The Earth Wound

Another world is spilling into ours. We must act swiftly and without fail.

--Eliza, court magician

 We crossed into the hinterlands by an unused and quiet road. The dirt track was pitted by rain, and the Spring runoff had cut deep channels across the path, which threatened to trip up our horses in the dying light. It is best for a conjurer to travel this way, avoiding notice where he can. I tapped my heels against my horse's flanks, and he broke into a quick trot. Eliza had told me I should give the animal a name. She was sentimental that way.

She had reigned in her own mount by a shallow creek that spilled across the road ahead, dismounting to let Clover drink from the stream. I came alongside her as the horse dipped its head in the running water, dropping down from the saddle next to my old friend. Eliza was unassuming for a magician. With her mousey brown curls spilling out from beneath a knit cap and her traveler's coat patched in a dozen places, few would have guessed at the power she could wield. I brushed the dust from my own conjurer's robes. "Here we are again, riding into danger. Brings back memories, doesn't it?"

Eliza unbuckled her saddlebag and rummaged around, producing a sack of feed. She set it down for Clover, who eagerly buried her nose in the bag of cracked barley. "Thorn, if there's one thing I know about you, it's that you can handle yourself. Sometimes, a girl just needs a partner she can count on."

I nodded. That was high praise, especially coming from her. "Is that why you convinced Duke Aiden to release me into your custody? I assumed it was just for old time's sake."

Eliza cracked a rare smile. "Don't worry, Thorn. You're only on parole. I'm taking you back to Aiden after we finish here. We'll appeal for a pardon, but there are no guarantees." She saddled up again, and I did the same, splashing across the stream and carrying on down the road. "Tell me," she said, "Why did you and those mercs side with the Duke's younger brother? You knew he was tapping into dangerous powers."

"The money was too good. And, until you showed up, I assumed it would be an easy win."

When she replied, her tone was bitter, "That's not a reason, Thorn. You never have a real 'why' behind anything you do." We carried on in silence for a while.

Ahead, the top of an ancient limestone kern peaked out above the gnarled oak trees, its white surface scored with timeless carvings. Eliza finally spoke. "It's getting dark," she murmured. "I'd like to find a place to camp for the night. What do you think about that standing-stone?" She pointed to the kern that rose above the woodland canopy.

I closed my eyes, reaching out with my senses. It was a site of great power. "Yes," I said. "We can gain strength there before we attack the earth wound beneath the castle." Leaving the road, the horses trotted through knee-high grass, flanked by broadly spaced trees. As we entered the clearing around the kern, my own mount snorted and backed away. Eliza's reared up on its hind legs, and she fought her back down with a firm hand on the reigns.

From the edge of the clearing, I saw that the grass here was wilted, dead and rotting. The smell of decay rose up from the clearing. This was indeed a place of power, but the mana here felt corrupted and foul. "What is this?" Eliza demanded.

I dismounted, handing her my horse's reigns. Deep grooves were carved in the standing stones surface, etched by artisans from an age long past. The stone rose above the trees, and I guessed that it also sank deep into the earth. It collected the natural power of these woods. As I reached out to place my hand against the stone, Eliza called out for me to stop. My palm rested against the limestone obelisk, and I tapped an immense wellspring of energy. I waited for the bite of a curse or the withering sensation of corrupted mana, but the stone itself was not tainted. There was something else here.