Cursed Bones

chapter 22



“Hi, Isabel,” Alexander said.

She opened her eyes and rolled out of bed.

“How’re you holding up?”

“I’ve been better … but I’ve been worse, too,” she said, not wanting to tell him how bad it was getting. All of this time spent alone was making her doubt her sanity. She spent far too much time scrutinizing her thoughts, always wondering if any given thought was planted by Azugorath.

The Wraith Queen was becoming more cunning, taking the circuitous route into Isabel’s psyche by inserting ideas that led to very dark places. All too often, Isabel would be well down the path Azugorath had laid out for her before she realized she was chasing a ghost within her own mind. That’s when the real attack would come, swift and powerful, Azugorath would bring her full strength to bear, attempting to subvert Isabel’s free will and gain control, even if just for a moment.

“What’s happening? They won’t tell me anything.”

“Quite a lot actually,” Alexander said. “Phane used the link between you and the witch Clotus to locate this place. He has a sizable force headed here as we speak.”

“I’m not sure what good that’ll do him,” Isabel said. “All of the men here are completely charmed by the Sin’Rath. I don’t see why Phane’s men won’t succumb just as easily.”

“Because he’s sending women,” Alexander said. “Except for three wraithkin, the entire force, five hundred strong, is all women, very well trained and very well equipped women.”

“Oh … that changes things,” Isabel said.

“They’ll be here in a week or so, and when they get here, the Sin’Rath are going to have their hands full. I also spoke with the sovereigns about them. They’re a lot more dangerous than I thought. Turns out they’re descended from the union of a demon called a succubus and the last Wizard King of Karth, a man named Siavrax. He led the Isle of Karth during the Reishi War, but it doesn’t sound like he was much better than Malachi.

“Apparently, Siavrax turned to the netherworld in an attempt to even the odds against the Reishi. Malachi called him the second most powerful necromancer in the Seven Isles, after himself, of course.”

“Of course,” Isabel said.

“Siavrax specialized in creating hybrid creatures to use as weapons against the Reishi. He’s actually the one who created the gorledons.

“In one of his more desperate moments, he summoned Sin’Rath, the Succubus Queen, to use against Malachi, but Siavrax succumbed to her seductive charms instead. Sin’Rath bore him a half-breed daughter, then vanished into the swamp for decades. Once his half-breed daughter matured, mother and daughter returned to kill him.

“This is where it gets interesting. When his daughter killed him, she consumed his link to the firmament and became the first witch of the Sin’Rath Coven. Worse, she inherited her mother’s ability to charm men. Malachi immediately saw the threat they posed and sent none other than Prince Phane to banish Sin’Rath.”

“But why didn’t she just charm him, too?” Isabel asked.

“Azugorath,” Alexander said. “Malachi summoned the Wraith Queen and used her in much the same way that Phane is using her, but instead of giving Phane unnatural abilities, she simply protected him from the influence of other demons.”

“That explains how Phane got the idea for his wraithkin,” Isabel said.

“Yeah, and it worked then, too. Phane banished Sin’Rath, but her daughter got away,” Alexander said. “Her descendants are the Sin’Rath witches of today. After a bit of prodding, I got Malachi to offer some speculation on the matter. He thinks the Sin’Rath want to kill Phane and consume his link to the firmament, so they can summon their mother.”

“As much as I like the killing Phane part, I don’t want these crazy witches to have his power,” Isabel said.

“No,” Alexander said. “So here’s where Siavrax might have saved us. After his failure with Sin’Rath, he supposedly created a creature he called a Goiri.”

“The thing the witches were talking about,” Isabel said.

Alexander nodded. “Malachi says the creature was rumored to nullify magic anywhere in close proximity. Unfortunately, it also proved to be completely insane and uncontrollable. So much so that Siavrax sealed it up in the hidden facility where he created it, and left it to die.”

“So how does that help us?” Isabel asked.

“Apparently, Malachi believes that the power to nullify magic was bound up in its bones. I found the fortress, but when I got close to the chamber where I think it died, I was suddenly back in my body on Tyr. I believe the Goiri’s bones are still there.”

“We could kill Phane,” Isabel said, suddenly excited.

“More importantly, we could destroy the Nether Gate,” Alexander said.

“That too. So what’s the catch?”

“That mountain is crawling with all sorts of unnatural creatures,” Alexander said. “The people of Karth say the swamp surrounding it is haunted, but it’s really just full of things that Siavrax created and abandoned when the Goiri didn’t work out.”

“So it’s dangerous,” Isabel said. “This is our chance, we have to take it.”

“Even if you can escape this place, you can’t go alone,” Alexander said. “I want you to find a place to hide until I can come for you. We’ll go together.”

“I don’t think there’s time,” Isabel said. “Phane knows where I am. I won’t get a better chance to escape than when he attacks. After that, I’ll be on the run. I’m not sure I’d be able to hide until spring. Also, Azugorath is eating away at me. It’s getting harder and harder to hold out against her, especially after the torture.”

Alexander nodded, sighing with resignation. “Hector and Horace are on Karth. I spoke to them a few days ago and told them where you are. They’ll be here within the week. They know Karth. With their help, you can find a place to hide.”

“Alexander, if I told you how to kill Phane and destroy the Nether Gate, would you sit on your hands for the next two months? All the while worrying that you might be possessed by a demon and turn on your friends?”

He said nothing.

“Me neither,” she said.

“I almost withheld this information from you because I knew exactly what you’d want to do.”

“But you didn’t because you also know exactly how important this is,” Isabel said, smiling. “I told you things would become clearer as I got closer to my target.”

“So you did. I don’t want to risk you, but if we’re going to do this, we need a plan.”

“All right, what do you have in mind?”

“Ayela knows the secret passages running through this place,” Alexander said. “If we can get her help, you’ll have a far better chance of escaping while the Sin’Rath fight Phane’s forces.”

“I agree, but I haven’t seen her since she came to me with the potion.”

“I’ll find her and make her an offer,” he said.

“What kind of offer?” she asked.

“She helps us get the Goiri’s bones and we help her eliminate the Sin’Rath,” Alexander said.

“She might actually go for that,” Isabel said, “but you should probably wait until Phane’s people are closer. If she doesn’t agree, I don’t want her to have time to get in the way.”

“Fair enough,” Alexander said. “I’ll keep an eye on you and make the offer a few hours before Phane’s people are ready to attack. Once you’re out of this place, I’ll have Hector and Horace meet up with you. Hopefully, with a little clairvoyant guidance, the four of you can get to the fortress with a minimum of difficulty.”

“I’ll be ready,” Isabel said.

After more than a week of pushing his new illusion magic to its limits, often with painful consequences, he found himself with time to address other concerns. It would be a while before Abigail was ready to free Zuhl’s dragons and at least a week before the conditions on Karth would be right for Isabel to make her escape.

Alexander stretched his leg. The wound had finally closed up but it hurt, especially when he tried to walk. It would still be a month or more before he was fit to travel and even then he feared his leg wouldn’t be as strong as he’d like.

Fortunately, he didn’t need to leave his bed to work against his enemies. With Abigail and Isabel out of immediate danger, he could focus on other, less urgent but still vitally important matters.

He slipped easily into the firmament, spending a few moments listening to the song of creation before focusing his attention on the Reishi Keep. After he appeared before Commander Perry, it took several minutes of convincing to assure the suspicious commander of his legitimacy.

“Very well, Lord Reishi, I accept that this illusion is indeed being projected by you.”

“Thank you, Commander,” Alexander said. “I’d like a report.”

“We’ve completed the wall and begun the process of clearing the Keep,” Commander Perry said. “It’s difficult and dangerous, both because of the creatures living within and the magical defenses that are still active. The wall is holding, though there are still attempts by some of the more aggressive predators to penetrate our defenses. Supplies are beginning to become a concern, so I’ve been sending out hunting parties to augment our food stores.

“The Keep itself is quite large, nothing like Blackstone of course, but it has proven difficult to navigate for some of my men. The lack of lighting is an issue, forcing us to rely on torches and lanterns which sometimes alert the creatures we’re hunting to our presence.”

“What of the mission to the hidden fortress?” Alexander asked.

“They arrived several weeks ago and departed the safety of our position within the hour,” Perry said. “I haven’t heard from them since.”

“Very good, Commander,” Alexander said. “You’ve done well with a difficult situation. I’m going to spend some time scouting the Keep. When I finish, I’d like to speak with your officers.”

Alexander spent an hour or more doing a thorough search of the entire Keep. Much of it was abandoned and empty of everything save debris but there were still several areas occupied by a variety of dangerous creatures, of most concern being the tentacle demon which had taken up residence in the throne room. From the remains scattered around the cavernous chamber it had clearly been hunting some of the lesser creatures living in the Keep.

He came to lament the fact that he hadn’t taken the time to enter the Keep himself and claim control of the ancient fortress. Had he done so, he suspected that many of the magical capabilities of the Keep would be available to him, even at such a distance.

After an exhaustive search, he returned to Commander Perry and spent a few minutes telling him where each of the creatures within the Keep had chosen to make its lair. There were several families of gorledons, a fact Commander Perry and his men were painfully aware of, but Alexander was able to pinpoint the location where each family slept, giving his soldiers a powerful tactical advantage.

In one of the lower chambers lived a snake that was easily fifty feet long, though it seemed content to hunt the catacombs beneath the Keep as none of the soldiers had even seen it.

By far the greatest concern, aside from the tentacle demon, was the pack of five nether wolves living in one of the lower chambers. Perry had reported that something was hunting his men in the night, taking a man every few days or so. Alexander explained how they fought, their aversion to light and their immunity to most forms of attack save decapitation.

Wizard Dinh suggested that he could provide light for the men to corral the nether wolves into an ambush and Commander Perry began formulating an attack plan to eliminate the nether wolves immediately. Alexander bid them good luck and faded out of sight.

Next, he went to Abel on Ithilian and requested a resupply be sent to the expedition at the Reishi Keep. Then he sought out the men tasked with placing one of Kelvin’s explosive weapons in the chamber that held the Nether Gate.

What he found was a scene from a nightmare. The entire force had been killed to a man. They’d reached the fortress, but they’d fought a retreating action for nearly a league while something picked them apart, one man at a time. Broken bodies, some half eaten, lay in a trail leading to the fortress entrance and into the entry chamber. The wizard leading the mission was dead, fallen beside the wagon carrying the weapon. The only consolation Alexander took from the massacre was that whatever had killed these men hadn’t been interested in the weapon at all.

He considered detonating it right now, he had the activation stone with him on Tyr, all he had to do was crush it and the weapon would detonate, even at this distance, sealing off the fortress under tons of stone, but he knew that would only be enough to slow Phane down once the arch mage got around to coming for the Nether Gate.

Alexander faded back into the firmament, saddened by the loss of yet more good men by his order, and returned to his body to consider his options.

“Hello, Captain Wyatt,” Alexander said, his projection standing on the deck of an Ithilian warship.

“Lord Reishi, is that really you?” a startled Wyatt asked.

“It is,” Alexander said, then proceeded to name all eleven men that Wyatt had lost in the first battle with the wraithkin at Northport.

“Very well, I believe you, though I don’t comprehend how you’ve come to be here,” Wyatt said.

“Report,” Alexander said, as another man approached with two sailors in tow.

“I’ve commandeered these four warships from the Ithilian Navy in pursuit of Princess Lacy. And although Captain Riggs here,” Wyatt said, motioning to the man who’d just approached, “isn’t entirely convinced of my authority, he has accepted my command for now, mostly because of Knight Kinley.” Wyatt looked up at the wyvern circling overhead.

“Captain Riggs, I’m Alexander Reishi. Consider Captain Wyatt to be the commander of your flotilla. You will assist him in every way possible. Is that understood?”

“Yes, but I’m confused? How did you get aboard?” Captain Riggs asked, looking around for any ships other than his four vessels.

“I’m a projection, Captain,” Alexander said, waving his hand through the foredeck railing, “an illusion.”

“I don’t pretend to understand such wizardry,” Captain Riggs said, “but Lord Abel spoke to every captain in the fleet and told us that if you were to come to us in our dreams, we were to obey your orders as if they’d come from him. I suppose this is enough like a dream to count. I accept Captain Wyatt’s command, my ships are at his disposal.”

“Thank you, Captain,” Alexander said, turning back to Wyatt. “You’re about a day and a half away from the ship carrying Lacy. It’s manned by men dressed like Zuhl’s soldiers but they’re really Regency soldiers.”

Wyatt frowned in puzzlement. “What’s their game?”

“Phane wants the contents of a magical box that Lacy has in her possession and she’s the only one who can open it,” Alexander said. “And I think he’s trying to trick her into doing just that. There are two warships flying the Regency flag a few days out and they’re headed right for Lacy’s ship.”

“Sounds like this ocean is about to get very crowded,” Wyatt said.

“It gets worse,” Alexander said, holding Wyatt’s eyes for a moment. “A dragon named Aedan was sent by Lady Bragador to retrieve Lacy from the ship, but the shade possessed him and then retreated.”

Wyatt blinked a few times and shook his head. “I don’t know what we can do against a dragon,” he said. “There isn’t a single wizard aboard any of these ships and I doubt our weapons will have much effect.”

“Trust me, they won’t,” Alexander said. “If the shade wants to sink you, you’re sunk.”

“Why doesn’t he just take Princess Lacy and the box?” Wyatt asked.

“He can’t open it or he would,” Alexander said. “I think he’s waiting for Phane’s ruse to play out. Besides, Phane already has the other two keystones, so the shade will have to get them from him for his plan to succeed. For now, the shade is playing a waiting game.”

“Very well, what are my orders?” Wyatt asked.

“Use Knight Kinley to scout for the dragon,” Alexander said. “If you have clear skies, I want you to attack, board the ship and retrieve Princess Lacy with all of her personal effects. She’s traveling with one of Phane’s agents, a man named Drogan, but she isn’t aware of his true purpose. Do not trust him no matter how much the princess vouches for him.”

“Once we have her, then what?” Wyatt asked.

“Ensure she has the box and make haste for Ithilian,” Alexander said. “Abel and the Ithilian wizards will be ready to protect her the moment she makes landfall.”

“And if the dragon is present?” Wyatt asked.

“Hold back and follow at a safe distance,” Alexander said. “In any event, I’ll be keeping an eye on the situation, so I’ll be here to provide further guidance when you need it.”

“Thank you, Lord Reishi,” Wyatt said, saluting, fist to heart.

Alexander returned the salute as he faded out of sight.