Galen Vesa
Well, I sure knew there was bound to be some sort of backlash for all the wasted time they had to wait for me but this silent treatment I got, did not come to my mind. Sitting across me in this rickety carriage, judge magister, Fenella Tirsten stared daggers at me in total, dead silence. Her multicolored eyes scrutinized the tiniest moves I made while her aura boiled in rage. Something I would not know were it not for my beastly eyes. Nothing in her outer appearance betrayed the inner storm seething underneath her skin.
“Is it something I did or is it because of the ears?”
I thought I should break the ice since we would be stuck with each other for the next two or more weeks. Me being me made things awkward enough without her adding fuel to the situation. Resolving the issue early on should make my life easier. Except that she ignored the bait and kept on staring. Like an unblinking cat’s gaze, her eyes drilled into me. Eh, I tried.
Devoid of anything better to do I made myself comfortable, leaning against the glassless window and let my mind wander as I watched the scenery roll by. We passed by fields, forests and cities. Crossed rivers and valleys, stopping only to swap kabu pulling our carriage. All the while she stared at me.
I suppose she slept an hour or two, whenever she thought I succumbed to deep slumber. Our meals if any, consisted of crude military rations washed away by watered down wine. After tasting the shoe sole like beef jerky, accompanied by a chunk of hard tack that could be used as a bludgeoning weapon, I abstained from any further meals. From the looks I got from my escort I wasn’t alone in this sentiment. Alas, I could live off my mana while she couldn’t.
A break in this routine came about the second day of third week after our departure, just when we were approaching the majestic Nine Springs river and the imperial stone bridge joining its banks, one of the wonders of this empire. This was the second of four rivers we would have to cross before reaching the capital and at the same time, the biggest one on this continent. It supposedly took a carriage of up to an hour to cross this bridge, so wide the river spanned. I have no idea if that statement held any water as my geography knowledge of this world is rudimentary. Regardless, I awaited seeing the bridge and is design. If they build it with even a fraction of splendor and attention to details, I saw in other imperial infrastructure, the bridge would be a remarkable sight. After living my life among glass and concrete jungle, even my mind yearned for the outstanding aesthetics this world had to offer. Wherever money in this world gathered, unique buildings and jaw dropping parks sprang to life. Art permeated every aspect of public space. Even something as common and mundane as roads had their surface paved with colorful stones arranged in intricate mosaics.
But it seems I was never meant to set my eyes on that marvel of engineering. Before we reached the bridge, our carriage drowned in a line of hundreds of other wagons and carriages awaiting entry to Danshur, the city sprawling both sides of the river.
“Your honor, you better see this yourself.”
One of the knights attached as our guard tapped the side of our carriage. I remembered his voice and could put a handsome face to it, but I have no idea what rank he had or what was his name. The knights were as social as the mage travelling with me.
Fenella groaned and stuffed her feet inside formidable long boots of black, shiny leather. I’m not one to judge someone’s taste but, as sexy and amazing as these looked, I wouldn’t call them practical, combat footwear. But what do I know? Maybe they give her a magical bonus of plus ten to movement? Yeah, just like the infamous full plate bikini.
“Stay here.”
She barked at me and left after making sure the blinds were pulled all the way down. Now that I think about it, that was the first thing she said to me since our little chitchat back at the guild before Cora punched her through a wall.
“Put it on.”
She returned soon enough and tossed me a leather hood with a face mask that would cover the lower part of my face.
“Why?”
It looked used and reeked of sweat so I wasn’t too keen on putting my head in there.
“Change of plans, we ditch the carriage and ride on from here. Put it on or I’ll have to cut off your ears. Your choice.”
Easier said than done. I still remember when Altina broke a chisel trying to punch a hole in my ear for an erring. Plus, I don’t think Fire would let her touch me, given the increasing annoyance I felt through her name. Without any alternative I pulled the hood over my head. I wonder if now I look like a ninja.
“We ride single file, you stick behind me. Understood?”
“No. I can’t ride kabu. Never had to.”
She cussed long and loud. Something about shoving hard, nail spiked club up one of the many buttholes of a local entity presiding over fate. I’m not sure how that could help. If anything, It could add more fun to our adventure.
“She can ride with Shelton.”
The handsome knight offered.
“He’s young and light. Without his armor, kabu won’t feel a difference.”
Fenella sent more pointy implements after the imaginary backside of the entity she enjoyed badmouthing and walked away to her ride while I watched two veterans strip a rookie knight. If I were to guess, I would give him something between fifteen and seventeen years. Can’t be more than nineteen. His hairless face seemed to confirm that.
Well, let’s just hope this was the worst that could happen.
Making sure the smelly hood would stay on my head I stepped out of the carriage. Even though the knights did their best, people were flooding us from every direction. Hundreds if not thousands of bodies moved back and forth along the road leading to Danshur. Farmers, merchants, mercenaries, knights and nobles, all mixed and annoyed at the lack of progress. Whoever could, left their wagons and continued on foot. Drivers were cursing each other and their animals. Nobles were swearing bodily harm at anyone they deemed inferior, which is everyone. Peasants and pilgrims were swiveling by, trying not to earn the ire of anyone.
I don’t think there is a better example of a situation where a dolt such as myself would feel out of place. I reached inside of me to my snoring lizard and run my hand along her scales, hoping at least she had a better dream. Her aura had a calming effect on my mind, but even it could not silence a pesky voice, screaming at the back of my mind that our life will soon turn into a nightmare.
“My lady?”
Shelton, the boy knight, no longer burdened by his armor, presented me his arm from the top of a bored kabu. I have no idea what the current mass of my body is, but thanks to Earth’s blessing, If I don’t want to move, nobody can move me. Unless they’re stronger than the spirit queen of Earth.
The opposite could also be said, and the boy almost thrown me over his steed when I took hold of his arm. Thankfully, he readjusted his strength and carefully sat me behind his back.
“She’s a charmer so leave your dick in your pants and think with you head. And you,”
Fenella oozed highly explosive hatred looking at me.
“Keep your hands to yourself.”
I nodded in agreement and wrapped my arms around the boy’s torso, away from any place they should not touch. Good thing I put on my gloves. The damn charms were acting up today. Sadly, I could do nothing about my distracting pillows pressing against his back. He rode with his face flushed and his stare locked in front of him, providing excellent entertainment for his elder colleagues. Well, at least if we slide off his mount, he will have something soft cushioning his fall.
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“Move out!”
With minimal supplies, we rode towards the city wall, raising a curtain of dust and swears in our wake. Riding as hard as the beasts could take, the city wall appeared before us in a no more than a few heartbeats. But we did not continue inside. Instead, before we could reach the main gate, our guide took a sharp turn left and we followed. Passing the city limits, w pushed upstream until our foaming kabu could run no more. Then and only then I saw with my own eyes the tragedy that descended upon Danshur.
Out of the colorful City only one half remained, the other... I have no idea if others could see what my beastly eyes showed me, but I made the mistake of trying to sense what I saw. My guts reacted with utmost violence, emptying my stomach of whatever left there. I fell off the kabu and gagged, my entire mana boiling with fury.
Master...
Stay out of it!
I send her away before Cora could materialize a body beside me. What on earth was that?! I have never experienced something so, disgusting. My own skin felt like rotting away just at the thought of what I felt. I tore off the hood from my head and retched bile mixed with blood. That ghastly pale light. How can light look so wrong?! Light, air, buildings, everything. Looked and felt twisted. It should not be this way. Not this way... I gagged again. Then again. And again.
When my spasms subsided, familiar boots entered my vison.
“Drink, it’ll help.”
In her outstretched hand Fenella held a leather blather. Whatever it contained, sweet, acidic liquid washed away the taste of bile in my mouth and calmed my stomach when I drank it.
“You can sense it from out here? Impressive.”
“Only when I focus on it. What is that?”
She shrugged her arms.
“My guess’s as good as yours. Smells like a cursed weapon though. That side housed many famous workshops. Half my gear came from one of their smithies. A guard said they believe someone brough in a cursed weapon in a sealing container and paid a blacksmith to open it without knowing what’s inside. Things like that happen at least once a winter.”
She helped me up and we found ourselves amidst a circle of swords aimed at me.
“What are you yapping at you idiots? Never seen a retching whore?”
“With all due respect your honor, that whore is a cursed three humping...”
Fenella’s outstretched arms blazed up with power.
“Careful, be mighty careful soldier of what you do next. She is the emperor’s guest. His imperial majesty’s word guards her safety.”
She tried to put herself between me and their swords. Quite an impossible feat as angry blades surrounded us from all sides.
“I’ve seen no such order.”
The handsome knight spoke, and his voice held a sentence his sword would soon put into practice. I dare say the capital will be an interesting place when knights from a backwater town at the edge of empire had such love for my ears.
I grabbed the mage in a princess carry then sending too much mana into my legs, I bounced away. Several more steps brought me over the nearest hill but not until a few bolts boinked against my back and ricocheted away.
Ah yes, what a lovely start of my journey.
Should I dispose of them, my useless master?
What? No. No point. Those idiots signed their own death warrants when they disobeyed their superior.
“There! There’s the ferry!”
Fenella pointed at the river as I sailed over the trees.
A wooden barge cobbled together from tree trunks and held in one piece by rope, swayed among the river waves, propelled by a sweating man. A peasant if I judged by his ragged clothing and lack of boots, pushed the barge with a long pole while a crowd of annoyed travelers waited on both banks.
They are coming master.
Given my share of dotty luck, of course the ferry kept on moving away from us towards the other bank while in the distance a group of pissed off knights homed in on our location.
Should I?
No. Did I not made myself clear? No blood unless there is no other way.
Logic whispered in my ear that it would be easier. For sure no one would mind. In self-defense... I pushed her poisonous thoughts out of my mind and at the same time, landed at the edge of water among screaming people, shocked by my sudden appearance. Mana rushed into my eyes slowing time to a crawl. Far in the distance tiny people awaited their turn. I don’t think I could jump that far but, that barge? It felt doable. My knees bend like a winding spring and mana flashed through my bones. Dirt exploded from beneath my feet when power propelled me up in the air.
Fenella did not scream, I must give her that, but her nails dug into my flesh as we rushed over the murky water. Somewhere up in the air a violent gust of wind changed my trajectory so I would not overshoot my moving target. Perhaps later, I should thank Wind for that. We slammed the barge with a grace of a falling cat. It swayed up and down on the waves our arrival caused, its wood creaked and groaned but nothing happened beyond that. Well, almost nothing beyond that.
We landed among a troop of well-armed house guards.
“On your knees! Hands where I see them! Both of you!”
Cue the pointy things aimed at my neck, heart and other vital organs. On the plus side, the one giving orders looked more intelligent than those we left behind. Not as handsome but the light in his grey eyes hinted at a capable mind.
“I did what I could, those are your people.”
I let go of the mage and lift my hands up where they could see them. The moment they saw my ears, several powerful spells came to life just beyond the line of knights with pointy things. Fenella saw that too but refrained from raising her hands up.
“I am imperial judge magister, Fenella Tirsten. You are interrupting imperial matters. Submit at once. There will be no further warning.”
Aside from a concerned murmur her declaration made no change to our circumstances. If any, I think they got less annoyed and more of, lets rip them to shreds.
“Impersonating a judge magister is punishable by death. If you lie, I will execute you as you stand. Do you have any proof to back up your claim?”
For a moment I thought Fenella muttered something akin to, would murdering all you idiots be enough of a proof? That must’ve been my imagination since a moment later out of her cleavage she procured a thumb sized metal plate, all covered with glowing purple script.
“Your honor, I beg you please forgive us our impudence.”
All the present knights knelt before her.
“May the sun of empire be ever merciful for his servants.”
“At ease.”
She waved off his forced pleasantries.
“What house do you serve?”
“We belong to the house of Vermilion, your honor. If you allow me, I shall inform our lady of your presence.”
It felt as if I heard that name before. Where? Was that some important family?
“Inform her I wish to speak with her at earliest convenience.”
“At once.”
He bowed but did not move from his spot. Instead, his grey eyes fell on me.
“Your honor, if I may implore you, how should I announce your companion?”
“Lady Karin of Elemental Woods guild, personal guest of his imperial majesty, sun of the empire. I am escorting her to the capital. I wish to speak with Lady Vermillion. We are in need of resources.”
Thud.
Hmm? What was that sound and why are they starring at me? Most of all, why does my chest feel so loose? Oh, that’s why. At least a foot long and half inch thick crossbow bolt protruded from my chest. It sunk right between my pillows where my heart should be. Kind of. Water once told me that the witch got creative with my insides. Nothing went where it should go. After all she had to make place for that second heart.
Riiip.
Just my luck. The bolt had to slice through the weakest part of my bra, the place where both cups joined together under my pillows. I plucked it out of my clothes and tossed it to their pale skinned commander.
“I would appreciate it if you could stop your people from trying to kill me. As exhilarating as it is, it gets stale quite fast.”
Dammit. Mana left me through my throat, my borrowed voice must be playing a trick on their ears. The greyed eyed knight mumbled some rushed apologies then with a flushed face, turned on his heel and marched at the trigger-happy bastard. A moment later screaming and cussing ensued.
Using that short distraction to her advantage, Fenella stuffed her finger in the whole the bolt left. I felt it wiggle in a funny way inside the hidden valley between my pillows before she pulled it out and studied her hand. No blood in sight.
“That was an enchanted bolt with a hardened, armor piercing tip. “
She stared into my eyes. Her voice came out silent like a whisper.
“You could have slaughtered everyone back then...”
Deploying fake sigh in one, two, three... my arms wen up and down, adding a shrug for a better effect.
“Tell me, would it not bother you when every person you met thought of you as a death trap with pointy ears? Kill this, destroy that, torture those and other similar nonsense. I find it annoying when the first thought people have of me when they see me is how to stab me with something pointy, chop off my head or how to blow me up in the most gruesome fashion. Why should I suffer for something I have not done? Why should crimes of some ancient lunatics determine my life? If you wish to hate me, hate me for something I did and not for something I am.”
“Then it saddens me even more that my own people would show so much disrespect towards my benefactor.”
Seems like my voice reached more ears than I thought it would. A maid sprang out from the single carriage parked and secured in the middle of this barge. With her help, the owner of the majestic voice we heard jus a moment before, descended upon the deck in a modest Victorian like dress and a bonnet. Her silver hair neatly combed and hidden under her bonnet, contrasted with her youthful face and calm, crimson eyes. I would not give her more than forty years, but her demeanor brought her closer to sixty, eighty if I consider mana and magic.
She moved with apparent difficulty, yet her smile betrayed no pain or discomfort. Her oval shaped face and slightly protruding cheekbones hinted at mesmerizing beauty she once had. One that even the tooth of time left untouched. Yes, she would’ve been remarkable had the long, ugly black burn did not mar the left side of her body. The burn she got during that faithful wedding.
I remember her now. She stood among the front row of nobles when I improvised the wedding seal. Even before we arrived, Altina mentioned her name on several occasions.
“I am Viviann Leticia von Vermilion.”
The lady in red. The matriarch of the house of Vermilion. She leaned forward, performing as much of a formal bow as her injured body allowed her.
“On behalf of my people, please accept our apology. My guards have become stressed in their desire for my safety due to recent unexplained happenings.”
She lifted her head only to face my outstretched palm and the blazing light emanating from my bracelet.
“Begone.”
My lips spoke without my permission as I watched, unable to stop the deluge of power rushing through my arm.