Nannade was again having weird dreams of Gregg, Camillo Jr. And even Camillo Sr. But she managed to fend off her pursuers. It was the slap in the face that woke her up. She was rolled tight in her blanket, but Ionna was sleeping uneasy, her blanket thrown all over the tent floor. She had hit Nannade in the face with her hand as she struggled against something in her sleep. Sweat had pooled on her forehead, and she kept groaning and sighing.
She shook the lieutenant’s shoulder until she finally woke up. Confusion stood on her bright red face.
“What’s the matter? Are enemies about?” Ionna asked with a hushed voice.
“No, but you seemed to have a terrible dream.”
Ionna visibly struggled to think. “I... I think I was... I don’t know. It’s already gone.”
“Well I won’t wait for it to appear again, I’ll set up wards for us.”
Nannade turned on the light-vial and looked around for her gear. “I don’t have much to work with, let me think for a moment.”
She stuck her head outside. The cold night air was tearing the warmth off her body instantly. A few pieces of coal remained in the fire, some bushes grew not far away. She decided she had all she needed.
Ground-up charcoal, ash and blood made an ideal paint for runes, a thin twig frayed at the ends served well enough as a brush.
Nannade first made sure Ionna was taken care of. On forehead, chest and lower belly she drew the runes and connected them with patterns. She hoped to keep these body parts at rest and clean of certain thoughts. Fertility charms were a not uncommon service asked by the townsfolk, but what she was doing was the opposite. A fidelity-charm? Maybe. Elissa had once made one for a customer, so she could sew it into her husband’s trousers.
After the rite was done for the lieutenant, she seemed remarkably more at ease. Nannade would not be able to draw as elegantly on herself this way, but Ssil could not protect her in her sleep, so she too needed to take precautions.
“How bothersome. It almost seems like a powerful defence, this aura of lust.” Ionna said, marvelling at the complex patterns and runes.
“As I said, it’s not lust, it’s fertility. If it was lust, no distance between us and the men would help anyone, both we and them would still go at it.”
“Disgusting.”
Nannade kept her judgement to herself. That much she owed him, even if he would never know. “An emotion like rage or sorrow would hinder an advancing army much more, but it would also not serve the purpose of the cult as much.”
“You think they’re breeding an army?”
“I don’t know. It seems possible at first, but no army could work under these conditions. Maybe it was their goal before the cultists themselves fell to the influence and everything got out of control. That’s why idiots and the undisciplined should not meddle with spirits and demons.”
They got back to sleep and although the dreams no longer plagued them, they had already lost much rest over it.
The next morning was horrible on them both. It looked like rain and Nannade needed to redraw the wards for Ionna. She herself would not need them while Ssil was awake, but if it continued on like this, Ionna would run out of blood before they’d reach their destination.
With their cloaks drawn close, they made their way through the rain. Although she was carrying their tent and all of her own gear, Ionna almost dashed ahead.
Between large boulders and sparse bushes, they had made a solid portion of the way around the mountain by noon, now facing northeast. Just one more day and they’d reach Allwatch Keep, the rest of the platoon would follow a day after. The north side of the island was less populated so they were in less danger of detection, still, the only reason they hadn’t gotten into fights yet was that there wasn’t any military around. Occasionally, they’d come across an old fortification like the tower, but that was it.
Nannade’s thoughts kept going back to Olly. She felt the strong urge to talk to him and explain to him her behaviour and the circumstances, but her mission took precedent. She would tell him after they had completed the mission.
If they both survived.
Her heart clenched tight, she looked across the countryside, hoping to see the platoon, but the rain was too dense. She knew by her worry that it was fertility that drove her away from him, not herself. Ssil had wrapped herself tight around her heart to protect her in waking moments, keeping the flame she had alive even in the rain that was the influence of the demon.
They eventually came by a narrow path on the steepest slopes of the mountains. As they cleared a bent, Ionna suddenly rushed back and stopped Nannade.
“A watch tower. And it’s manned.”
Around the bent, a few hundred feet away, stood a stone tower next to the path. In its windows was light and they could see people moving inside. Nannade and Ionna had to think of a way to slip by or take out the guards.
“Can’t you cast us a spell?” Ionna asked.
“I sure can, but I don’t know if they have any magical means of detection, give me time.”
She looked through her palm book. She still had two Arcane Lenses as well as a few Invisible Fists, but a spell that would be much more useful would have to be drawn on the cloak.
She found a stone overhang shielded from the rain and started drawing on her cloak with crayon.
“Is that a spell you’re casting?”
“Almost. It will conceal us, but only as long as we stay behind the cloak. Also, if they got spirits, then I’m just wasting time right now.”
“Well can’t you tell whether they have spirits?”
“Not without revealing myself to them.”
The spell was done and Nannade stood back up. She picked one of the Arcane Lenses, peeked around the bent and cast it, shielding the paper with her hand to avoid being detected by the flame. She saw nothing. The guard post was safe, regarding the arcane.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
She lifted the cloak and cast the spell written on it. A short flash of steam and they were safe from detection, as long as they moved slowly. Carefully, the two made their way towards the tower on the narrow path.
They could see at least four men, armed with bows and crossbows, short swords, and spears. They kept a good eye on their surroundings, and every time they looked in the direction of Nannade, she paused for a moment. She did not want to push the limits of the spell.
The door at the bottom of the tower was closed, and trying to open it despite a locking bolt could alert the guards. Both of them knew that the lookout could well discover the moving platoon by the glint of Andronicus’ armour alone if the weather was sunny.
They came close enough to see the white in the eyes of the guards. At the same time, Nannade knew that the spell’s effectiveness would greatly diminish within the next few feet. She gave Ionna a sign and together, they rushed towards the door and took shelter next to it. Nannade looked up. She could easily scale the walls and the rain would conceal the sound of it. She went through her palm book and picked a Fuse and an Explosion.
Ionna leaned over to her and with a barely audible voice asked “What’s the plan now?”
“Take shelter somewhere and get your bow ready. This door will be taken care of in a few moments. Meanwhile, I’ll climb up there.” Nannade put down her spear and backpack, took off her boots, stuck the papers to the door and set the Fuse off. Then she ran around the tower to the opposite side and started her ascend.
The rain would conceal any sound she’d make the way up. She found good hold on the stone. The tower seemed to have been placed with barely a spell, the surface was just as rough as the day it had been hewn from the quarry.
Nannad arrived at the top. She snuck a peek through the battlements; two men were currently holding lookout, the staircase down was open and underneath the roof was a single, big light-vial. Any moment now, the Fuse would finish and set off the spell.
A thundering CRACK shattered the door atwain. The guards, startled, ran towards the battlements above the door. Behind her backs, Nannade pulled herself up and landed softly on the floor. She drew knife and dagger. Then she started her dash.
It was only a few feet and she closed the gap quickly, but one still had time to turn around. He got stabbed in the throat nonetheless, just like the other, slower guard.
She could hear a guard rushing out and falling to Ionna’s arrows. Quickly, she made her way down. A guard was in front of her as she was hastening down the stairs. She leapt from the high ground and sank both blades into his neck. Ionna had felled a second one. This should have been five, but the two decided to make an additional sweep, just to be sure. They took what they could use. Arrows, food, other utilities. The tower had an unusual amount of food stored, as if it was equipped for extensive stays and few support deliveries. Ionna prepared a message and tied it to an arrow with a weird looking tip and a red ribbon. When she shot it in a high bow down to the valley, it let out a whistling howl.
“This sound will let the others know that I shot off a message. They won’t rest until the found it. I hope the rain does not obscure it too much.”
They continued their way. They now had irrevocable evidence that there was a military installation of some sort down the path.
They passed by more crumbled or at least unmanned towers. The rain did not let up, Nannade was unsure how much longer Ionna’s wards would remain effective. She could try to substitute her blood, but it would greatly diminish its power, and fertility’s influence influence would only get stronger as they came closer to its source.
Night fell and they sought shelter in another empty tower. They lit a fire and sat down to eat their rations. Ionna’s face showed wear and exhaustion.
Nannade decided to investigate her mood. “Are you feeling alright?”
Ionna shook her head. “No. It’s Car- sergeant Carellus. My mind keeps going back to him, I think your wards are wearing off.”
“Were you two an item before or just interested?”
“We... we exchanged... secret words. When no one else was around, I allowed him to drop protocol and we talked like friends, or more like... I don’t know. I don’t anything about this. I had always been chaste for the faith.”
Nannade was absent-mindedly poking at the flames with a stick. “I didn’t know that Lady Radiance demands chastity.”
“The Ordo Militaris demands total focus on the duty. I guess I will have to leave the Order after this mission.” Ionna’s face bared melancholy.
“I am sure the highest priests will grant you a dispensation for this, you were under a powerful influence.”
“No. I guess, yes, but what I mean, I don’t want dispensation. I’ve been there. I know what it feels like.” A smile flitted across her face. “I want to end this entire tough life. a no longer need to protect my brother, since long not. It was why I went into service with him, he’s my baby brother, but he has surpassed me. I just stayed because I forgot what I wanted. I’ll ask to retire after this, the Order owes me a large estate for my services, if Carellus and me put ours together, we will be like lord and lady of our own little land.”
“After witnessing all this wickedness? Don’t you think it is now more than ever necessary to continue your work?”
Ionna lifted her head with an annoyed face. “What is it to you? You do not worship Her Radiance.”
“We oppose the same imbalance. Churches might not be the most balanced to begin with but at least they don’t consume everything around them like a cult. And, I don’t want you to abandon something just because of a stupid mistake.”
Ionna smiled, and this time, the smile remained. “It wasn’t a mistake. Even when I was protected by your wards, I still was happy to have done it. I guess there’s a reason why people worship fertility. How have you experienced it?”
Nannde thought back to the beg for fertility. “I have danced for the spirits before a man had ever touched me like that. In my... home town I guess... on the first day of the year, people would swear fidelity to each other before the spirits, and then please them with a display of their love. Alone in the forest of course. I have wed my two best friends that day. She was pregnant when I left for my journey.”
They fell silent for a while, staring into the flames. It was Ionna who broke the silence.
“I wonder if Lady Radiance will approve of this one.” She put her hand on her belly. “It is the result of wicked demon magic after all.”
“I wish She will. You deserve it.”
“And what about your plans?”
The question dug deep. “I can’t conceive from humans and I hadn’t met another one of my kind until a month ago, so for me, remaining childless was always my intention. I want to give my entire life to the justice of Sturreland. But I am not chaste.” She caught herself smiling. “One of the mages of the university, he... we... I think I love him. I feel nothing but shame when under the influence of the demon, but I know when this is over, I will lay with him again.”
“I don’t even have the strength to judge you for it. It was beautiful.”
“What if Carellus regrets it and wants nothing to do with you once released from the grip of the demon?”
“I’ll make him love me. I’ll do everything to have him discharged from the Order. Then he’ll have no reason to refuse me.”
Nannade did not know how to react to that. It seemed devilish of the woman, but Nannade herself knew this strong yearning for togetherness. She would not be able to ever live such a life.
“I hope it doesn’t come to that, lieutenant.”
They finished their rations, Nannade renewed the wards on both of them and they went to sleep. Some thoughts stayed with her. Olly was among them. She could almost feel his pulse on her cheek again as she slipped into dream.