get moving."

*****

Raiden and Astrid didn't speak much as they traveled over the next few days. Astrid's body was still sore and weak from the Fiend's poison, but Raiden gave her an herbal tea each night that seemed to mellow out the effects. The two hadn't discussed the specifics of what would happen when they reached Calbern, and Astrid was surprised to find that she didn't care. The last several days had held much more excitement than she had ever really expected to find, and she was eager to see her journey's end. It felt like the only way to make it worth the pain she had experienced.

"So," Raiden said after hours of silence on the second day of travel. "Tell me about yourself."

Astrid gave him a sidelong glance, patting Baldur's neck absentmindedly. "What do you want to know?" she asked warily.

Raiden shrugged, turning in his saddle to meet her gaze. "I've met your father on a few occasions, and he was very tight-lipped concerning you. I think the only time he mentioned you was at this last Summit. He wanted to find a suitor for you."

Astrid flushed. "He wouldn't speak of me much," she muttered so softly that Raiden could barely hear it. "He's kept me locked up in the keep my entire life."

Guilt flashed through her. She still didn't know what her father's fate was, but the Seal had reacted to her, which could only mean...no. He couldn't be gone.

Raiden didn't say anything, but Astrid could still feel his gaze upon her. "Is...is there ever a time when the Seal responds to a family member without the Lord being dead?" she asked hesitantly. She didn't dare look at him, grateful for the wall of hair hiding her face.

"It's uncommon, but it happens," Raiden replied. "Like we talked about before we left, the Seals are considered sentient magic. They can make decisions based on circumstances, within the limits set by the sorcerers and sorceresses who created them."

Astrid looked at him curiously. "What's the difference between sorcerers and other magic users?"

"Like witches, sorcerers are born into their magic. It's powerful, uncontrollable. If I'm remembering right, they were wiped out by their own power decades ago."

"And wizards have more of an academic type of magic?"

Raiden c****d his head to the side. "That's a good way of putting it. They're born with the capability for magic, but it will fizzle out if they don't use it. They're the wand-wavers and spell-readers." He hesitated. "You should already know about stuff like this. All nobles are required to study the land's history."

"Father didn't like magic," Astrid answered. "I know the basics, like the different magic classes. I also know a lot about the Kleros, since they're such an important part of this country being developed and organized. But other than that..."

Raiden didn't speak for a long moment, then said, "Do you know if you're truly human? Maybe your mother met a fey and they--"

Astrid's temper flared. "Yes," she said. "I'm completely human."

"No need to get testy." Raiden stopped his horse, a dappled gray mare named Stormwind, and turned to face Astrid. "I'm just trying to understand. Your father kept you locked away, and the Seal's power is reacting strongly to you. I think there's a missing piece to this story."

"I'm not hiding anything from you," Astrid said flatly, pulling Baldur to a halt as well.

"I didn't think you were," Raiden said. "It's just--" His head jerked to the left, blue eyes flashing. "We need to go."

"You're the one that stopped us," Astrid pointed out.

"Come on," he grumbled, urging Stormwind into a gallop.

Astrid took a deep breath, then followed suit. Realizing that she was a novice rider, Raiden had been giving her a few pointers here and there, but Astrid still didn't enjoy the rocking gait of a gallop.

A horn sounded on the left side of the trail and Astrid swallowed hard. "What is it?" she yelled over the wind.

"Fiends," he called back. "I can sense them."

Astrid didn't have a chance to ponder this, as something whizzed through the air and narrowly missed her shoulder. She squeezed her eyes shut and held on for dear life, trusting Baldur to see her through this.

Raiden glanced back and despite the situation, snickered at Astrid's reaction. "You're going to want an eye open," he yelled over the wind. "The scenery is beautiful."

"I'm going to kill you," she muttered. He couldn't hear her, but the sentiment came across as she opened her eyes and glared at him. He laughed and focused his attention forward once more.

At first, it seemed as though the two travelers were going to outpace the Fiends. Their horses were fast and the path ahead was clear.

And then the dragon came.

At least, that's what Astrid thought it was at first. A massive black shadow filled the air around them and Raiden's curse floated through the wind. Astrid stared at the shadow as it stretched out a pair of mighty wings.

Raiden skidded to a halt, Stormwind rearing in protest at the sudden stop. "Go!" he bellowed, ushering Astrid onward.

She tried to protest that this was no time for heroics, but Baldur surpassed the Shadow Guard in a matter of seconds, rendering it impossible for her words to be heard. She let out a frustrated breath and pulled on the reins. Baldur slowed to a trot, allowing her to turn him back towards the huge creature.

The creature touched down onto the road with a mighty BOOM, emerald green eyes glittering as they focused on Raiden. Stormwind shook like a leaf in a winter storm, but didn't move. Raiden drew his sword.

A figure in black armor dismounted from the creature and stepped toward Raiden. "Drop your blade and hand over the Seal." The voice was husky, as if it wasn't used often, but it echoed through the air without a problem.

Baldur halted next to Stormwind and snorted nervously, eyeing the winged creature. Astrid took a moment to study it too, her curiosity getting the better of her. It was a giant black panther with feathered wings and piercing emerald eyes. "It's so cuuuute!" Astrid exclaimed, momentarily forgetting the danger they were in.

Both Raiden and the armored rider froze, turning towards her. "Seriously?" Raiden snapped. "I thought I told you to get out of here."

"This is ridiculous," the rider said. Now that Astrid was closer, she could hear the voice well enough to deduce it was female. "I'm here for the Seal. Hand it over and you're both free to go."

"Not an option," Raiden answered coolly.

Astrid could hear the eyeroll in the woman's voice. "Such foolish bravado. I don't know why I expected any less." The woman raised a hand and Astrid choked, clawing at her throat as it filled with water. "Hand it over, Shadow Guard. Or I'll drain your little pet of every drop of water in her body."

Raiden hesitated, then sheathed his sword and held up both hands in the air. "Alright," he said. "I'm going to dismount."

The woman in black armor nodded, but Astrid glared at Raiden. No way was he going to take the Seal from her neck and give it to the very people who would use it to destroy the world. She struggled to breathe, to force her body to function properly, but it was no use.

Raiden didn't even look at Astrid, just turned and rummaged through the saddlebags until he found a small pouch. He opened it, turned towards the woman, and flung its contents over her chest and arms.

Astrid's throat returned to normal as the woman shrieked in pain. Coughing and gasping for air, Astrid could barely make out specks of crimson powder glittering on the woman's armor. She couldn't understand why the woman was screaming; it didn't look as though it was piercing the armor at all.

"Go!" Raiden commanded, already mounted and urging Stormwind into a gallop once more.

The giant panther hissed and swiped at Astrid, but Baldur was faster. The horse reared up and flew into a gallop, quickly surpassing Stormwind in his hurry to leave the massive feline behind.

Something cracked through the air and Astrid looked back to see the woman holding a whip made of what seemed to be crystal-blue water. The woman snapped it at them again and wrapped around Raiden's left arm, jerking him and Stormwind backward. He growled and swung his sword with the other hand, severing the whip. It splashed to the ground, now nothing more than water oozing its way back into the earth.

This time, no shadow overtook Raiden and Astrid as they moved onward. They rode as quickly as possible until they reached the small town of Avendwil. Raiden refused to speak until the two were sitting in the town's tavern, which was busy for such a small place.

"What did you do to her?" Astrid asked, chomping down on her food like a madwoman as soon as it arrived. They hadn't eaten all day and she was starved.

Raiden watched her eat with a horrified fascination for a moment, then blinked and regained his composure. "It's Ashdust," he said. "When a witch is burned, her magic is so powerful that even when she turns to ashes, those ashes can be used against other magic users. It drains their power, if you have the right dust."

"The right dust?"

"The magical elements of fire and water cancel each other out," he explained. "The witch revealed her power over water as soon as she threatened to kill you. We're lucky I had some of it on hand."

"But you're a Shadow Guard," Astrid said. "Don't you fight Fiends all the time?"

"We fight minions all the time," Raiden corrected. "They're the dimwitted, leathery Fiends that attacked us at Grayfair. Lesser demons serve as generals over the minions, and I've fought only one of those." He shook his head dismally. "It took out half of the Shadow Guard right after I'd joined. Vicious thing."

"A lesser demon did that?" Astrid asked, horrified. Everything she knew about the Shadow Guard indicated that they were the closest thing to invincible a mortal could be. "If that's true, how bad are the greater ones?"

Raiden shrugged. "I've never seen one," he admitted. "The barrier keeping them trapped in the Night Realm is holding strong. The only reason a lesser demon slipped through was because one of the Seals was taken and used to open one of the Gates. He tore through just as it opened; otherwise he never would've been able to get through."

"One of the Seals is broken?"

Raiden gave her a sharp look. "It's been broken for years, though many people are unaware of it. That's why there are a few leaks here and there. No demons, lesser or greater, can come through the gaps in the barrier, but minions can move freely between the two realms."

"What about witches?" Astrid asked, a morbid curiosity filling her bones.

"While greater demons are considered the 'royalty' of Fiends, witches are considered the advisors." Raiden studied her as if looking for something specific in her face. "They're born in the Night Realm but still have power over one of the elements on this plane. None have been able to escape the Night Realm, but there are a few bloodlines that went into hiding when the barrier came up. That's likely where our new friend came from."

Astrid was quiet for a long moment, taking in the new information like a sponge soaking up dishwater. "Why do you think the witch wanted the Seal?" she asked at last.

"If she held onto it long enough, chances are that it would bind to her and she could use it to open a Gate," Raiden answered. "It would kill her, but witches are motivated enough to try anyway."

"Why would it kill her?"

Raiden gave her a sharp look. "Non-humans can't call forth the power of a Seal," he said. "It rebels against them."

"Aren't witches human?"

He shook his head. "They're part demon."

Astrid swallowed hard. "Is that what you think I am?"

"No," Raiden replied. "You don't have the markings of a demon-blood." He ran a finger down each side of his face, right below his cheekbone. "They have stripes indicating the color of their element tattooed along here. It helps contain their power."

"How?" Astrid asked curiously.

Raiden shrugged. "I have no idea," he said. "Besides being a...werewolf...I don't have a magic bone in my body and I don't fancy being a Striker, so I've never stepped foot in an academy."

"What's a Striker?" The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't quite place it.

"Magic hunter," he replied, a shadow crossing his face. "If a wizard or enchanter refuse to make the oaths to the Crown after their graduation, the Strikers take them in, or kill them. They usually drain the magic user of their power, torturing them for information on any other outlaws and using the drained magic to increase the Strikers' own power. It's a brutal group that works closely with the Kleros."

Astrid gaped at him. "But the Kleros are healers and prophets. How could they condone such things?"

Raiden met her gaze. "You've learned how easily corrupted humans are, Astrid." For whatever reason, a chill touched her spine as he said her name this time. "Even ones such as the Kleros aren't perfect."

The two fell into an uneasy silence as they finished their meal and walked to their separate rooms. Astrid was grateful that they were spending the night in an inn; tomorrow they were supposed to reach Calbern, and she wanted to be well-rested.