Wielders of Magic, Book 2: The Trinity

Edowain sneaked quietly into Tiranous' bed room. He had thrown her out a week ago, after she had gone wild and slapped him across the face over a struggle of power. She had tried over the months to gain control of the army, and the stubborn man kept it away like a knife from a child.

She didn't like being treated like a child.

Edowain was a sad story really. She had loved her husband, she had adored him. But when she was kidnapped, everything turned head over heals, and the darkness took her like it had taken all of the people on Tiranous' side. She was no longer Edowain, she was someone entirely different, and power was her new goal.

Nothing else even affected her, she was untouchable.

"Hush little baby don't say a word . . ." She sang quietly, drawing a dagger from her belt as her long flowing night gown whipped around her feet. "And mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird." She climbed up onto the bed and hovered over her lover like a cat over its pray. "But if that mocking bird doesn't sing . . ."

The dagger slit across his throat at the speed of light, his eyes snapping open for a split second before becoming dull and lifeless.

"Mama's gonna buy herself a diamond ring." She laughed and held the dagger up, letting the blood trickle down her arm as her deranged laugh filled the corridor.

She was in control now, and no one would take it from her.

Drusilla's "vision" has greatly disturbed me. She said she saw evil, with green eyes. What does that mean exactly? Is evil a person? Or does it just take form? I do not think evil is a person, that would not answer the question to what is evil, which I have been trying to answer my whole life.

Why do we have a sense of right and wrong anyway? Who tells our conscience to go? Who says what is a bad idea and what is a good one?

Anyway, we are out in search of Kekinda's brother, Rajnish. She is not with us, but we have a way to summon her if we need her. Apparently Rentham is very persuasive on his own. That leader of ours still manages to surprise me, even after all this time.

Over all, though, I do not think you find evil. I believe evil finds you.

Rey looked up at the sky, slipping his journal into his sack once again. They were in the valley now, just outside of Kekinda's complex in the soft, open woods. There was many wild life, and they seemed to all be staring at the outsiders. After all, the place was very secluded, very protected. The animals had had nothing to fear before.

"She called you the . . . Unity?" Drusilla asked, riding her steady horse beside the assassins.

"Yes. She didn't explain anything further though, she just waved it aside and said it was up to me now. I will never under stand her." He shook his head. "I don't know if I want to."

"I didn't really get to talk to her either. What is she like?"

"Well . . . don't make her angry, her clothes are on her side too."

"What?"

Rentham laughed up ahead, turning around and pointing at Jaden with a knowing finger. They both laughed at the joke than, leaving Rey and Drusilla to sit and wonder what it was all about.

They left the circular "bowl" of mountains that encased the valley and than headed out into a plain, only this one was green with grass and riddled with rocks. Who knew what happened here, but it would work well for a battle field. Maybe the neighboring kingdoms used it for practice sometimes.

"On this map Kekinda gave us . . ." Rentham said, turning it a little and making funny faces at it. "It says that we are going to find a city near here. The City of . . . Snow."

"How far?" Jaden asked, coming to ride beside him.

"About fifteen miles I would assume." He handed the map to the assassin and looked ahead. "If the plain continues, we should see it very soon as well."

"Ah yes." Jaden said and than handed it back to Rey, so him and the Red Witch could look it over.

"I wonder if they have warm water there . . ." Drusilla wondered aloud. "I haven't taken a real bath in . . . I don't know. That is very frightening!"

"Ha." Rey replied, pointing a finger at her. "You are disgusting."

"When did you take a bath?" She replied, pursing her lips, her eyes fiery as the sun above them.

"I don't take baths, my body cleans itself." He replied with a wry grin.

"What . . .?" Drusilla stared at him as if he had finally lost it. Maybe he had; they seemed to all be waiting.

"Its a spell I cast every now and than." He shrugged. "That's why my hair is always so . . ." He grinned and searched for the appropriate word. "Sleek."

"If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't be able to tell weather you were a womanly man, or a manly woman." She smiled widely, watching his face darken as she laughed.

They traveled across the plain for a few more hours, the City of the Wanderer finally coming into view. This travel had been sort of an easy one, they hadn't run into anything threatening, no fights had broken out either. Maybe the world was relapsing on the witches and warlocks; maybe it was accepting them once again . . .

A loud horn was heard behind them, which made them pull to a halt and turn their heads. To their surprise, fifty armored people rode at them, weapons drawn and archers firing their arrows at their horses. They had savage blue paint splattered across their faces, and their armor was battered and bloody. They had been traveling for a long time, they could tell, and the hunters had finally found them.

And leading them all was Edowain.

"GO!" Jaden shouted, looking at Rentham as he sat dazed, staring at the army like a child at a burning house. "RENTHAM!"

"I got him!" Drusilla shouted and grabbed the reins of his horse, leading him towards the city as Rey and the assassin followed.

"Don't let them escape!" Edowains savage voice screamed, her golden hair a flowing mess behind her with a blue painted line across her face. Her face was so full of hatred, so full of darkness, that her husband didn't even recognize her.

He had thought she died in the City of Werewolves. He had left her memories behind, said she was a wonderful memory that he could recall some time or another but now . . .

Now they were all shattered.

"Edowain!" Rentham screamed raggedly and pulled his horse to a stop, jumping off of it as his comrades screamed at him to stop. "Edowain my darling! You are alive!"

She screamed in return, drawing her sword and riding even faster towards him. "None of you touch him! He's mine!"

"Rentham!" Jaden shrieked and rode his horse towards him as fast as he could, the two magic users behind him starting to find spells that would help the situation. He soon caught up with the fallen king and by than the army was only a few yards away. He grabbed him under the arms and all in one jerk hoisted him onto his horse, galloping away as fast as he could as arrows whizzed by him. "I could use some help guys!"

Rey threw his hands out and than suddenly the whole army of witch hunters stopped in their tracks, frozen in time as Jaden rode back to his companions, flying past them as the whole world seamed to go silent.

"What did you do?" Drusilla asked, kicking her heals into her steed as Rey did the same.

"I stopped their time! But it will only last for-"

Suddenly the rumbling of horses hooves sounded behind them, the shouts of the witch hunters filling their ears once again. The companions than made it into the city and rode down into the village, trying to find a hiding place before the hunters could follow after.

"One moment-" One of the guards shouted as they quickly dismounted and removed their belongings. They left him in the dust as they slapped their horses, making them ride down into the streets with a wild whinny as people dived out of the way.

"What are you doing!?" The guard screamed and ran after them, calling a few of his comrades with him, all wielding strange looking bladed spears.

"Running!" Rey replied and than purposely ran into Drusilla, who than ran into Jaden who was carrying Rentham, who was screaming about going to meet his wife. He than cast an invisibility spell and startled the guards, taking them back behind a house before they could feel around and find them.

"Hey Drusilla?" The dark warlock asked, staring into open air as they all sat under a rather damp roof.

"Yes?" She replied in the same whisper.

"Hold me up."

"What-"

Suddenly she heard a thump and saw the floor boards of the porch bend slightly. "Oh." She reached forward and grabbed his invisible form, dragging him up towards her and wrapping her arms around his shoulders, letting him lean up against her as the guards came around the place, looking with suspicious eyes.

"Sorry!" Jaden hissed and than punched the fallen king in the side of the head, feeling the movement as he slumped onto wall and rested against him, unconscious.

"Where are they!?" The rage filled voice of Edowain cried from the entrance.

Jaden groped around the porch for a moment but eventually found Drusilla, placing his hand over her mouth. "Sorry, but I am not taking any chances here!"

"Me neither." She mumbled and placed her own over his mouth after sliding it down his whole face, giggling a little.

"Why are you laughing?"

"I . . . don't know." The Red Witch answered sort of slowly. Suddenly the sounds of the horses rumbled behind them, and they closed their eyes and kept silent each covering each others mouths.

The witch hunters argued a little, but eventually went to a different part of the town, riding fast and furiously. The companions watched as the spell slowly started to subside and eventually they were visible again.

"Do you have anything else to help the situation?" Jaden asked, looking down at both the dark warlocks, and Rentham's unconscious bodies.

"Well . . ." She waved her hand and a book flew to her. Her nimble fingers flipped through the pages for a moment before resting on one of them, smoothing it out somewhat. "I can change our features first of all. That way no one recognizes us."

"Good idea. Just don't pass out on me."

"No, this is a very simple spell, don't worry." She set the book down and concentrated, her hands out stretched as she started to whisper the words of the spell. Suddenly their faces started to change, one by one being reconstructed around them.

Drusilla's eyes became a little bigger and her lips changed to resemble Liliths - or whatever he remembered of her - and her hair changed from bright pink to a dark ebony. When the spell was done, she opened her eyes and they were like a cats, only they were blood red. "Oh, name of the gods Jaden!" She shouted and put her hands over her mouth.

"What?" He asked, fealing his face. "What happened?"

"You look like a full blooded elf!" She giggled again and smiled.

"You look like a she demon from the Abyss." He replied, nodding. "That was not an insult. You look very . . . fine."

"I don't know really what to think of that." She went over to Rey and stared down at them. "How are we going to transport these two?"

"Is there a wheel barrow around here some place?" Jaden looked around and found one lying beside a pig pen. He hoisted it out of the mud and threw both Rentham and Rey into it, throwing his coat over them as they left the back of the house, heading out into the street.

"So if anyone asks, we say they got in a fight." Drusilla stated, her eyes flitting across the street. "And if you see a good respectable tavern, tell me. We need a place to stay for the night."

"There is one over there." He set the wheel barrow down and pointed.

It was a well built place with a swinging sign, named "Spencer's Tavern", and below it it had two white gloves, one holding a white feather, and the other a gold. "Strange symbol." Drusilla muttered and than walked across the street, dodging the carts and the little boys leading live stock, no doubt to their homes. Jaden soon followed after, the wheel barrow screeching with every foot. They rested it on the corner as Drusilla rummaged through all of their belongings, gathering all the gold they would need before entering the place.

Two men whistled across the room when the Red Witch entered, seeing her dark travel clothes clinging to her body from repeated rain falls and river crossings. They were so dirty, she swore she would wash everything ten times when she had the chance.

Walking up to the counter, she rested her elbows on it as the bar tender came around. He was a tall man with no facial hair whatsoever, and he smiled broadly, looking rather young. He was probably in his thirties, being a human and all.

"I need two rooms." Drusilla said.

"That will be . . ." He tilted his head to the side. "Lets say ten gold."

The Red Witch grumbled a little as she drew out the coins, handing them over as he gave them their room keys and numbers. "Oh, and if I can interest you in looking at my billboard, there are many adventurous and quests posted." He smiled again and than turned around as her eyes floated over to it. This must be some kind of adventurers haven.

"Come on Jaden, bring them inside!" She shouted out the door, leading her comrades in as she was eyed by two strangers across the room, sitting in a rather dark corner with a candle lit. One was a well dressed - if not well groomed - man with long shaggy hair that went down past his shoulders. The other was a woman - possible magic user - with a long robe on, a scarf pulled tightly up around her head so no one could see her face. Only her eyes stared out from under her low cowl, and they both sat there, eyeing them.

Drusilla brushed it off and than helped Jaden bring their companions to their rooms, sticking both a room and taking the other for themselves. "Here, take the rest and get us some food." The Red Witch said, handing Jaden the rest of the gold. "There is only four left, other wise I think I would of gotten another room."

"I'll be back soon." He smiled and flicked one of his blonde strands away from his eyes. His hair looked so strange being light, it was a dark ebony normally, and now he just looked so strange. They all did, after the spell.

"Well, lets hope we find the rest of the Trinity soon," She sighed, going to the second room and flopping on the bed. "All this traveling is wearing me out!"