Cleansing Fire

Triman looked up and frowned at the man who had just burst through his door. He had given strict instructions to be left alone. He was trying in vain to summon the Darkling again. Vala had been becoming increasingly agitated over the last few days and some form of madness seemed to have taken hold of her. She could be perfectly lucid one moment and fly into an incredible rage the next, flailing with her power at anyone who was nearby. He’d had to shut her in a room heavily warded with spells both for her protection and for that of the others in the Academy.

Servants had stopped coming to the room after a day of her lashing out with her power had left several injured. Nothing too serious, thanks be to the gods, but not something he could allow to go unchecked.

“Yes,” he said testily, glaring at the man frostily. He was very irritable just now and if this servant didn’t have a very good reason to be here, he would take out some of his frustration soon enough.

“My apologies for the interruption, Steward. It’s… it’s your wife, sir. You need to come, sir. She’s calling for you.”

He must have moved around from behind his desk though he couldn’t remember having done so. Vala hadn’t been lucid enough to call for anyone in many hours. Perhaps she was finally over whatever sickness it was that was assailing her now. He ran down out of the room and down the corridor, heedless of his robes flapping as his legs pumped up and down. The servant would have to run to catch up with him.

It wasn’t long until he reached the room where Vala was being kept. There were two Initiates facing the door from the other side of the corridor, their faces waxy with the effort of holding her power inside the room.

He shoved the door open, ignoring the startled yelps from the Initiates as they felt the recoil of their spells being broken. As the door closed, he felt the spells spring up again, blanketing the room from any magical influences. Vala would be powerless while she was within these walls.

Gods send she’s come to her senses at last. The sudden madness so soon after her long illness had nearly killed him. He’d been trying to bring back the Darkling ever since she’d first changed; sure the cure had something to do with it.

“Vala? You called for me?” He couldn’t help the slight hesitation in his voice as he entered the room, searching for her. Just because she was unable to use magic didn’t mean she couldn’t simply attack him.

He saw her then, wan and tired looking, standing at the window looking out.

“I’m so glad you came Triman. How do you like your wife? A little… gift of the potion she drank.”

With a start, he recognised the voice that had come from the Darkling in his study, what seemed like years ago.

He ran towards her and grabbed her shoulders, shaking her.

“Vala! Vala, you have to fight! Fight against him.”

The man using Vala’s face laughed then, a deep sound from the depths of her body. Triman shuddered and let her shoulders go.

She’s been possessed by him. I have to get her back.

“I will kill you for this! I will find you and kill you! If you’ve hurt her…” he shouted, causing his wife’s body to start laughing again. He almost seemed to recognise the voice, it tickled something in his mind and he knew he should know who this was.

“Have no fear Steward,” she said, imbuing the term with a venom that seemed so unsuited to her lips, “Vala is in no danger. She’s screaming quite healthily right in her mind. Pleading with me. Never mind, it’ll be over soon. I just wanted to tell you that the Skaji have found your little hole. Poor things, they’re quite frantic to get out. It will take them time to make it big enough but by then it will be far too late for you.”

“What, what are you talking about? The Observers have seen no sign of the Skaji in the passes! You’re lying!”

His wife’s lips curved in a cruel smile and he recoiled from the look in her eyes.

“The Observers see only what I wish them to see. The Skaji have been massing around the barrier for weeks. Stupid man, you could never see anything outside your immediate surroundings.”

He clenched his fists, racking his brain for some way to force this invader from his wife’s body and mind. Without magic there was nothing he could do and he couldn’t risk talking to the Initiates outside – there would be no way to keep what he had done secret if they had to help him exorcise his wife.

“Get out of her you bastard. I’m warning you…”

“The time for your threats is over, Triman. Can’t you see that? No matter. I’ll leave you with your… wife now. Enjoy it while you can.”

Vala’s body went slack and she fell to the ground, groaning. He ran to her side and scooped her up, putting her on the bed and stroking her face till her eyes opened.

“Triman? Is he gone?” She squeezed her eyes shut, tears leaking out of the sides. “He does terrible things to me, Triman. I can’t stand it. Sometimes the others take over and they make me live my nightmares over and over again.”

“Hush, Vala. We’ll find a solution. Something to stop them from hurting you,” he said, struggling to keep his voice hopeful, light.

“You don’t know what it’s like to have one of those creatures inside of you, creeping into every part of you. Oh gods! One of them is…it’s trying to get in. Triman, I can’t stop it.”

She clutched the front of his robes, pulling him closer, kissing him roughly. She was panting with effort, her breath coming in rasping spurts.

“Don’t fear for me, my love. All is not lost. I… Our daughter is alive, husband. I… I sent her away. I am sorry. Please understand that I could not tell you! Persidies himself commanded me. Forgive me, Triman! I can’t… can’t keep him out any…”

She flopped down on the bed again, her eyes going white again. Suddenly, she sat up, shoving him off the bed and onto the floor. Impossibly, her eyes started to glow, a sign of her powers returning. Startled, he tried to embrace his own power but found the familiar blanketing spells keeping him from doing anything. Our daughter is alive? How, why? Oh gods, Vala, what have I done to you?

“No! No, you cannot take her from me again now! NO!” his voice was lost in the sound of her shrieking and thrashing. When she calmed, this time it was the voice of a Darkling that rang through the room, sending chills down his spine.

“A gift from our brothers, human. For all those slain by your kind over many years. Your wife’s suffering ends now.”

The blast sent him staggering away from her, crashing into the opposite wall. His head rang with the impact, blood coursing down his neck.

His wife stood, floating a foot or more above the floor, shedding little flakes of light to the ground. As he struggled to get up, she lashed out with her power and pinned him to the stones, his head hitting the wall again. Her mouth twisted into a rictus of pain and he could see that one of her hands was burning. He struggled against the force holding him to the wall but to no avail. The flame started spreading up her arm, her dress catching alight.

He couldn’t even open his mouth to shout as it spread to the rest of her body. She didn’t flinch or scream, the Darkling held onto her so tightly that she couldn’t even move. The smell of burning flesh began to permeate the room. Inside he was screaming. Outside, all he could do was watch as Vala burned in front of him.

It was many hours later and he could still smell her burning, could see the flames take her every time he opened his eyes. It had already been far too late for any help when the Initiates had finally wondered why he was gone so long. He couldn’t fault them really – there should have been no way for something like this to happen. They were still investigating, trying to figure out how something had made it past their shields, had managed to possess her. He hadn’t told them about the potion he’d fed her – he couldn’t see how it would matter now. Nothing mattered anymore.

He’d left the Academy in the middle of the night – he couldn’t bear to sleep in the bed they’d shared for so long. Not now that she was gone. It seemed like the journey to the barrier had taken almost no time at all really. He knew he had walked for a number of hours but he had barely felt it.

He stood at the same place where he’d made the hole, watching as it grew slightly larger with each passing minute. If Vala was dead, what did the world matter? Let everything burn. He pushed his own power into the hole, forcing it wider. Soon it would be big enough for anything to come through.

Try as he might, he just couldn’t force himself to care.

Forgive me Vala. I failed you. It was better that you sent our daughter away. I would only have killed her too.

Chapter

13

Escape

Kaylee opened her eyes to absolute blackness. The inn was properly dark tonight – no people wandering around and even the coach yard had been closed for the evening. The usual torches that burned brightly outside were out as well.

Not daring to breathe, she looked over at the bulk of her captor, sleeping peacefully for once. If she was to escape, this was possibly her only opportunity. She’d been the model of a good prisoner ever since the farm and tonight was the first night she was allowed to sleep without ropes tying her down.

Very quietly, she swung her legs off the bed, cringing as the floorboards creaked a little under her weight. When there was no movement, she carefully gathered up her bundle of clothes – all she’d managed to take from the fire and tucked them under her arm. She stood in the middle of the room and contemplated doing something to make sure she wasn’t followed. There were no weapons in the room so she decided she would have to risk being chased. If she was fast enough, she could be out of here and on her way to find Marius before anyone knew she was gone.

She thought her heart might stop when the door also creaked as she pulled it open. Blessedly, there was still no movement. She let out a relieved breath as soon as she’d closed the door quietly behind her. To think it was this easy to escape – if only she’d been left without ropes before, this would have been much faster. She slipped on her shoes and quietly made her way down the stairs and out through the front door. As soon as she was clear of the inn, she broke into a run. She knew the direction she must go at least – she hadn’t been prevented from talking to people as long as she didn’t try to alert them that she was a prisoner.

Sometimes, it was nice being underestimated. She smiled for the first time in days as she thought about her destination. Soon, Marius. Soon.

Lura Arfor sat up suddenly on her bed. Something had woken her but she wasn’t sure what. She looked over at the other bed and let loose a curse that would have surprised anyone who knew her. The bitch was gone! Curse the spavined mule of an innkeeper for persuading her to have wine tonight. She’d let her guard down and now Kaylee was running about loose.

She forced herself to be calm as she checked whether the locator spell was still working. Yes, there she was, sitting comfortably in the back of Lura’s head. There was no escaping once one of those was placed on you. It had been hard to have one done since she hadn’t learned anything but the most rudimentary magic before her mother sent her away. The price had been exorbitant but now she was glad of the expense. She settled down in the bed again. The girl wasn’t going to get far – tomorrow was enough time to go hunting her. Let her believe she’d gained her freedom for now. Next time she’d make sure there would be no escape.