image [https://i.imgur.com/lBC0eKf.jpeg]
“Is that really her?” asked Ashvell, looking down at the woman on the bed.
“Yes, it’s mama,” cried Robb. He motioned towards her but Cassana pulled him back.
“Don’t. We have to figure out what happened to her first,” she explained.
Minos stepped back, resting his body against the wall while staring the weapon that Nissa was holding. Cassana glanced at him but he didn’t meet her gaze.
Just then, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed from the hallway outside. Firroth burst into view, flanked by two City Watchmen. “You opened it!” he said.
Cassana ignore the tall wizard while casually pushing her father’s grimoire back into her knapsack.
“You did not know that this was here?” Lira asked him, pointing at the state of the room.
“We knew about the room…” Firroth started.
“And you did not tell us?” Lira interrupted.
“It was sealed with magic! I had to get permission from--”
“From who? Your master is dead. You are the one in charge now, are you not?” Lira cut in again.
“In the interim,” Firroth corrected her. “But I am still under the authority of the City Watch.” He glanced towards the two Watchmen behind him, as subtle as he could, something that Lira couldn’t be bothered with. She stared at them one by one then went back to Firroth.
The drow huntress scanned the tall wizard’s egg shell white armor, taking note of its gilding filled with draconic patterns and shapes. “I wonder,” she remarked, “how does this armor fit you when you lack the spine to wear it?”
Lira trampled out of the room, shouldering the two Watchmen that stood in her way.
Cassana distanced herself soon as Firroth stood beside Robb by bed.
“What happened to her?” asked the young boy.
Firroth turned to the redhead but she still wouldn’t meet his eye. Frustrated, he casted a spell instead, and one of the gemstones engraved on his armor began to glow. He finished with a gesture and an incantation, then faced the young boy.
“It’s some kind of hex. I’m sorry, this is Auren’s expertise. I’ll get him.”
The tall wizard stepped out, leaving the two Watchmen to look after the group. The room remained quiet as moments turned to minutes. Exhaustion finally set in, driving Ashvell and Robb to sit on the floor on a corner, their backs on the bare wall. Cassana sat on the edge of the bed by Nissa’s feet, her head stooped down, while Minos remained by the other side, uncharacteristically quiet.
The redhead would glance at him every now and then, curious as to what was going on in his head. Meanwhile, Rei moved to stand by the entrance, standing sideways, intently watching the door. His hand was inches away from the handle of his sword, and Cassana could tell that he was prepared for anything that might happen.
Firroth returned eventually, tugging Auren behind him. The half-drow quickly made a study of Nissa’s body, casting various spells to help him identify whatever it was that was affecting her. Finally, he stepped aside and explained his findings in his insouciant tone.
“She appeared to be afflicted by a somnus hex. An arcane reaction caused by an unintentional burst of magical energy. There’s no specific spell for this kind of hex, just will and desire. In most of the cases I’ve heard, hexes like these are caused by an accident,” Auren explained.
“Can we remove it?” asked Robb.
“Every hex is different,” answered the half-drow wizard. “Unlike curses, their effects are often random. And it varies depending on what emotion the person who manifested the hex is going through. I will need more time to study her, and if we can find the opposite of that emotion, maybe we can reverse it.”
Cassana felt her heart sink. She thought back about the time she was looking after her mother. The feeling was similar: the desperation and the helplessness, most of all the futility of having magical abilities. What good is a wizard if they can’t save one life.
“Do you know who did this to her?” Auren asked the group.
“Her brother, maybe,” sighed the redhead, failing in her petty attempt to ignore the pair of wizards.
“Dominic? But the Harrowing already stripped him of magic. It would be impossible for him to do something like this,” explained Firroth.
“Maybe it happened before?” Auren supposed.
“But that was more than ten years ago,” Firroth objected.
“Right,” Auren nodded. “Hexes don’t last ten years,” Auren added.
“No, Mama left our home three years ago,” Robb corrected them both.
“So, it should be after she returned here with Rikhart,” Ashvell butted in, assuring everyone that he was keeping pace.
“Wait, what do you mean by that?” Cassana asked Auren. “Hexes don’t last ten years?”
“Well, this hex makes a person incapacitated for a prolonged period of time. The victims, then, tend to die after a year or so…” Auren answered.
“Why?” clarified Cassana.
Auren shrugged his shoulders. “Starvation. Dryness. A human body would not survive for long without sustenance. Even if it's just lying in sleep.”
“So, you’re saying that this only happened recently?”
“Judging by her physical condition and the quality of her health, yes,” concluded the half-drow.
There was a short moment of silence after he finished speaking, which Minos abruptly interrupted. “What’s with the sword?” he asked.
Auren turned around to study the weapon lying over the woman, and then faced Minos. “Beats me,” he shrugged.
“Is it safe to remove it?” the young nobleman followed up.
“I don’t see why it shouldn’t,” replied the short wizard.
Minos pulled his body off the wall and stepped towards the side of the bed. He first eyed Cassana, checking if she would react, and when she didn’t, he reached forward to gently grab the sword out of Nissa’s hands.
The redhead thought about cautioning the young nobleman, but she was curious to see what would happen to Minos if he touched the weapon. But it only disappointed her.
The young nobleman studied the sword, from its sharp blade to its intricate hilt. It was an imposing blade, despite its length. Minos gently waved it around and then he looked at Cassana with a gutted look. “It’s not it,” he said.
“What?” gasped the redhead.
“This is not the Sword of the Godslayer. It’s a good replica, but it’s not it.”
Cassana sighed. She was debating whether to tell Minos that she knew owned the weapon. “It’s my father’s. Are you sure it’s not the real one?”
“Yes, because the real sword doesn’t have this.” Minos pointed the blade up and showed everyone its hilt. He struck it on the concrete wall and out fell a gemstone.
“A Focusing Stone!” exclaimed Robb.
“Huh...” grunted Auren. “Then that could explain it. Her body was feeding off energy from this stone, which kept her alive all this time.” He carefully picked up the yellow gemstone from the floor and showed it to everyone.
Cassana stepped forward to take a closer look. At first glance, it appeared to be topaz, but as she eyed Minos, they both agreed that it wasn’t. Its surface caught the flickering candlelight, and its yellow color turned to green and then pink. It was somewhat similar to amber, if it somehow trapped a living, dancing flame under its layers.
Most Focusing Stones were polished and smooth, but this one was rough, with its sharp, jagged cliffs casting intricate shadows in itself. It gave the illusion of the stone being alive, pulsing in rhythm with the dim light of the room.
“What is it? I’ve never seen anything like that,” Cassana whispered.
“I’ve read about something like that before. It’s elihim-craft,” said Firroth,
“Elihim?” repeated Minos, “like that lost tribe of fae-folk?”
“What’s an elihim?” asked Robb.
The three wizards finally exchanged glances, trying to take cue on who would answer the young boy. Minos, however, was eager to take the helm, but Cassana beat him to it.
“A long time ago, there were two kinds of fae-folk,” she explained, “the drohirim and the elihim. They lived side by side with us humans for thousands of years.”
“What we call drows these days, came from the drohirim people,” added Minos. “The elihim were called elves. They were the inventors of magic.”
A look of shock washed over Robb’s face, revealing his familiarity with the words Minos used. “This was made by the elves?” he asked, looking up at the gemstone Auren was holding.
“That is a theory,” answered the short wizard, “and seeing the way this was cut and synthesized, it’s very likely.”
“But weren’t all the elves gone?” Robb asked.
“They are,” Firroth answered. “Eon’s genocide made sure of that.”
“Genocide?”
Minos and the three wizards exchanged uncomfortable looks to one another. None of them was willing to answer Robb’s question.
“Genocide is the systematic killing of a certain group of people,” explained the young nobleman.
Robb was still unconvinced. He glanced up at Cassana, and then at Ashvell who was also sharing his curious look.
Cassana’s eyes grew wide open, however, as she recalled something. “Remember that time when there was an infestation of leafhoppers in the village, that ruined the farms?”
Robb nodded.
“And then Bogs had these chrysanthemum petals, and spread them all around, and then one day the insects just dropped dead… It’s like that, but for people.”
Cassana’s explanation made the Little Robin’s freeze in horror.
“Nevertheless,” Firroth broke the dreadful silence with a fake cough, “These can’t be elihim-made because Focusing Stones have a shelf-life of a hundred years, give or take. Its more than likely that it was made by someone who knew about elihim’s methods of synthesizing stones. Probably the same person who put it in the sword.”
All eyes locked on to Cassana. Minos, in particular, waved the fake Sword of the Godslayer around as he furrowed his brows and narrowed his eyes towards the redhead.
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A soft knock on the door woke up the young wizard. She was sleeping well into the night; inside the nearest inn they could find. She made full use of the slow but short day by lazily planting herself in the bed. Minos, Lira and Rei left early that day to bring the daughter of the Guild Leader back to her mother, and so Cassana was left alone in the room she was supposed to share with the drow huntress.
“Cassie!” she heard a soft whisper from outside the room. It was Ashvell, who was supposed to be asleep in the other room. Robb insisted on staying close to his mother, so they left him back at the Von Schreiber mansion.
The redhead trudged towards the door and opened it partially. “What?” she nagged.
“She’s awake.”
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“What?” she repeated, perplexed.
“Robb’s mom. She woke up.”
“What?” Cassana repeated again, relieved.
She shut the door and quickly changed to something decent. She grabbed her staff, but decided to leave behind her knapsack with her father’s grimoire.
“We’re going there, right?” she confirmed soon as she stepped out.
Ashvell drove the horse and Cassana sat on the cart behind. They were expecting a short trip towards the Canal District, but for some reason the streetlights were shining bright, and the roads were still filled with people meandering about.
“What time is it?” Cassana asked.
“Midnight? I heard the bell ring.”
“How many?”
The question made Ashvell feel uncomfortable and he squirmed on his seat. “Uhm, I didn’t count it.”
Cassana grinned and gave him a tap on his shoulder. “It’s okay, buddy. Don’t be embarrassed that you don’t know how to count.”
“Excuse me? I know how to count,” ribbed Ashvell. He turned his head back trying to look at Cassana’s face before breaking into a titter.
“What?” she wondered.
“Nothing, it’s just… haven’t seen you smile like that in a while.”
Cassana felt herself blushing, “Whatever, just drive.”
“I wonder what’s up, though… why are these people still out in the middle of the night?” she said after a few moments of quiet.
“You forgot, didn’t you?”
“Forgot what?”
“It’s New Year’s Eve.”
“Is that today?” she bent her neck upwards, trying to remember the date. “Ah, right… Totally flew over my head.”
“Well, it’s been a busy week,” noted Ashvell.
“You don’t say!” Cassana rubbed her palms over her skirt, as she looked around the measly crowd of people gathering in their own little corners, jubilating in one form or another.
“Remember when your mom used to cook apple pies during New Year?” Ashvell started. His turn to break the silence.
“Yeah… you and your Popps would come by. And then Otheric with his parents…” Cassana’s eyes may be affixed to the people on the side of the road, but her mind was being drawn back to old the times at the village. It all seemed like that was a long time ago.
“Remember when you stole a bottle that ale from your mother’s cellar? And then we all hid inside Rufus’ barn, and we passed the bottle around trying to drink from it?” Ashvell continued.
“That was mead. And it wasn’t New Year, it was Spring Feast.”
“Right, right.”
“You didn’t even drink it,” Cassana gibed.
“It tasted awful,” defended Ashvell.
“It was sweet!”
“Eh, I never liked alcohol.”
“And that was my first of many,” said Cassana.
“Those were the times, no?” Ashvell beamed.
Cassana turned her body to face the side of the wagon and rested her elbow over the side. Yeah, those were the times she agreed.
Noah welcomed them soon as they arrived at the mansion, and he told them to head towards Nissa’s bedroom. Inside, they saw sitting on an invalid’s chair, with Robb standing by her side. She turned to the two soon as they entered.
“Cassana?” Nissa gasped, “Ashvell! I’m so glad to see you both.” She reached out her palms and the two grabbed one each.
“How are you feeling?” asked Cassana.
“Better, I think. I’m still having trouble moving some of my muscles, the wizards said I will recover in time,” Nissa answered. “Robb told me everything… My Rikhart…” She burst into tears after mentioning the name, and the two moved closer to comfort her.
Nissa continued getting caught up with the life and events in the village, with Ashvell and Cassana taking turns in sharing various anecdotes. When it came to telling what happened with Otheric, Nissa gave the redhead a warm embrace.
They all stayed in that room for more than an hour, just talking and reminiscing. But something bugged Cassana’s mind the whole time, and she kept trying to find a way to ask Nissa about it. Eventually, she gave up and simply requested to talk to her alone.
“Sure, of course. Honey, can you give us the room for a moment?” Nissa told Robb, as Ashvell reached his hand to the young boy.
“No, I’m never gonna get you out of my sight, ever,” the little Robin lovably wrapped his arms around his mother.
“It’s also late, you should go to sleep now,” Nissa added.
“Not without you,” Robb begged.
“Okay, sleep here for now on my bed, while me and Cassana will just talk outside for a bit. Alright?”
Robb nodded and pulled away.
“Ashvell, can you…” Nissa looked at the young man and he understood what he needed to do.
“Come on buddy,” he placed his arms over Robb’s shoulder and sat down beside him by the bed.
Cassana wheeled Nissa out of the room and into a secluded corridor. She attempted a few false starts, before getting to the topic she wanted to talk about.
“Did they tell you how we found you?” she asked Nissa.
She nodded. “I was in the spare bedroom upstairs? And I was asleep for three years?”
“And you were holding a sword...”
Nissa nodded again. “They showed it to me. It was your father’s.”
“Why do you have it?”
Nissa paused, trying to pull the memory from her muddled mind. “He lent it to us when we left.”
“Okay, how about let’s start with that? Why did you leave?” asked Cassana, more confident this time.
Nissa raised her head as she recalled what happened that day. Seconds turned to minutes, but the young wizard patiently waited for her answer.
“Remember when you headed out to The Tower?” Nissa asked instead.
“Yes, my mother, Ashvell’s dad, and Robb’s dad, they all came with me to Soliton to send me off,” answered the redhead.
“That was the first time that Rikhart entered the city again in many years. And when he came home, he told me that he secretly checked in on my family. That’s when he saw my brother Niko again.
“He described to me what it was like, and how he almost didn’t recognize him. He was visibly depressed and he was thin as a rake, and he was… he was suffering. And Rik said that seeing him like that made him feel guilty.”
“Because of what they did to him,” clarified Cassana.
“I never blamed him for it. You see, my father, he has a certain…” Nissa paused, looking for the appropriate word to use. “No one says no to my father. You have to understand…”
“I do understand, don’t worry about it,” reassured Cassana. “What happened next?”
“I felt guilty as well. Regretful, even? I felt like part of it was my fault. Like, I kept repeating events in my head, and somehow, I felt like I could’ve done better. A better sister for him, a compassionate friend, perhaps? But we were kids, you know? I was selfish, immature. All I cared about was myself.
“And then I remembered looking across the room and seeing Robin, sleeping in his bed, so peaceful. And I felt like I didn’t deserve to have him in my life. Like, somehow, I cheated, and I’m not worthy of being a mother to such a lovely little boy.”
Don’t say that, that’s not true. Cassana wanted to interrupt but she kept her mouth mum and gently squeezed Nissa’s hand instead.
“I told Rikhart that we have to make it right. It was a heavy weight on my chest, and I was sure that the only way to ease myself of it was to go back to Soliton, and ask for Niko’s forgiveness.
“So that’s what we decided to do. We didn’t think that we’d be gone for three years. And I never would have imagined that it would cost Rikhart’s…”
Nissa’s sob broke her sentence, and Cassana gave her time to collect herself.
“So, Dad knew all this?” followed up the young wizard.
“Yes,” nodded Nissa. “You know how those two are, they would hole up in your cellar talking for hours about magic, artifacts, and stuff that I can’t even pronounce…”
Cassana smiled and bobbed her head in agreement.
“Meanwhile, your mother and I stayed upstairs gossiping all afternoon,” Nissa snickered at the memory. “Anyway, your father told your mother, and they both told us it wasn’t a good idea. But they didn’t try to stop us.
“We didn't bring Robb, because I was scared of how father would react. Another magical person in the family. We reassured your parents that it would be safe and that they didn’t need to worry and we’ll be back in a few weeks.
“Still, he wanted to help, so he gave us that sword, the one you found on me. At first, I was like… none of us know how to use a sword; but then he explained that it has magical abilities. That it can heal people without needing to cast a spell, something like that. And with Soliton, you can’t just use magic freely here, we figured, well, why not? Just in case, you know?”
The puzzle in Cassana’s head was finally falling into pieces. “What happened when you got here?”
Nissa grimaced, as if the memory she was now unfolding was causing her physical pain. “My father was dead. So was my mother. Niko just left them in the room, rotting. He didn’t even bury them. He showed their corpses to me like he was proud of it. He was different, so different…
“He had these people with him, they told me they were his friends. One of them has horns, like a goat’s. And we wanted to leave, for some reason Rikhart couldn’t cast any spell. And there was a fight, and Niko was talking about making it right. That if we want his forgiveness, we have to earn it, somehow.
“And it was a mess, I couldn’t track what was happening. And then suddenly I felt this throbbing pain in my head, and I think I blacked out. And then I woke up earlier today, and that’s it…”
Cassana sat in silence. The puzzle was complete.
“How is he?” asked Nissa.
“He’s alive, the City Watch has him in custody. With his friends, except for the one that can change its face. It probably just ran away, or something. Hopefully, we don’t see it again.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
“Thank you, for telling me everything,” said Cassana. She stood up from the floor and stretched her legs. Then she remembered one more thing. “How about the grimoire?”
“Grimoire?” asked Nissa.
“It’s a book of spells. Did Dad give it to Rikhart as well?”
“I don’t know. I don’t remember anything about a book.”
“And the Focusing Stone?” The redhead picked up her staff leaning on the wall and showed its amethyst top to Nissa.
“Ah, that. Your father asked Rikhart to make that for you. It was supposed to be a gift for your Ranking Exam.”
“My dad? No way,” Cassana shook her head.
“Yes, he was excited for you.”
Cassana kept shaking her head. “Maybe that’s what he tells everybody, but he hated it. He never wanted me to be a wizard.”
“That’s not true. He was proud of you, and the path you chose for your own.”
Cassana didn’t know how to react.
“Tullius was a complicated man, Rik always said…” the young mother took a deep breath, as if deciding on something important. “Look, I’m in no position to tell you this, but since both your parents are gone, I think it’s important that you hear this.”
The redhead shuffled on his feet and listened intently on what Nissa had to say.
“The way your parents talked about you, there’s something peculiar about it. Like, they always talked about how you’re different from the rest of the kids. And not in the, my-daughter-is-smart kind of way. It’s more like something in your nature, that makes you unique from everyone else.
“I don’t know if I’m making sense, but that’s the general gist of it. I wish I could elaborate further, but...” She paused. “Rikhart once mentioned that your father wanted to bring you to a place, hopefully once you become a wizard. I think he was implying that there was something there for you to see.”
“A place?”
“Yes, like an island, of sorts... In the Roewing Sea. I can’t remember the details, only that it’s important and that no one knows about this place except Tullius. I wish I could say more, but that’s I remember.”
“Huh…” Cassana huffed.
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“I’m in,” declared the young wizard, after taking Minos aside.
“In what?” asked the young nobleman. Cassana pulled him aside to the patio with the garden and the well, asking to talk to him alone. They decided to accept Nissa’s offer that they stay in the Von Schreiber mansion instead.
“That place you said you found in my father’s notes. You’re still heading there, right? I’m coming too,” continued the redhead. It was a spur of the moment decision for Cassana, soon as she heard what Nissa said the previous day.
Still, she took time to let that decision simmer in her mind. She ruminated over various reasons on why she shouldn’t try to find the place that Nissa mentioned by thinking of the worse that could happen.
It was dying, of course. But the thought of it didn’t feel scary enough for her. What did scare her, however, was dying without knowing what Nissa meant with what she said.
Despite her animosity towards him, her father had always been a source of wonder for Cassana. He arrived at the village not knowing anybody, a traveling stranger with no family and no home. He met her mother and they fell in love and started a family. That was all the story they told her.
Curiosity was the biggest factor in Cassana’s decision in seeking out this place that Nissa referred to. A chance to finally know the truth about his father, and even so, the truth about her lineage. It took her the better part of a day weighing the options in her mind, and when she finally felt a reasonable level of certainty, she quickly seeked out Minos for a chat.
The young nobleman took a moment to think about Cassana’s proposition before answering, “I know you’re not interested in finding the sword, so what gives?”
Cassana took a deep breath. “It’s none of your business,” she smirked.
“It’s my expedition, so it’s my business…” Minos shrugged.
“Fine,” Cassana sighed. “It’s about my father. I wanna know… certain things about him.”
“Very well. Welcome aboard. We sail tomorrow, gather all you need.”
“Ashvell is coming too.”
“Of course he is,” Minos replied with a malicious smile. “And Robb?”
“He’ll be staying here, with his mom. They deserve to spend time together.”
“I get it,” Minos nodded. “See you at the docks.”
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Cassana spent her last day in Soliton buying equipment, gear and clothes from the various shops she could afford. In the evening, she had a sumptuous dinner with Nissa, Robb and Ashvell, where she also said her farewells. At dawn, she and her friend took a hackney ride to the docks, tugging their heavy bags. There, they met up with Minos, Rei and Lira, and the five of them finally boarded a ship.
“I never thought we would make it this far,” said Lira as they were walking towards the stern cabin to meet the captain of the ship.
“Come on, I never doubted you,” bragged Minos.
“The doubt is on you, boy!” mocked Lira.
“Hear, hear!” jeered Cassana.
“Look, this captain is well-recommended, and the ship and the whole voyage is already paid off for a month, courtesy of course of our friend from The Guild. Point is, all things considered, we struck a good bargain.”
“Sure, if you say so,” ribbed Cassana.
The three of them noticed Ashvell lagging behind them, taking careful steps and Minos asked him what was wrong.
“I’ve never been on a ship before…”
“You’ll get your sea-legs soon enough. Don’t worry,” encouraged Minos. “It’s time to meet the man in charge.
It was not a man, but a half-drow. He greeted them soon as they all stepped into the captain’s room.
“Good ‘morrow to you sirs, and ma’ams,” he was tall and burly, with a skin like an eggplant, and a nose that was flat and wide. He had a yellow set of teeth, with his upper fangs filed sharp. He had his balding head covered with a beret, and wore a monocle on his left eye. “My name is Marli; I will be manning the helm of this voyage. Feel free to call me Captain Marli, and these are my officers.”
Marli stepped aside to reveal the three people standing behind him. “This is Praneel, our pilot and navigator.” Marli pointed to a dark-skinned, tall man. He stepped forward and reached for Minos’ hand.
“This is our sergeant-at-arms, Mr. Kalai.” A man with a wide-torso and equally-wide face greeted that by pulling his hat off.
“And finally, Asula, our ship doctor.” Further behind them was an unnaturally small woman, standing at less than four feet. She had short legs and stunted arms and carried a scowl on her face. She merely grunted at the mention of her name, before hiding again behind the shadows.
Minos introduced his four companions and they exchanged greetings. Afterwards, they were all escorted to their private cabins, while Cassana elected to climb down to the deck. She stood by the port side and took one final look at the City of Wealth.
A blanket of slow-moving fog pulled back from the city, revealing its crooked buildings and misshapen towers. The cold wind licked her cheeks, and her tightened her grip on the taffrails. She breathed the smell of sea and sulfur before letting out a loud sigh.
Cassana stood steady, looking beyond the empty harbor, but in her mind, she was waving goodbye. To Robb, and Nissa, who were still sleeping in their beds. To Firroth and Auren, despite the bitterness she felt for them. To the Small Tower, and to the memory of Professor Arcturus. And finally, to the city that tested her courage and grit.
The sea waves rocked the ship and a hopeful smile formed on her lips. She turned around to face the Roewing Sea and its horizon, looking forward to a new journey ahead.