The Rogue Knight (Jace x OC) Book 2

The Rogue Knight: 25

"Her power?" Minimus cried.
"Others channeled it to him," Callista said. "I'm sure they hoped to control Honor's power through him. But her power claimed the host body and mind."
"Wait," I said. "The Rogue Knight is Honor's power, but also a real person?"
"Same with Morgassa," Callista said. "The power can't just take shape here like it did in Sambria. It needs a host. Brady's power worked a potent changing on someone, as did Honor's. They became Morgassa and the Rogue Knight."
"I'm astounded," Honor said. "I've heard of this Rogue Knight, but I never suspected a connection to him."
"He knows much about you," Callista replied.
"His strength rises from your power."
"Is the Rogue Knight all right?" Mira asked.
"He's alive?"
"He is well, Minimus said. "I would feel it if he fell."
"Likewise," Callista said.
Mira looked relieved. "We know a little about the people who created Morgassa and the Rogue Knight," she said, then explained about the shapecrafter Quima and how she tried to control Carnag.
"I bet Owandell was a shapecrafter too," Honor said. "That would fit."
"I knew there were people like these shapecrafters," Callista said. "I've felt them meddling with the shaping power. I never
learned what they called themselves. They've effectively kept to the shadows."
"But lately they've taken on more than they could handle," Twitch said.
"In Morgassa and the Rogue Knight both,"
Callista agreed.
"I'll have to defeat the Rogue Knight to get my power back," Honor said.
"You'll do no such thing," Minimus said heatedly. "I'll be a corpse first."
"Let's not be too hasty," Callista said, turning a sharp eye to Minimus. "I would hate to unravel the changings worked on you, little man." Minimus stood up and drew his sword. "You're welcome to try."
I shifted to the edge of my seat. I had seen Minimus in action. If this escalated, it would get ugly, fast.
"Sheath that at once, or the mist grifters will feast on your organs," Callista threatened. "If anything happened to Honor, the Rogue Knight would not only lose his power, but probably his life."
"Kindness works better with him," Mira suggested. "Minimus, you're under orders to protect me."
"I'll always defend my lord," Minimus said.
"Your loyalty is commendable," Callista said graciously. "Was that better?" she whispered to Mira.
Mira gave her a thumbs-up.
Callista stroked the arms of her rocking chair.
"We must work together. The Rogue Knight may have Honor's enchanting power, but the threat we all currently face is Morgassa. Unchecked, she will undo all of us, me, you, the Rogue Knight, even Trillian. She generates figments that turn any they touch into her creatures. Her horde will absorb us all unless she is stopped. How are the rest of you enjoying my dessert?"
"It's good," Jace said.
The tension had diminished. Minimus sheathed his blade and sat down. I relaxed. Most of the others muttered positively about the sorbet.
"The grinaldi representative has not finished his portion," Callista observed.
"It was wonderful," Twitch said. "My stomach just gets a little upset when we talk about the end of all life in Elloweer."
"Out with it,"Callista demanded. "Too minty?
Too sweet?"
Twitch bowed his head. "It was squirming."
"That just means it was fresh!" Callista exclaimed. "Who wants to eat a dead sorbet?"
"How would we work together?" Mira asked.
Callista clucked her tongue. "I suppose if you each take a bite, we can consider his sorbet eaten and the dessert a success."
"I mean against Morgassa," Mira said.
"What would happen if you went to fight her right now?" Callista asked.
"Her figments would take us over," Mira said.
"They would change you into mindless servants under her control," Callista said. "Long before you got within sight of her, you would merge with her army. Anyone you harmed along the way would be some poor innocent enslaved to her."
"Can they be changed back?" Cole asked.
"Only by separating them from her power," Callista said. "Morgassa must be unmade. Isn't anyone going to finish the sorbet?"
"I got it," Jace said, taking Twitch's cup.
"Don't hog it all to yourself if others crave a final taste," Callista said.
Jace let Cole and Dalton each have a bite.
"Morgasa has a lot of power," Mira said. "If we kill her, won't we let it all loose?"
"Her power is grounded in her," Callista said.
"It isn't shared with anyone else. It is stable. If you kill her, the power will perish with her.
Mira, when your power roamed free as Carnag, your death could have destabilized it enough to incite a catastrophe. But now that your power is once again grounded in you, your power will pass away quietly at your death. As will mine."
"But how could we get to her?" Honor asked.
"Her figments would turn us."
"This is why Trillian sent you to me," Callista said. "Morgassa's figments merge with people and change them. But if you have already been sufficiently changed, there would be nothing to merge with. I'm not talking about a minor cosmetic alteration. I mean a deep, fundamental change like her figments are trying to provoke."
"You can make us immune to her figments?"
Honor asked.
"If you let me change you enough, yes," Callista said. "All except Minimus. He has already been sufficiently changed by the Rogue Knight. No figment could touch him. I would have to destroy his connection to the Rogue Knight before I could enchant him."
"My enchanted nature is meant to remain secret," Minimus said.
"Then you shouldn't have come here," Callista replied. "The connections are plain to me. The Rogue Knight works excellent enchantments.
He wields impressive power. Honor has some real potential."
Minimus turned to Honor. "The Rogue Knight and I are truly fashioned from your stolen power?" he asked.
"My power was stolen by my father," Honor said. "That much I know."
"It was channeled to whoever became the Rogue Knight," Callista assured him.
"Perhaps I spoke rashly before," Minimus said.
"I will always side with him and defend him, but the Rogue Knight needs to know of this. I'm not sure whether he fully understands where his power originated. I have never known him to turn a blind eye to injustice."
"I appreciate the sentiment," Honor said.
"Honor, you need the Rogue Knight," Callista
said. "He and his followers are the strongest allies we have in the fight against Morgassa.
Her figments cannot touch them. With the Rogue Knight at your side, the chance for success increases."
"I believe he would aid us," Minimus said. "I'll ask him myself."
"What about Brady?" I asked. "Why were the Enforcers holding him? Did they think he could still help?"
Callista frowned, rubbing her chin. "He would be of little direct use. The power is no longer anchored to him. Perhaps they hoped to gain insight into the power by studying him. Perhaps they thought Morgassa would be sympathetic toward him since she originated from him. At this stage, I believe Morgassa would only be a danger to him."
"You mentioned you could change us?" Honor said. "Into what?"
Callista made a point of glancing around the room at the cups. "I see your desserts are all finished. As a reward, I will introduce you to my Hall of Masks." She rocked up out of her chair.
"Follow me."
Callista led them down a rounded corridor that felt more like an underground tunnel than a hallway in a home.
The corridor opened into a dim, rectangular
room with a large collection of primitive wooden masks hung against the walls.
The Grand Shaper waved a hand, and globes of light brightened the room. "How does a space get so dusty when nobody uses it?" she complained, frowning. "I had no idea the Hall of Masks was so untidy! If I'd had even thirty minutes notice you were coming, this would have been a very different experience. You're my first company in decades."
"You have a lovely home," Mira said. "We appreciate all you're doing for us. These masks are interesting. So diverse!"
"Enchanters have different specialties," Callista said. "Mine is making masks. Each of these masks can work a changing that will transform you into whatever the mask represents. Take a look and see what masks interest you, but please don't touch any of them yet."
We spread out and started studying the walls like patrons in a gallery. The masks were all designed to fit humans. None looked very realistic. Some were just carved wood. Others were embellished by beads, stones, leather, paint, or feathers.
I could tell what most of the masks represented, although a few were too plain or vague. Most depicted animals. I saw birds of prey, bulls, bears, canines, felines, boars, alligators, apes, rams, sharks, horses, serpents, elk, and even some exotic animals like a walrus and a rhinoceros. There were also masks that looked like certain types of people, including clowns,
knights, and maidens.
"Too many choices," Dalton said, standing near me. I gazed up at a nearby eagle mask. Or was it a hawk?
"How would you like being covered in feathers!"
I asked.
"Would they be real feathers?" Dalton questioned. "Or wooden, like the mask?"
"I don't know," I said. "It would be strange to have a beak."
"Goodbye, lips," Dalton agreed.
"Any suggestions?" Jace asked loudly.
"Keep in mind that each mask depicts something you'll become," Callista said. "You'll see differently, hear differently, move differently. Choose something that appeals to you. Don't forget that you're heading into battle and that you need to travel. With the mask on, you'll enjoy a host of benefits. You won't need rest. You won't require food. You'll have increased strength. And it will be virtually impossible for anyone to change you into something else."
"Can we try some out?" Mira asked.
"It wouldn't be wise to sample more than one,"
Callista cautioned. "You can lose yourself in these masks. Each new mask you try significantly increases the risk of submerging your identity. Once you select a mask, you should go outside, put it on, and never touch another one."
"We can forget who we are?" Dalton asked.
Callista nodded. "With the mask, you become yourself as a falcon, or a bear, or a knight. It's then up to you whether you remain the falcon, or the bear, or the knight. Only you can remove the mask. If you choose to leave it on, you will live out your days in your new form. You would only last a few months. You'd burn bright and strong, and then you would be gone. It has happened before. I only lend these masks in times of great need."
"What about if we wear one for a few days?"
Twitch asked.
"You will cause no permanent damage, so long as you remove it in the end," Callista said. "I would strongly discourage wearing one for more than a week."
"I can't help but feel drawn to the knight," Honor said, pointing at a certain mask.
"Then it might be for you," Callista said. She walked over to a support beam and squinted at it. "This wood is rotting. And there are traces of mildew. You see a room differently when you have guests. Suddenly all the imperfections you've learned to ignore leap out at you."
"The room looks fine," Skye said.
Callista waved her hands dismissively. "You can't win against the damp. The worst of the mist stays out, but the humidity is unavoidable."
"How do you keep the mist away?" Cole asked.
"I don't," Callista said. "There are empty pockets like this scattered about the deeper portions of Fog Lake. I claimed this one. The mist grifters use them as well."
"Did you build this house?" Dalton asked.
"I had aid from members of the Red Guard," Callista said. "Trillian has been generous. A couple of his Red Guard stayed here with me for years. Eventually, they passed away. I never asked for replacements, and he never sent any."
"I like the bull," Dalton said. "Seems like that would be tough in battle."
"You'd definitely have some brute strength,"
Cole agreed. "And you'll be popular at rodeos."
"Take down the mask you want," Callista said.
"Dont put it on. Bring it out front and wait for me."
Everyone began choosing masks. Skye took a bear. Jace picked a wolf. Mira selected a bighorn sheep. Twitch grabbed an eagle, Cole claimed a mountain lion, Dalton took a bull.
After much deliberation, I ended up choosing the tiger mask.
I noticed Callista pull Cole aside as the rest of us left the room. They soon came back, and Cole looked slightly disappointed.
"Honor," Callista said. "Which is your horse?" Honor pointed out the steed she had ridden.
Staring at the animal, Callista flexed her fingers.
The horse swelled, gaining size and muscle.
"I've changed your mount so that it will bear you as a knight as quickly and tirelessly as the
rest of us can run. Minimus?"
"Mine is there," the Halfknight said, indicating his smallish horse.
Callista did not grow it as large as Honor's, but the animal promptly became the second largest of all the mounts.
Brushing her palms together, the Grand Shaper gave a satisfied nod. She walked over to Minimus.
"Your changing is amazingly stable," she said.
"You don't require sleep or food, but the changing will prolong your days rather than shorten them. You could live a hundred years in this state. But it all depends on the Rogue Knight.
Should he fall, your power would be lost."
"You speak true," Minimus said.
"I can seal your altered state," Callista said. "If so, your changing would endure, even if the Rogue Knight fell, but it would mean never going back to your former life. As your changing now stands, the Rogue Knight could reverse it, release you. If I seal your changing, your armor would become a permanent thing. No going back."
"Would I maintain my connection to the Rogue Knight?" Minimus asked.
"No," Callista said. "That would be the price. You'll lose the sense you have of his location, and he won't sense you either. Your connection to him will no longer sustain you as a knight. But
that also means you would remain in your present state even if the Rogue Knight perished or lost his power. The choice is yours."
"I'll still be free to serve him?" Minimus verified.
"Or to do whatever else you desire," Callista said.
"Then seal my power to me," Minimus said.
"Perhaps it will free the Rogue Knight to add another follower. I'm his sworn man with or without a connection. My knighthood means everything to me. I would consider this a great favor."
Callista placed her hands on his shoulders. She swayed in place for a moment, then stepped back. "It is done."
"I feel no different," Minimus said. "But I've lost my sense of the Rogue Knight."
"As promised," Callista replied.
"Is Morgassa like the Rogue Knight?" Cole asked.
"In what way?" Callista replied.
"If we stop her, would her horde return to normal?" Cole asked.
"The changings are all tied to her power," Callista said. "Though she now has full ownership of that power, it still came from outside of her. If Morgassa falls, her horde will be released." Callista whirled. "Buttons! I leave you in charge until my return. See that Gurble keeps out of trouble. And make sure any bold mist grifters understand that I'll be back."
"Are you coming with us?" Honor asked.
"Sometimes the safest action is to take the offensive," Callista said. "I'll have a better chance against Morgassa with the rest of you by my side. If you fail to bring her down, there will be no place in Elloweer to hide. For me, leaving Elloweer is impractical. Not only am I committed to its welfare, but without my enchanting to protect me, I would be at the mercy of the High King and his Enforcers."
"This is more help than I hoped for," Honor said.
"Not unwelcome, I trust?" Callista checked.
"Beyond welcome," Honor enthused.
"I can guide you to the Rogue Knight," Callista said. "Minimus can no longer do so."
"I feel somewhat adrift," Minimus admitted.
"I can also guide us to Morgassa," Callista said.
"Our changings should help us press our way through her horde. Morgassa herself will be the biggest challenge. She is a being of tremendous enchanting power. Alone I would be overwhelmed. Perhaps together, we'll find a way."
"What about our horses?" Mira asked. "The ones you didn't change?"
"They'll follow us out of here," Callista said. "My figments will help them. The horses will do well.
This is fertile country."
"Should we try on the masks?" Jace asked.
"The time has come," Callista agreed.
"Don't you have a mask?" Mira asked.
"Darling," Callista said. "Don't forget who made them."
Callista immediately transformed, expanding into a sleek, black African buffalo nearly the size of an elephant. Her broad horns looked thick enough to pulverize a building.
"Go ahead," Callista said, her voice unchanged despite her bulky new form. "Put them on." Dalton stood beside me, mask in hand.
"Are we really doing this?" Dalton murmured.
"Unless you want to stay at the bottom of this lake." I said.
"Do you think I'll have an appetite for hay?"
"We're about to find out." I pressed the mask to my face.
A storm of sensation assailed me. For an instant, I tipped and spun and grew and shrank. Then I was on all fours, and it felt completely natural.
I was suddenly aware of how useless human arms were for purposes of transportation. Sure, my hands could grasp better than these paws, but I had never felt more stable. Humans teetering around on two legs now seemed a little pathetic.
Taking a couple of steps, I felt the new strength in the powerful muscles. I yearned to run and leap, to test my new limits. My senses were quickened. Sounds and smells reached me with greater nuance and meaning.
I was big. No regular tiger could match my
impressive size. Around me, the other animals were large and powerful as well. Each had a different scent.
"This is wild!" Dalton exclaimed. Except it wasn't
Dalton. It was a mighty bull nearly the size of Callista.
"I could get used to this," Skye said, now a massive bear. Rearing up on her hind legs, she pawed the air.
"Follow me," Callista called, charging away from her home and into the mist.
I sprang forward, muscles rejoicing as I accelerated to a thrilling speed. Zooming through the mist, low and fast, my smelling and hearing could track Callista with little problem in spite of the darkness. I had to agree with Skye.
I could get used to this.