Dominion of Darkless

An Introduction of Sorts-2

“The castle?” What would it be like for her, returning to a place that in her mind she’d only just left?

“Of course. I said I wanted you to train her. She can try to run, but wherever she goes — there you will be waiting for her. How long do you think it will take her to stop running?”

“It may take a while.”

The master laughed. “True. And won’t it be amusing to see what she tries next?”

“My lord, I’m not a young man. Jauer is trained. Can’t he…?”

“No, Nian. I do not want Jauer. I’ve told you that before.” The Shadow Lord straightened and walked slowly across the clearing. “I do not mind you training him if that amuses you, but he will not serve my purposes. I need Elainya, and I need you.” He paused, his deep eyes holding Nian’s. “You were a delight when you were young.”

The master brushed his hand lightly over Nian’s cheek. “I enjoyed training you.”

The deceptively gentle hand rested on Nian’s shoulder. He suppressed a shudder and swallowed to regain his voice, but no words would come.

“Why didn’t you ever try to run away, Nian?”

Nian looked deeply into the demon’s eyes. “Because, my lord, I have always known there was nowhere to run.”

Fenshad laughed. “How wise you are, and how respectful. With you it is always, ‘my lord.’”

“Yes, my lord.”

“How long has it been, Nian, since you last spoke to me with disrespect?”

Nian did not move away from that lingering touch, but he felt his throat grow dry at the memory. “Thirty-seven years, and one summer season, my lord.”

“Such long and faithful service deserves some form of reward.” He ran his hands down Nian’s shoulders. “You’re right, you are too old to be chasing around after Elainya. Your joints ache, don’t they?”

Oh, how they ached! “Yes, my lord.”

“I could make you young again. You’d be more than a match for your young apprentice then.”

Nian didn’t dare to breathe at the hope he felt stirring in his heart. He tried to hide his reaction, but he knew the moment the master saw the flicker behind his eyes, because the demon’s smile grew raptorial as he leapt upon that faint hope. “No, no, of course not. It won’t work to have you young. She needs to respect you. What I can do, however, is to remove those aches.”

Fenshad gripped Nian’s shoulders until they popped, sending a sharp pain through his shoulders and down his spine.

The lightning bolt of agony rippled down his legs and out through his feet. The Shadow Lord released his hold and stepped away.

Nian staggered and managed to catch himself upon the tree.

“There now. How does that feel?” the demon asked.

“I don’t know.” Was it a trick? He mentally searched through his body looking for any hidden surprises the demon might have planted. “The pain is gone.”

The demon paused to check the fingernails of one hand, flicking away a speck of dust. “I suppose I could train her myself….” The master ran a hand over his hair. “Yes. She would be entertaining. Would you rather I had her taken elsewhere? I could relieve you of the…burden of her presence.”

“No, my lord!” Nian brought his voice under control. “I understand. I will do as you wish.” The old aches were gone. He felt energetic, able to move and dance. “Thank you.”

The master smiled, but his eyes were cold. “Don’t question me again, Nian.”

“No, my lord.”

Nian bowed his head for a long moment, and when he looked up, the demon was gone. Elainya’s return was making him careless, rash. With a steadying breath, he mounted Singe and rode to the castle to wait for Elainya.

Elainya

I came to with my eyes covered by some form of blindfold, and my hands securely tied in front of me. A filthy rag had been shoved into my mouth, and then tied roughly behind my head, snagging my hair and pulling uncomfortably. The rag tasted of sweat and dirt. I gagged.

“That’s too tight, you’re choking her.” The voice came from my right and held the high-pitched tones of youth.

My head was dropped unceremoniously into a pile of leaves. “Of course, Joln, I suppose you’d rather she used her magic on us all. I’m sure she’ll be more comfortable after we’re dead.”

I recognized the voice of the taller youth. “She spoke to him, but she also looked at him. There’s no telling whether her magic lies in her hands, her eyes, or her voice. I’m not taking any chances.”

A third voice, presumably my unseen attacker, intervened. “Kreig is right. We cannot take any chances with a person of her persuasion. We will take her to the king.”

I felt a hand testing the gag. The cloth loosened a bit. “Still, I do not think we need to be cruel about it. After all, knowing Jeiwan, she was probably provoked.”

Kreig snorted. “Well, I’m not carrying her. She can walk.”

I felt gentle hands under my elbows. “Are you awake? I regret the necessity to restrain you, but surely you understand our position.”

I nodded carefully, and winced when the gag pulled out another strand of hair. This third companion at least had manners. He lifted me to my feet. “She is light as a feather!”

“That’s fine, Tromas,” Kreig said. “If you find her so light, go ahead and carry her. I’ve got my hands full with Jeiwan.”

I felt myself lifted over Tromas’ shoulder. With a cheerful whistle to the dogs, my captors set off.

I took a deep breath, tried to dispel the dizziness that surrounded me, and choked again on the foul rag. I let my senses wander over the ache in my head. No permanent damage, at least. My natural talent sped the healing.

Something had heightened my abilities. I could feel the power coursing through my blood even now, washing away the sense of weakness. Could I escape? Possibly, but then where would that leave me? At least this way I would get inside the castle. Perhaps I could still salvage the situation, as long as I remained calm.

Who knew what I might be capable of now? I didn’t want to hurt anyone…else, I thought guiltily. Knowing that I could escape if I wanted to was some comfort.

Maybe whatever I’d done to Jeiwan was somehow a result of being out of touch with my body since I’d wakened from the spell. I’d felt awkward and unbalanced. Maybe my abilities were out of kilter… or maybe they’d been changed by my pact with the demon. What had that magician said? Something about gifts…. I shivered.

The three companions were silent as they walked on, and I tried to figure out how far we were from town. My captor smelled of forest and wood smoke. He didn’t smell as if he’d been sleeping rough. He might have eaten breakfast at a camp in the woods, though. I didn’t remember it being far from the cave to the castle. My stomach growled loudly at the thought of food.

“This woman is starving!” Tromas’ voice laughed as I was jounced along. “Do we have anything she can eat? No wonder she’s so light.”

“What are you planning to do, untie her?”

“I have some rolls in my pack,” Joln’s young voice offered.

Tromas stopped and set me gently on my feet. “Well, witch, we have a problem. I would like to feed you, but my companions fear you will put a spell on us all if I remove your gag. Is that true?”

I shook my head, trying to seem trustworthy.

“Oh, yeah. I’m sure she’ll be telling you the truth!” Kreig’s voice dripped with sarcasm. “She said she didn’t kill Jeiwan, and I saw her do it with my own eyes.”

There was silence for a brief moment. “Well, will you swear by…whatever it is you consider holy…will you swear that you will do us no harm?”

“Swear that you won’t talk!” Joln added.

I nodded, wondering how I was supposed to swear if I couldn’t speak. Tromas’ hands fumbled with the gag. He muttered as he tried to pull my hair aside, and I winced. My cheeks felt raw. “This was far too tight.”

I felt a knife blade along the base of my skull and froze.

“Do not fear. I will not hurt you.” The gag came away with a sudden slice, and I spat it out, gasping for air not tainted with sweat.

“You cut my handkerchief!” complained Kreig.

“It was impossible to remove otherwise.”

“Now what do you plan on gagging her with?”

“Her word. She seems honorable. We will leave it off.”

A hard bit of roll was placed into my tied hands and I eagerly bit into it, enjoying the richness despite the dry texture. It was filled with spiced meat, a delicacy after the greens I’d had earlier.

As soon as I’d finished, Tromas took hold of my bound hands and steered me forward. “Light as you are, it would help if you could walk. I am needed to assist with our other burdens.” Each step was a hazard, and I stumbled occasionally, but each time, Tromas caught me. The path seemed level. Perhaps we were nearing the town.

I was tempted to ask him to remove the blindfold, but I had given my word not to speak, and I did want them to trust me.

After a while, I heard a babble of voices, mixing into the cheerful noise of a town. Bells rang somewhere in the distance above me, giving me a sense of place as well as day. The bells rang from the castle only on Chapelday, the first of each tenday. We had come to the city that surrounded the castle. Each cautious step now fell on well-packed earthen roads, and we began to climb. A barrage of scents surrounded me: baking bread, sewage, and animals — sheep and horses, I guessed. I tripped and nearly fell, unable to recover my balance.

I was exhausted. Tromas lifted me and carried me the rest of the way.

“I bring a witch that has killed Jeiwan!” Kreig announced.

A new voice responded to his hail. “Take her to the chapel. We’ll take Jeiwan’s body to the king. Once Lord Nian has been summoned, we will bring her in. I will not have the king endangered.” I was returned to my feet and unfamiliar hands grasped my arms.

My new guards were not as gentle as the boys had been, but I held back my power, remembering what even a hint had done to Jeiwan. I found myself pulled out of the warmth of the sun and then marched through echoing halls before being unceremoniously dumped on a cold stone floor. Behind me, a door slammed.

I pushed myself into a sitting position and noticed light glowing through my blindfold. In the silence, nothing moved. Deciding I was alone, I reached up to remove the cloth from my eyes.

“Here, let me help with that,” a soft, masculine voice spoke from just in front of me, causing me to start. “Oh, I’m sorry I frightened you. Let me untie you.”

I blinked in the sudden brightness and focused my attention on the small, round man who knelt before me, working with the knots that bound my hands. He was clothed in a reflect’s simple white robe, plain in every way. His hair was short and brown, and when he loosed the last knot, the eyes that gazed into mine were the gentle brown of newly planted earth. A light of recognition flickered within them, and he smiled. He stood and walked into the chapel, leaving me to orient myself in peace.

The chapel’s entry hall was as stunning as I remembered. The ceiling was formed from thousands of bits of glass, each reflecting the light of the sun and filling the room with playful rays of color. A ray of shimmering white in the center of the room blessed a small font of holy water. I washed my hands and splashed my face, before realizing how irreverent I was being. I opened my hands and embraced the Light in a ritual gesture of respect. Let the Shadow Lord think on that!