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Chapter Seven ‘Celintra’ The
devil is a woman. The entire thing was chaos really.
Hadn’t these idiots ever heard of organization? The woman shoved her way past a
few more people robed in blacks and silver. It would seem she was the only
one who still had her hood on after escaping the wind outside the mountain’s
cavern. It was a good place to hold a
massive meeting of the minds, this cavern. There had been a series of tunnels
and caves from the mountain’s summit twisting and turning until one finally
reached their destination. The cavern was humongous in all respects of the
word; surely there were over five-hundred people in attendance. Tables had
been set up with food and drink for them to gather around and socialize with
one another, telling of the latest unicorn slaying or the newest spell on the
market. Towards the back of the cavern,
the rock had formed a natural stage. There, upon seats of onyx and near
pillars of platinum, sat the high commanders of the Order of Darkness. Fools, the woman scowled to herself, shifting the long bundle
wrapped in white cloth under her arm. The hundreds of candles that had been
set to light the meeting hall wavered for an instant under her frown. Before anyone could take notice of
this newcomer, the man in the stage’s center held up his hands for silence,
his long black robe glistening with each movement he made. As the masses
quieted down, he stroked his long gray beard in patience, waiting for the
moment to speak. “Members,” he began in a booming
voice, “I have called this gathering to discuss the future of the Order. For
years upon years we have been cast out of the The men and women cheered, save
one, who only adjusted her bundle and cloak. “I, Kyott, will not stand for it!”
he raged. “The light mages have tried to snuff us out of existence, yet they
have failed! Darkness has triumphed, and all that is light shall be crushed
and consumed.” The woman frowned her pale lips
once again in the usual manner. This
man is pompous. The first thing a magician learns is that in order for magic
to function properly, some of the light must be spared… “And so, I say to you…” Kyott
trailed off in a low voice. The magicians waited impatiently for him to say
the words that were desired; the words that were needed. “We shall fight!” The roar of approval and delight
made the cavern shake. Hands of jeweled rings and magical bracelets were
thrown up in honor of this man who had taken the Dark Arcane and perfected
them. “I am the strongest magician there
is,” Kyott continued, stroking his beard. “With me, I promise you victory!” She had finally had enough. <<So… You think you are the
strongest magician?>> The people stopped cheering,
looking around in confusion. This was telepathy; a voice heard not by the ears
but by the mind. Such a spell on a
mass group level was hard to achieve. Kyott’s eyes narrowed at the
feminine voice that dripped with mockery. Over the whispers of amazement he
shouted, “And who is to say they are stronger, elf?” There was a slight chuckle and the
woman’s lips twitched into a smirk. <<Noticed my accent, eh? So you
aren’t as stupid as you sound. …Maybe.>> Kyott closed his brown eyes in
concentration before locating the voice’s source. His eyes snapped open as he
lifted his hand, black obsidian staff flying to his palm. “Watch your
tongue!” A bolt of dark lightning came from
the staff’s tip and Kyott directed it towards the mystery woman. Just as the
bolt came five feet away, sending other people diving for cover, a blue
sphere formed around her, protecting the caster. “So,” Kyott admitted, “you have a
good defense after all.” He watched as the woman’s sphere twisted and turned
sending up rocks and dust from the ground in its gale. The ball lifted it’s
occupant up above everyone’s heads and floated her over to the stage, landing
neatly across from Kyott. The orb disappeared as she spoke.
“I wish to engage you in a battle of strength and the dark magic.” Kyott’s fellow council members
behind him laughed quietly at the cloaked woman. Only a fool would dare to
challenge him. The man merely
frowned in frustration at having his speech interrupted so rudely. “And who
would you be?” She shifted the bundle to her left
hand, removing the hood with her right. “Celintra.” This elf was rather tall, with
white hair that was cut short and seemed to stick out behind her head. Her
dull purple eyes shone with a love for malice. A black skirt with ruffles,
laced boots, and a top with straps and tie-up back set her apart from the
other casters in the cavern. “My, what a pretty name,” Kyott
mused. “You won’t forget it.” Celintra
threw off the sheet from her bundle revealing a long wooden staff with a
spiraled part at the top, as if a vine had wrapped around it. “My staff.” “Indeed.” The old magician looked
the elf up and down one last time, sizing up her magical aura. “Let’s see if
you have what it takes. If it is a battle you want, I am compelled to
comply!” The elf smirked. “Humans are very predictable
creatures.” Celintra licked her lips, the last
waves of excitement and power coming to their end. It had been a good fight;
one that would be remembered by those who had seen it and were now fleeing
from its end. Of all the battles she had partaken in, this one had been the first to truly test her magic. But like the
others, it ended the same. She had won. Celintra smirked as the final
magicians retreated from the great cavern in a panic at seeing their leader
slain. Soon no one was left, save her and Kyott’s corpse lying at her feet. “You were a good magician,” she
said as she knelt down to the figure, eyes rolled into the back of his head.
“I must say, I feel a little guilt for killing the head of the dark
magicians. Now who will lead their army against the white mages? Bah, it’s no
concern of mine.” Celintra set her wooden staff down on the stage of stone
and reached behind her belt for the ceremonial knife. It was a foot long with a silver
handle, the blade shaped like a scimitar’s. Little pentagrams decorated the
hilt and a dragon had been carved into the handle. “Even if you were the one who created the class
that I am a part of,” Celintra continued, even though no one else would have
heard, “I do not care. I got what I came for.” The white-haired woman took the
knife and slit the elderly throat, blood spilling onto the ground. When she
got to the spine, the knife heated to a brilliant orange and seared right
through it for a clean cut separating head and body. “I’m sure some rats will find use
for your carcass.” Celintra held up the knife, watching as all the blood flew
away magically, and then sheathed the clean blade. “Your head is all I need.” The magician picked up her staff
and stood, the open part of the head facing her feet. “You never asked me
what kind of staff I had; perhaps that was your downfall, old timer. This is
no ordinary wood. It is the wood of a banshee tree, grown deep in the heart
of “It almost killed me, that tree…”
Celintra’s purple eyes narrowed. “My mother once told me its lore, saying
only those with the most advanced magic could defeat the dead spirits that
resided in the tree for thousands of years. I almost became one of those lost
souls; but I was stronger than the tree. I took its branch and made it my own
staff.” The woman in black positioned the
tip of the staff towards the gory neck, the wood beginning to dance with
green energy. “But every staff needs a focal point to operate seamlessly. But
why buy a ruby or some flawless diamond when I can think of something even
more powerful…” The staff began to extend to the
neck, sucking up all the blood that it could reach. It entered the neck and
pulsed vibrantly, taking in all of Kyott’s blood. His skin began to shrivel,
eyes turned into dust, and his hair blew into nothing. Eventually, all that
remained was his skull. The staff gave one last burst of green before roots
sprung out of the staff’s tip, going back out through the open jaw. One by
one the little roots pushed and picked patiently against the outside of his
skull until each formed a little hole, digging into the inside of Kyott’s
cranium. Celintra gave a satisfied smirk as
the last one embedded itself into his brain, like the sound of feet crunching
snow. “Now I am the most powerful magician.” “My feet… they hurt!”
the little girl whined, tears forming at the edges of her violet eyes. “I
know, but we have to keep walking.” The older girl cast a glance behind her.
“The bridge… It should be up here soon…” “I
can’t see it… There’s too much fog,” the little one protested. “Can’t you
cast a spell to make it go away, Celintra?” The
other laughed. “Some day… I cannot fully control the weather now though.” “I
wish I could control the weather like those old mages do. Then I’d make it so
it never rains again!” “You
can’t do that.” “Why
not?” The young lass pouted and ran a step to keep up. “The rain’s so ugly
and it makes people depressed!” “Even
so, Evangeline,” she explained calmly, “it’s necessary.” “Huh?” “Rain
gives the flowers something to drink so they don’t die.” Evangeline
frowned. “I guess so…” “It
is a necessary evil, if you want to call it that… Now keep up with me, the
bridge to the forest should be coming up here soon. We’ve been walking by the
river for a while now; there’s no way we’ll miss it.” “Evil
isn’t ne’sary, Celintra.” Eva stuck out her tongue. “…Quiet.”
Celintra stopped walking. The
young half-elf bumped into her sister’s legs. “What’s wrong?” “I
can smell kobolds; keep close to me,” she whispered, knowing it really
wouldn’t matter, since kobolds have such excellent hearing. A
light drizzle fell as Evangeline shuddered, and pulled closer to her older
sister. Evangeline sighed. “What’s the matter?” Maroshi
asked. Ever since they had gotten into Berryshire and settled down at an inn
for the night, the cleric had been most lethargic in nature. “Oh nothing.” Eva forced a tired
smile. “The rain just gets me down, that’s all.” “Ah,” Maroshi nodded. “It should
let up by morning.” Maroshi felt a tug at his elbow as
the party reached the top of the stairs. “Our room’s down this hall.” River nudged him to the
right. “Oh, ok.” Maroshi waved to the two
women. “See you for dinner downstairs!” “Yah, yah.” Tabitha nodded, then as
an afterthought to Eva said, “How oblivious is that child? He’s like a baby
bird.” The blonde girl looked down the
opposite hall to see River slip his arm around Maroshi’s waist as the samurai
chattered on heedlessly about all the things he was going to eat that night.
River laughed when the list came to unicorn and bopped him on the head. Eva frowned, eyebrows coming
together slightly. “Maroshi doesn’t seem to notice anything, so I’ll have to
agree.” With that, the two women turned
down to their own room in a slightly less-friendly manner than the samurai
and his friend. They
were surrounded; that was for sure. An
ugly kobold with only one eye inched closer to them, and Celintra considered
her options… Behind
them was the river, and there was the possibility that she would have to swim
them to the other bank. Unfortunately, the rain had picked up, and so had the
current. Not to mention she wasn’t sure if her little sister could swim. The
bridge could still be some ways up stream; the chance of her outrunning a
pack of kobolds with Evangeline was slim to none. That left the magician with
one choice: Fight. “Stay
behind me, Evangeline,” Celintra ordered. The young girl nodded and inched as
close to the riverbank as she could to get far from the kobolds that had
surrounded them. “All
right,” the elf shouted. “Come! Fight me and die!” “You awake?” Eva blinked, looking away from the
window washed with streaks of rain. “Sorry. I zoned out for a bit… Didn’t
hear you come in, Maroshi.” The samurai smiled. “No apologies
necessary! I just came to give you that cup of tea you wanted. The keeper
said they don’t serve jasmine so I got you honey instead, though I’m not sure
why since honey’s pretty much on the other end of the tea spectrum, so now
that I think about it maybe I should go get you green tea or…” Maroshi
stopped his run-on sentence, noticing how Eva had turned back to the window
with a glazed look in her eyes. “Eva?” The cleric started once again.
“Er, sorry. Just set it on the table beside the lamp, Maroshi.” “Ok.” The man did as he was bid
and cast a quick glance back over to his comrade. She had turned back to the window. Outside of the stone wall of
Berryshire, shrouded in a cloak of black, and pelted down by the steady rain,
stood a figure. Across its shoulders was a long bundle wrapped in a soaked
white cloth, one end slightly rounder than the other. The person stepped over a muddy
puddle and into the town. River grumbled and laid a card on
the pile. “Sheesh, how long does it take to give a moping cleric her tea?” He
cast a short look to where the innkeeper and his son sat at the desk, going
over the check-ins for that day. His wife had gone to bed after brewing the
tea for Maroshi. “Dunno.” Tabitha shifted in her
chair, taking a second look at the two of spades River had played. “Hey, hey,
hey! You can’t do that! Only cards with the same suit or number go on top of
each other!” “Bah, this is a dumb game.” River
removed his two off the six of clubs. “They were both black anyway.” “It doesn’t work that way,”
Tabitha muttered and set her hand on the table, waiting for Maroshi to come
back so he could take his turn. “He’s taking too long.” The redhead looked
towards the stairs. The last of the patrons they had seen in the dining room
earlier had already retired for the night. “Yeah,” River grinned. “Let’s give
him all hearts and put the rest of them on the bottom of the pile.” “It’s his own fault for taking too
long,” Tabitha cackled, wildly searching through the deck. The two were sitting in the lobby
when the door opened, making the sound of rain hitting the muddy streets
louder. River looked up to see a dripping black figure approach the check-in
silently. “Make sure you don’t have any
hearts in your own hand,” Tabitha reminded. “Oh yeah.” The young man looked
back to the table. “Hey, give the both of us all spades so we don’t have to
draw!” “Ho ho ho!” Tabitha grinned like a
wolf, not noticing as the cloaked person walked past her towards the stairs.
“How long into the game before he figures it out?” River rolled his brown eyes. “Are
you kidding me? Maroshi never figures anything
out, even if you hit him across the face with it…” Evangeline
was astounded that her sister had grown so powerful. Still, she was nothing
compared to the elders or Mister Hue, but this was amazing none the less. The
last time the half-elf had seen her sister cast a spell had been a year ago;
a simple summoning of some bread. But now… Celintra’s
fingertips glowed red as another mutt charged. Before the monster even got
eight feet near, its skin smoked from the mage’s lightning spell. Celintra
was about to take out another when she heard her little sister scream. She
turned towards the river. A
kobold had crawled into the banks and actually swam around behind them to get
to the little girl. Driven by hunger and the need to kill, the beast had been
able to brave the current. With a snarl it lunged at Evangeline. “HYAH!”
Celintra aimed her hand at the charging kobold and it burst into flame, falling
dead only a foot before Eva’s feet. Sobbing, the little girl fell to her
knees as the creature burned and charred before her young eyes. Celintra
turned back towards the remaining kobolds, but not quickly enough. The
one-eyed beast who had been hanging towards the back had finally charged,
gaining its ground while the magician’s magic had been occupied. Eva gasped
as the scene caught her attention. Celintra
had no time to cast any spell, so she gave into instincts. Her right forearm
went up to block her face from the creature’s attack. As it’s fangs sunk into
her skin she snarled in pain. “Celintra!”
Evangeline cried out in horror at her sister’s attacker. The few remaining
kobolds howled in delight at the elf’s agony. The
kobold’s weight made Celintra topple to one knee, hitting the rain-soaked
ground harshly. The creature was about to release and go in for the kill when
Celintra’s eyes flew open and stared his one with a look of insanity. “Stupid
dogs,” she muttered. Suddenly,
her injured arm cracked with energy, sparks flying up and down it. The kobold
tried to let go of the elf, but found himself paralyzed by the electricity.
The bolts and sparks intensified until they finally blew the monster clean
off, sending his smoking corpse into the other kobolds. Those kobolds took
one look at their fallen comrade, the strongest of their pack, and began to
run. “Where
do you think you’re going?” the elf asked a little breathlessly. Turning her head over
her shoulder, Celintra pointed two fingers of her left hand at Eva. The
little girl gasped as she began to float in the air, twelve feet above her
sister and the ground. Looking
back out across the land, parting the fog with her mind, Celintra spotted the
remaining kobolds. She hovered her wounded hand over the damp earth, and
began cast the same lightning spell. Evangeline
had never seen anything quite like it. The
entire ground sparked and flared with magical electricity. It blasted and
radiated all from her sister, killing everything it touched. Celintra’s arm
was washed in the gold from the lightning, though growing redder by the
second from the damage inflicted upon herself. When the magician was sure the
few kobolds were dead, she recalled the electricity, noting at how the grass
for a quarter of a mile had all been turned black… Maroshi sneezed as he shut the
door to the cleric’s room. Eva and Tabitha’s room had been
the very last one, and the wall to his right had a window that illuminated
whenever a splash of lightning hit the sky. Thunder followed a streak of
white causing the samurai to jump slightly. When he turned to the left to go
back downstairs, what he saw almost made him jump again. Illuminated by candlelight was a
person dressed in black with a ghastly white bundle in her left hand. In the
right was a room key; the person’s room was only four away from Eva’s. As if
the person could feel Maroshi’s amber eyes upon them, they turned, another
flash of lightning through the hall’s window bringing light to the face. From underneath the black hood,
Maroshi could make out a set of purple eyes that scowled at him, white bangs
offset by black star earrings, and a very displeased frown. Before the samurai could apologize
for staring and being so rude, the woman unlocked the door and retreated into
her room. “Your
arm!” Evangeline bounded over to her sister the second she floated back to
the ground. “It’s
nothing. We should get to the bridge before any more distractions arise.” Eva
gaped at what her sister called ‘nothing’. Celintra’s arm had been torn to
pieces and dripped blood onto the charred grass. “Let me heal it, please?” Celintra
stopped walking. “Heal it?” Eva
ran up to her sister, pulling her down to sit on the grass in front of her.
“I can! Celintra’s
face softened just a bit, not noticing when her sister’s hands began to glow
a light pink. “ The
half-elf moved her little hands up and down the injured arm, thunder rumbling
in the distance. Even in the rain with the stench of death and blood Evangeline
did not loose her concentration. Minutes passed, and finally she was done. “There!
I hope it feels better…” Celintra
looked at her arm. The blood had gone and nary had a cut or scratch remained.
“That’s impressive,” the magician flexed the appendage as she stood. “Really?”
The young girl’s violet eyes widened. Celintra never complemented or praised anyone unless they truly
deserved it. “Yes.
Now hurry.” The elf turned away and began to walk up the riverbank. “I think
I can just make out the bridge through the fog.” Maroshi scratched his head and
looked at the cards in his hand one more time. “Wow, who dealt this one?” River coughed. The
bridge was just a huge slab of marble that connected the Plains of Luke and The
sisters walked quickly to the marble and Eva’s eyes widened at what she saw.
There, crossing the bridge was “ The
startled cleric knelt down to the child and smiled. “I’m looking for you! You
had your father very worried, running off like that. He sent a lot of guards
out to search for you, and I decided to help them.” Evangeline’s
eyebrows knotted together. “But I had to find Celintra and tell her to come
back home. I miss her!” “Celintra,”
he started, “it’s good to see you.” The
magician said nothing. “I
assume you helped Evangeline find her way back to the bridge,” Celintra’s
voice was so cold and stiff that Eva hardly recognized it. “Just think of it
as repayment for taking care of me for when I was starting out. Now we’re
even, It
was the cleric’s turn to say nothing. Celintra
turned and began to walk back towards the Plains of Luke when Evangeline’s
voice stopped her abruptly. “No!
You can’t go back there! Come home with me! I miss you!” For
a while nobody spoke. Celintra’s back was still turned to the guards and
Evangeline, “Don’t
you love me anymore?” Finally
the magician turned with a mocking smirk on her face. She locked eyes with
her younger sister, speaking to Evangeline and no one else. “If
I see you again, I’ll kill you.” Eva sighed, shutting the door
behind her. She really should make herself sociable, even if the rain did get her down. Or at least go downstairs and get
some more tea. The cleric fidgeted with the mug
in her fingers as she cast a glance out the hall’s window. I hate the rain. Even if it does make the
flowers grow, it still makes me sad for some reason… With a sigh, she turned and took
only a step down the hall before stopping. The door to the room four down
from her own opened, and a woman stepped out. She really didn’t look all that
familiar; her hair was white and cut very short, which was odd for an
elf--Eva had noticed the ears--who usually wear theirs long. Not only that,
they didn’t wear so much black. This woman had on nothing but, even her cloak
that covered her shoulders was dark. Slipping her key into her pocket,
the woman looked up, eyes locking with Evangeline’s. The cleric dropped the mug on the
wooden floor, porcelain shattering into pieces. “Celintra?” she whispered, face
completely pale. The elf was equally as shocked,
but recovered quickly. Her purple eyes narrowed, mouth etching into a frown.
Suddenly, the elf sprinted towards Eva with such speed it was hard to follow.
Celintra caught her dumbfounded
sister by the left shoulder and waist. Time seemed to slow down and her frown
transformed into a smirk. “So good to see you, sister.” Celintra did not slow her speed as
she slammed Evangeline into the window, causing the glass to shatter and
break. The three card-players looked up. “What was that?” Tabitha murmured. “It sounded like glass breaking,”
Maroshi answered and stared up at the lobby’s ceiling. River slipped an ace into his
sleeve. “Yeah, I guess so.” Eva felt the window give against
the force of her sister slamming her into it. The cracking glass sounded like
tiny bells to her ears, and the cleric went numb. The only thing she could
feel was the glass giving away into air and rain with Celintra’s nails
digging into her bare shoulder. It was an odd thing, falling out
of that second story window, her long-lost sister being the cause of this
action. Evangeline’s violet eyes were still wide at the very thought. “If I see you again, I’ll kill you.” Time must have slowed down for all
these things to drift in and out of the half-elf’s mind. Things came back
into their normal perspective as she hit the muddy road outside the inn with
a splash and a thud. Evangeline gasped for air, feeling
some of the shards of glass cutting into her back and mud seeping into the
wounds. Thunder and lightning crashed as her eyes focused in and out, trying
to get her bearings straight. Slowly, Celintra pushed herself up
from her sister, smirk still present, and she glared at Eva’s temporarily
paralyzed form. “Now, now… Did you forget what I last said to you?” The
magician traced a finger down Evangeline’s jaw, wiping away some of the rain
that continued to pour. Dimly she heard Celintra’s voice,
but Evangeline concentrated on gasping for air and not falling into the
blackness she was sure meant a concussion or worse. “I warned you; I really did,”
Celintra murmured, and took her hand from the blonde’s face. Raising it up
parallel with her shoulder, the tips began to glow red, zaps of static coming
from them. “Good bye, Evangeline.” Yet before the magician could
strike down her sister with the spell, something slapped her hand to the ground,
sending the blast into the road. Mud splattered as Celintra swore, her hand
stinging from being struck by some object. With malice in her eyes she stood,
turning around to face the inn. There, standing out in the rain
were three people. The two farthest away were a redheaded woman and a
blue-haired boy in a fighting stance. But before them was a young man with
amber eyes giving her a cool look, sword drawn. His tone was flat and even as he
spoke. “The next time, I’ll use the sharp side.” Celintra spat. “And who would you
be?” The black-haired youth nodded to
Eva, who was beginning to stir. “Her friend. And you?” The elf smirked. “Her sister. I
win.” Maroshi’s eyes widened. “You’re
Cel—“ Before he could get out another
word, the magician was upon him. She slashed up with her right hand, a purple
beam appearing from the movement and flying towards Maroshi. Quickly, he
blocked the beam, the St. Clare glowing as they collided and the purple thing
vanished. Celintra scoffed at Maroshi’s
astounded look. “A magical sword? This will be annoying to deal with indeed…”
She leapt at the samurai, fists glowing a bright purple in the night. Another beam appeared and Celintra
grasped it like a sword, putting Maroshi on the defensive. The magician was
not as skilled with a weapon, but the uncertainty of facing a magical attack
put the samurai at unease. River ran over to Eva, mud
splashing as he fell to his knees beside her. “Eva! Are you all right!?” The
boy helped her to sit up, noticing the glass scattered around her. “Quick, heal yourself,” an adult
voice said behind them. River looked up to see Tabitha kneel down behind
them. “Eva; heal yourself.” The cleric looked through glazed
eyes at the woman, but seemed to comprehend. Humming softly to herself , she
closed her eyes. River stared in wonder as the girl’s entire body shimmered
in a soft pink aura. Eva’s eyes slipped closed, hands falling into her lap as
she drifted off into concentration. The boy glanced over to where
Celnitra was hacking away with her purple beam-sword, Maroshi parrying and
dodging every blow. Could that really
be Eva’s sister? Two people who seem so different… The wounds on Eva’s back began to
close, blood washed away by the rain. Tabitha nodded to herself as the final
one healed, standing to observe the fight going on in the background. She’ll be ok... Celintra stepped back nimbly from
Maroshi, the phantom blade dissolving into nothing. “I can see you really
know how to use that thing. I’d enjoy playing with you a little more, but
there is someone else who demands my attention!” The mage turned wildly to
Evangeline, a purple orb forming in her palm, cracking with static and
electricity. River’s eyes widened as he saw the thing hurled to where he and
Eva sat, coming closer with alarming speed. “NO!” Maroshi yelled, but it was
too late. Celintra had cast the spell. Suddenly, the orb veered off
course and smashed into one of the inn’s walls. A long knife was pinning it
to the wood, sending splinters everywhere. The orb thrashed about, still held
to the wall. The knife glowed a soft green, and the orb sizzled into smoke. “Now what!?” Celintra turned in a
rage to where the knife had come from. There stood the redheaded woman, her
left hand clasping a similar blade to the one in the wall. “Who the hell are
you!?” Tabitha gripped the long knife
tighter, staring hard at the mage. Thunder sounded before she spoke to
Celintra. “This girl is on a quest.” Celintra’s eyes narrowed as she
stepped closer to the woman, ignoring the other three people out on the road.
“A quest? And what does this have to do with me?” “She is to participate in a
tournament. Not only her; the samurai you just fought is to be there as
well.” Celintra’s eyebrow shot up, but
she said nothing. “Furthermore,” Tabitha continued,
“this tournament has been set up by some very important people. Should
anything happen to their contenders, I doubt they would be very pleased.” The mage’s purple eyes narrowed in
slight curiosity, but mostly spite for having been delayed in killing her
sister. “I said… Who are you? Now I am most intrigued to find out…” Tabitha sheathed her knife,
turning to fetch the other. “I am just a drunk.” “It would not be wise to turn your
back on me,” Celintra hissed at the woman’s foolishness. “I expected such a remark.”
Tabitha muttered and grinned to herself as the knife came free of the wall,
Celintra well out of earshot. The magician stalked over to where
her sister still sat in a daze, glowing in the after-effects of her healing
spell. Before she got ten feet within Eva, a blade pressed itself against her
throat. “Don’t try to get any closer,”
Maroshi growled over the rain. He shifted the St. Clare a bit, pressing
lightly against her neck. “Props for getting close to me.”
Celintra continued to stare at Eva’s glowing form. “But you forget that
casters have a defense system.” Before the samurai could say
another word, he felt a tickle in his hand. It spread all through his body
like fire, paralyzing him stiffly. His amber eyes shot open; this was a spell! Celintra pushed the St. Clare away
with two fingers, smiling at Maroshi’s gasp of pain. “Silly swordsman.” As she continued to make her way
towards Eva, River blocked her path. His brown eyes glared angrily at her,
hair sagging down under the weight of the rain. “What did you do to
Maroshi!?” Celintra looked the boy up and
down. “My. What determination you have. It’s impressive. I’ll tell you what…”
Celintra pointed back towards the frozen samurai. “That friend of yours
probably won’t last much longer without air, what with his lungs being
paralyzed and all.” River’s eyes widened. “So you have two choices.”
Celintra checked them off on her fingers. “Either stand here and try to block
my path, ultimately resulting in me killing you, or the second option: Run
over to your little friend and cure his paralysis around him.” River looked quickly back to where
Eva sat staring at the soggy ground, but there was never any doubt where he
would go. The boy ran to his friend still frozen from the spell, leaving the
path clear for Celintra. “Shit,” River muttered as soon as
he saw what he was up against. Maroshi was frozen stiff, unable to move a
muscle. “I’m gonna punch you, Mar. Don’t mov--… Well that’s a stupid thing to
tell you…” River curled his fingers down, the base of his right palm angled
out. “Hyatta!” The boy smashed his palm into Maroshi’s chest, aiming for the
one spot that would cure his paralyses. He had hit it. Maroshi gasped for
air, thankful River had paid attention that day in the “It’ll work out,” a voice said. The two looked over to Tabitha.
She was standing under the covered porch of some dark house beside them and
across from the inn. Her green eyes stared down the road to the two sisters,
focus intent on what was about to happen. “How can you say that!?” River
yelled. “That woman--! She’s insane!” “She won’t kill Evangeline,”
Tabitha remarked but did not turn to face them. “Watch. I am sure of it.” They did as they were bid, and
Maroshi sighed tiredly. River’s hands dug nervously into his back. He sure hoped Tabitha was correct. Celintra stopped before her
sister. The half-elf looked up as if through a haze, though in the rain that
may have been the case. “Poor Evangeline… It looks as if
your healing spell is still repairing your spine. It will take longer if you
sit up; don’t you know that?” Celintra stared down at her with nothing
reminiscent of pity in her iron voice. Eva uttered no word. “Perhaps, knowing what I know
now,” Celintra mused, crouching down to face her evenly, “it would be best if
you forget this little… incident.” Eva continued to glow and stared
at the mage wordlessly. Her large violet eyes were only half open, mouth
still moving in silent words of concentration. “Yes,” Celitra mumbled, putting
her middle finger to Eva’s temple. “Perhaps it would be best…” Eva blinked slowly, then passed
out. There was a soft knock on the
door. “Come in,” Celintra called out to
the visitor. She turned the page of the book she had found in the inn’s tiny
library, not too sure why she was reading about different types of trees and
nature walks. She had to kill time somehow. “Celintra?” Eva poked her head around
the door. “Tabitha and the others are ready to leave; they’re waiting
outside.” Celintra did not turn to the door,
nor look up from the desk. “Go on ahead without me. I’ll catch up with you
all later.” “Oh, ok.” Eva frowned at her
sister’s back. “Will you know the way?” “Yes, yes, of course.” Celintra
waved a hand in the air, scattering the dust that floated about in the room’s
sunlit window. “Now hurry or they may leave without you.” “All right, I’ll see you then.”
Eva shut the door slowly, waiting expectantly to see if her sister would
offer a ‘good-bye’ of some sort. She didn’t. “Damn it!” Maroshi’s fist
connected with the stone wall, cracking the smaller rocks to pieces and dust.
“How can we just let her get away with doing that to Eva!?!” “Sometimes that’s just how it
works, kiddo.” Tabitha looked back through Berryshire’s southern gate, seeing
if Eva had come back yet. “At least the cleric’s still breathing.” “That sister of hers is pretty
psycho.” River folded his arms across his chest. “All casters aren’t like
that, right?” Tabitha grinned at the blue-haired
boy. “Nah, River-kun. There are some who can be the best folk you’ll ever
meet. Could spend a lifetime with ‘em even. Get married, have some kids, buy
a house up on some hill…” “…Just what are you implying?” The redhead only winked. “Here she comes.” Maroshi wrung
out his hand, easing the sting. He tried to control the anger and not let it
seep onto his face; Evangeline would have been able to tell if something was
bothering him. “Remember,” Tabitha murmured to
the young men, “don’t say a word about it. She can’t remember anything before
waking up exhausted in the lobby...” River nodded, while Maroshi glared
at the sky. “Celintra says she’ll catch up.”
Eva waved to her traveling companions. “I know it may seem like that’s
impossible, but I’ve seen her do some pretty amazing things!” Maroshi’s amber eyes narrowed even
more, but he turned away and began to walk up the forest’s hilly path before
the cleric could say anything to him. Eva turned to River who had fallen
into step with her. “What’s his
problem this morning?” “…What do you remember from last
night?” “Last night?” Evangeline blinked. “Yeah.” River looked around to
make sure Tabitha was up ahead far away with the samurai. “At the inn, when
you ran into your sister.” “Oh, that.” Eva smiled to herself.
“I met her in the hall… and I think she may have… hugged me? It sounds dumb,
but I really can’t remember!” Eva stuck out her tongue in embarrassment. “I’m
just so happy… It looks like River nodded slowly, looking down
at the dusty path. “Yeah, well… Tabitha said you were pretty sick and tired…
Maybe… Maybe that’s why you can’t remember.” “I suppose,” Eva shrugged. “The
only other thing I can remember is Celintra carrying me up the stairs to my
room… I tried to get out of her arms to walk the rest of the way, but she
told me to stay still and just let her put me to bed.” River’s eyes widened a little. He
truthfully had no clue whether that part was true or false. After Evangeline
collapsed they had all returned to the inn, except for Tabitha. He had gone
outside to look for her (the woman had slipped on the stairs and almost
knocked herself unconscious like the klutz she was) and left the others
inside. By the time River helped Tabitha inside, the other three were gone
from the lobby. “I wish I could remember it
though,” Evangeline sighed, her voice quieting down. “That was the fist time
I had seen her since… Since a very long time…” River looked up at Eva and finally
felt some pity for the girl. “I would have liked to have seen
the look on her face, River.” A figure dressed in black stepped
out of the inn, blinking hard at the sunlight that shone down this morning.
People had not yet begun to rise from bed; it seemed Berryshire was a very
lazy place indeed. The person shifted their cloak, revealing a wooden
skull-staff in their right hand. As silently as they had come from
the inn, the person began to levitate into the air until they were even with
the inn’s broken window in the second story. A black dot the size of a
pinhole formed within the shadow cast upon the damp road. The oily blackness
grew until it filled the entire shadow, rippling and trapping any sunlight
that dared to touch it. There was a high pitched noise,
but the person paid it little heed. Glass windows began to shatter; the
screams of people jumping out of bed at this strange noise could barely be
heard over it. Suddenly, the pool of oil shuddered. Rats. Black creatures with beady red
eyes, long whiskers, and skinny tails began to pour from the shadow, going
wherever they could to get out of the way for more of their brothers to
escape the shadow. The vermin were thin, deathly so. One could count their
ribs if they cared to try. The figure gave a short laugh as
the first hungry creature found a victim; an old woman just coming outside to
see what the noise was. That’s right… Feast. <<For us?>> the rats asked. <<For you,>> the
person answered. But it will be your
death as well. The vermin began their attack,
eating everything and everyone they could find. The people of Berryshire
screamed in horror as the sound stopped and the feasting began. The one in black shifted to see
the first rat explode. It had eaten so much of the old woman’s carcass that
its stomach just couldn’t handle any more. One by one the rats exploded, only
to be replaced with another of its brethren fresh from the shadow… She laughed. Tabitha stopped in the middle of
the path, face paling to the color of flour and snow. “Tabitha?” Maroshi turned back to
his companion. “What is it?” The black-haired man started as
Tabitha’s eyes turned cold and hard, looking back up the path to their
destination. She brushed past Maroshi, not making eye contact. “It’s nothing.” |
