— Isca Kiverryn, Kiverryn —
It didn't make sense. There was nothing there. Lulu squinted, hands on her hips as she regarded the empty space before her. No one else seemed to notice it. They passed by without so much as a curious glance. Did no one else find this incredibly bizarre? With a frown, she tried again. Two steps forward and she hit a barrier as physical as the stone walls of the castle itself, except there was nothing there for her to hit.
Isca Kiverryn was the castle at the heart of the capital city. All roads led to it, opening up to a wide, beautifully maintained courtyard that was available for the public to use. A fountain at the center used to be a thriving place of prominence. Nobles had gathered around it to discuss business in between throngs of people from the Lower Town who came to see the splendor of the castle. Yet now, the courtyard was utterly empty, only a few guards within watching her with vacant expressions. The fountain wasn't running. The flowers were withering. Even the trees seemed to be dying, the leaves dead and falling to the stones below.
Lulu was familiar with magical barriers. Idelle had conjured enough of them for her to know how it felt to be surrounded by one or, as was most often in her case, to run headfirst into one. This was something else. It felt like a physical wall, and no matter how much she pushed against it, it would not budge.
Well, that certainly fucked with her plan.
With an unhappy grumble, Lulu turned away. She would need to regroup with the others to tell them about the new development. She had tested the barrier everywhere there was a path toward the servants' entrance to the castle, but each try was met with the same failure. With the barrier, there was no chance of their plan even beginning, let alone succeeding.
As she turned, a familiar face caught her eye. Thandy. He stood at his post several yards away, at the corner of a building, his gaze locked with hers as he twirled something in his right hand. It looked like some sort of medallion.
In the blink of an eye, she was at his side, snatching the object out of his hand before he had a chance to pull away. A strangled exclamation from his mouth made her grin as she pulled it to her chest, keeping it out of his reach.
"So, by your oh-so-subtle-performance, I take it I need this to get near the castle. Thanks, Thandy." With a backwards wave, she was perfectly content to leave him behind, but he was quicker than he looked, nearly retrieving it with his surprise attack. Lulu whirled around, the shiny silver medallion placed behind her back.
"You can't take that."
"Oh? Why not?"
"Because it's standard issue for the city guard. It allows us free passage through the city, past any barrier or hex the Sorceress has placed."
"Hexes? Why the fuck is she hexing the city?"
"If any guard loses their medallion, they're executed on the spot."
Groaning, she rolled her eyes and tossed it back at him. He caught it deftly, returning the engraved medallion around his neck. "Fine. I guess you can have it back, then. But that just means you bought a place on our team, Thandy. You better be here at dusk."
"Wait, what? Oh, no. I'm not getting involved in whatever you and your friends are here for. I want no part of it."
"Then, you shouldn't've been swinging that baby around like it was your dick, and you were about to get laid. Too late to take it back, Thandy. You're our ticket into the castle."
He grabbed her arm roughly, dragging her into the nearest back alley and tossing a furtive glance over his shoulder. Pressing her against the wall, he leaned in so it would seem he whispered sweet nothings to her. Anyone passing would only see an amorous couple.
"You don't want to go in there," his voice was surprisingly harsh.
"Your breath smells. And I hardly think you know what I want, Thandy. You like men. I like women. We're from two separate worlds."
"Are you completely dense?" The accusation made her mouth drop open, but he continued on, not allowing her to get a word in. "Do you know what the Sorceress has done to this city? Have you seen what she does to the people that stand against her? She hung a child over the front gates last week and never said a word to anyone. She isn't someone you can just walk in and kill."
Lulu shrugged. "How do you know we're going in there to kill her? We could just be walking in to have midnight tea. What did the kid do?"
"His mother died the week before. Instead of kneeling at the shrine of Elltara as is tradition in the city, he offered the last coins he had to a Chanter of the Path of Light."
"So, she...so, she hung him?"
"Yes. And she's done worse. Whatever you and your friends are thinking of doing, don't. You're just going to get yourselves killed."
Lulu shook her head, trying to dispel the thoughts of a young child hanging over the gates to a city she loved. "If she's that bad and that powerful, she needs to be stopped. Why not let us take a crack at it? It's not like you know us. You've got nothing to lose here."
"Yeah? You think I won't care that the people I let into the castle got viciously murdered? I couldn't live with myself."
She rolled her eyes. "Oh, gods below. Don't be so dramatic, Thandy. This isn't the first time I've done this, alright? And the two coming with me are nothing to sneer at. Trust me. They're the best of the best, and they have the magic to take this bitch down."
"The black haired one and the white haired one?" She nodded. He swallowed thickly, seeming to consider the possibility.
"We can do this, Sir Thancred. If we don't do something, how much more damage do you think she'll inflict upon this city? No one else seems willing to stop her."
"You really think you can beat her?"
"Me? Fuck, no. I'm good, but magic...that's a whole other thing. But Ori and Idelle? They're...The gods would shit themselves if they showed up at their door. I've seen them both do amazing things, extraordinary things. The two of them together? There's nothing they're not capable of doing."
He sighed and hung his head. and she knew she had won.
*************
Leaning back, Ori let out a breathy sigh. The evening was quiet, the bustling noises of the city fading away as people returned to their homes before dark. The sky overhead was awash in twilight colors, but they were already beginning to fade. Nighttime was almost upon them. Tucked away in a back alley guarded by Sir Thancred, they would remain hidden until Lulu returned for them. Her cousin had left a few hours ago while Ori and Idelle sat curled up on the dingy street. The others were waiting back at the inn until the mission was complete or word of their failure reached them.
Ori's eyes fell on Sir Thancred. His back to them, he stood vigilant as ever, never once glancing back to check on them lest the other guards become suspicious. She studied him in the twilight. Why had he agreed to help them, she wondered? He insisted on accompanying them into the castle, another set of eyes to watch their back. Lulu had been annoyed, but Ori was grateful. As the moment drew closer, her stomach was tightening into painful knots. There was no guarantee this plan would succeed. She wasn't certain she had the strength to fight the Sorceress again. Another blade on their side might make all the difference that night. But if Sir Thancred proved to be disingenuous, well—it wouldn't be the first time any of them had killed.
Across from her, Idelle shifted uncomfortably. Ori turned her attention to her cousin. There would still be some time before Lulu returned. Perhaps, instead of agonizing over what was to come, she should focus on something else instead.
"Where did you walk?" she asked, her voice quiet so as not to draw any attention. Idelle's violet eyes slowly made their way to hers, a deep sadness radiating from her at the question.
"I don't know," Idelle answered, her voice just as soft. "I've never seen its like before. Buildings tall like mountains. Windows of crystal that sparkled in the sun, peering into merchant shops of fine clothes and goods. It was beautiful, but there was no one there. Something horrible happened. There was blood in the streets, bodies piled in the main square, and everything was just...silent. The bodies I saw...they weren't decayed yet. I think...I think it's something that hasn't happened yet."
Ori nodded. "It wouldn't be the first time you saw a glimpse of the future. But that doesn't seem like all that's worrying you."
"Lulu was there...lying in her own blood. She was already dead when I found her, and you...you were standing there with me. That's when it stopped. I've tried to walk again, to see more of what happened..."
Ori shook her head, leaning forward to grab Idelle's hand. "You can't force yourself, Idelle. That's dangerous. One wrong move, one slip in concentration, and you could never wake up. Let the voices guide you on your walks, but never force them to lead you. You never know where you'll end up, maybe somewhere beyond my reach."
"But it's...the last time this happened, I was powerless. I knew what was coming, I knew when it was coming, but still, I couldn't save..."
"What happened wasn't your fault, Idelle. No one blames you."
"I do."
With a shake of her head, Ori let out a quiet sigh and bowed her head. "I know, and I know, if it were me, I'd never forgive myself either, but you couldn't change what you saw. It must have been fate."
"And, what if it's fate this time, too?"
The fear in Idelle's voice made her lips quiver. She tightened her grip on her hand. "It's not. Lulu would never allow herself to die before she found her dad. She's far too stubborn." That made Idelle laugh. "What did Lulu have to say about this, when you told her?"
Idelle shook her head gently. "I didn't...I couldn't. I didn't know how. She would just laugh and tell me to quit worrying. I know that it could be nothing. I've dreamt of things that never came to pass, but...I can't lose her, Ori. I don't know what I'd..."
The gentle thudding of a spear made them turn. Sir Thancred signaled it was time to go. There was no more time to speak. Now was the time to act, and they had so little of it to do so. Her hand still gripped in her own, Ori rose with Idelle at her side, and together they followed Sir Thancred toward the castle.
*************
His chair tilted back on two legs, Duncan balanced himself perfectly, a mug of ale in one hand, a giant book in the other. Though he wished to keep reading, eager to discover what was to become of Beatrix, the main character of his favorite series, Knights and Knaves, his concentration had been broken by a certain pacing prince that was currently wearing a hole in the floor of their shared room of the inn.
Duncan watched him idly as he walked from the window, past a stone-faced D'rundri who had done nothing these past hours but sharpen and clean his sword, past Sahn Ikhari sitting straight-backed in a chair, his eyes closed in meditation, and past Isaac perched on the edge of one of the beds, knitting calmly as he ignored the prince. But Duncan could no longer drown out the deep sighs or the disgruntled murmurs coming from his mouth. When he reached the door, spun on his heel, and intended to begin for the millionth time, Duncan decided enough was enough. He slammed his book onto the table.
"By Leira, I swear if you utter one more, 'this isn't right,' or sigh in an effort to get our attention, I'm going to punch you so hard in your gut, you'll be puking blood for a week."
The prince seemed startled by his outburst, as did everyone else in the room, save for Isaac, who never looked up from his knitting. To his chagrin, however, the prince recovered quickly and resumed his pacing.
"It isn't right, Sir Duncan. How can we call ourselves men if we sit here and do nothing while we let the women risk their lives? We should be with them."
Duncan rolled his eyes. "How old are ya, kid?"
"I beg your pardon?"
"Age, dingle-nut. When did you pop out of your mama and start that incessant whinging?"
"I am the Crown Prince of Avarra and Belanen, not a...I can't even repeat it. I am eight and ten, if you must know, well above the age of adulthood in Avarra."
Duncan laughed. "Say what you will about Valdornne, but age never determined adulthood there. I know children more mature than you're being. Sit down, find somethin' to do, and, for Leira's sake, shut the fuck up, huh?" Alistair's mouth fell open, obviously intended to squeak out a response, but Duncan waved him off. "No. Sitting here while the others take care of this isn't a question of manhood, Your Highness. I've been a soldier all my life. I've never seen three people more capable than them. Hells, we'd still be fightin' that monster in the sewers if it weren't for them. They don't need us, and, if they do, they'll ask. Until then, we sit here and wait."
"I quite agree," Sahn nodded from his perch, gaze steady as he looked to the prince. "They are all formidable women, each perfectly capable of looking after themselves. The Creator did not agree with this plan, and I won't deny my apprehension, but I have seen them do far too much to not believe they will be able to handle any situation that arises. Did you not first seek Ori out because of her abilities? It seems rather hypocritical to doubt her now."
Alistair hung his head, letting out a long breath as he settled his hands on his hips. "I just...Father always taught me to never back down from a fight. 'If you must fight, face it head on and never hold back.' That's what he always told me. I don't like sitting here, leaving the work to others while I...do nothing."
"Can you make flaming barriers or heal injuries without so much as a wave of your hand?" Isaac finally looked up from his knitting. "No? Then, what exactly do you expect to do? Take it from ex-soldiers who have seen more than you could imagine: If you must fight, play to your strengths, or you'll just get everyone around you killed." When Alistair said nothing in response, Isaac picked up his spare knitting needles and handed them to the prince.
Taking the needles in hand, Alistair arched a blonde eyebrow skeptically. "What...What do I do with this?"
"You knit."
"I don't know how."
"Well, now's the perfect opportunity to learn," Sahn smiled from his chair.
With surprising little resistance, Alistair sat beside Isaac, the older man teaching the younger in the delicate art of knitting. The prince was a fast learner. Duncan leaned back in his chair once more, reading quietly even as he, too, worried over the three, who, by now, would be nearing the throne room. He prayed to Leira that they would be safe.
Outside, a wolf howled.
*************
It was eerily quiet, almost devoid of sound. The thought made Lulu wince, her memories conjuring The Fells and the silence that lay within. She trailed behind Ori, every step slow and purposeful. They moved as silently as the shadows themselves. They had to be flawless in their execution. Anything less, and they would die. Probably horrifically. So, Lulu allowed Ori to take the lead, her cousin's magic scanning the halls as she kept watch for more physical threats. Behind them, Idelle and Sir Thancred followed.
It was nearing midnight. The Sorceress and the king should already be in the throne room doing whatever—naturally horrible—thing they got up to in these dark hours. They were nearing their destination when Ori suddenly stopped in her tracks. Lulu felt a shiver trail down her spine. But she could neither see nor hear anything lurking further ahead. Gently, she reached out to touch Ori's arm. Her cousin was rigid, goosebumps spreading across her skin, her eyes staring out into the darkness.
"Ori?" she whispered as softly as she could manage.
"Don't you hear that?" Ori's voice trembled so heavily it sounded like she might begin to cry. Lulu waited a few breaths, but she could hear nothing but the sound of their own breathing.
"I do," Idelle answered. "Voices." Lulu turned around, her friend's face drained of all color. There, looking back at her friend, Lulu saw something moving at the far end of the hall. It moved slowly, deliberately, waiting until it caught her attention before it faded back into the shadows. "It's gone."
"We need to hurry," Ori said, and they began their journey again.
Lulu couldn't help but watch the place the thing had disappeared to for a moment longer before she joined the others. Just as the maid had said, there were no guards in the halls leading to the throne room. Outside the main doors, Lulu shook her head, a feeling of dread overwhelming her as Ori reached for the handle. She grabbed her cousin's wrist.
"This doesn't feel right," she warned.
"Should we leave?" Ori asked, her eyes fixed on the door, fingers hovering over the metal handle.
Before Lulu could answer, the door clicked open, creaking eerily to allow them entry. No one moved, and then, an invisible footstep, bare and coated in blood stepped over the threshold. Lulu tightened her grip.
"It's a trap," she tried to pull Ori back, but the moment they took a step in the opposite direction, a small voice whimpered from within.
"Please, help me," it called.
"If anyone's in there, Ori, they're not alive," Lulu prayed her cousin wouldn't fall for whatever lurked within. To her relief, Ori nodded.
"We need to leave."
They turned, ready to retreat. The moonlight filtering through the windows began to flicker, like a candle's flame in the wind. The hall turned cold, and then, the light went out. Lulu kept hold of Ori's arm, feeling her cousin's magic flaring sharply. There, somewhere far away, she could hear what she could only describe as a deep, garbled growl that seemed to emanate from the darkness itself. It was just like Ori described: when that creature sent by the King of Bones had come for them in the midnight hour. Something was creeping closer.
The moonlight flooded the hall so suddenly it made her jump, the light flickering menacingly as it illuminated a giant, shrieking creature running at them from the end of the hall. Sir Thancred shouted for them to move, the four scrambling into the only haven available, the throne room. Slamming the doors shut, Sir Thancred lowered the heavy beam across the doors, barring entry.
"You idiot," Lulu could hear her voice trembling. "Now we can't get out."
"Lulu..." Idelle was shaking at her side.
The brunette turned, following her friend's gaze to the dizzying amount of blood coating the floor. There were places where someone had clearly been dragged along the stone, the pattern leading her eyes toward the throne itself. Ori came to her side, the three women looking on in utter horror at the sight left for them. In his throne sat the king, his own sword run through his chest and out the back of the throne itself. His body was decayed, purple, black, and rotting. He had been there for some time. His head was slumped forward, his crown resting in his lap, his skull gouged enough that Lulu could see his brain in several places. She held back a gag.
Blood covered this room. There was scarcely a place left untouched. Lulu followed the trails to a sight far more disturbing than the horrific sight in the throne. With a quiet whisper, she drew the others' attentions to the grotesque pile in the corner of the room. Bodies, mangled too thoroughly for identification, sat against the wall, piled nearly to the ceiling, bits and pieces littered about in the congealing blood. Some of the kills were fresh. Idelle and Ori made to get closer. They needed to know why this had happened, but it was at that moment that Lulu realized the beast that had been chasing them never slammed against the doors. She looked at the barred entry. Why hadn't it tried to claw its way through?
She could feel it, the moment it came into the room. How, she couldn't say, but she could sense it all the same. In the shadows it lingered, watching them. Lulu tried to find another exit, but the only ways out were through the windows and a quick plunge to their deaths, or through the doors that were barred.
"Thandy," she tried to sound as calm as possible. "Get that door open."
"What?" He stared at her in bewilderment. "But..."
"Now."
Lulu turned to retrieve Ori and Idelle, the latter bending down to reach for something on the floor. The moment her fingers curled around the object she let out a horrified cry, stumbling away from the pile of bodies as she began to sob and shriek uncontrollably. She clamped her hands over her ears, doubled over in pain as Lulu rushed to her side.
"Dell?! Dell, what's happening?!"
Her friend couldn't answer, her eyes darting around the room seeing something that was invisible to the rest. Lulu looked to Ori for help, but her cousin seemed just as baffled as she was. The growl from the hallway returned, snapping suddenly into startling scream that pierced the chamber.
Whirling around, Lulu held her sword out as the shadows rippled through the blood on the floor. From the shifting blood came a skeletal hand that clawed its way out. As the figured emerged, the pools of blood rushed toward it, reforming muscle, tissue, and flesh in a grotesque fashion that made Lulu want to heave. From the muck, it was the Sorceress herself that had emerged. She stood there, spotless and beautiful from head-to-toe, her eyes alight with amusement at the horror she had caused. She said not a word, but the moment she took a step in their direction, Ori struck.
Ori hit her with a bolt of lightning that should have fried her to the bone, but the Sorceress never even bat an eye. Her eyes were fixed on Lulu, a terrifying smile unfurling across red, full lips. Her left hand raised, fingers curling in an odd gesture directed at the pile of bodies. Blood began to flow in small waterfalls down the dismembered bodies as voices, stilted, shouting, and full of terror, echoed throughout the chamber. Their combined weight created a terrible screech that made her eyes squeeze shut and her body recoil.
Ori tried again, this time using the air to throw the Sorceress off guard, but she resisted that too, pressing back without ever uttering a sound. The screams were growing louder and Idelle was sobbing in fright. Sir Thancred rushed forward, his spear aimed at the Sorceress' heart. She threw him with the smallest gesture. He sailed into the piles of bodies, dismembered hands reaching out to draw him deep within the fleshy tower. He screamed, trying to claw his way out. Lulu bounded to his side as Ori struck again. She never looked back, concentrating on reaching deep within the horrible sight to grab whatever part of Sir Thancred she could reach. She caught him around his neck, forced to use both arms to pry him free. They tumbled back into the blood, both rushing to reach their weapons.
In the center of the room, Ori had the Sorceress in some sort of floating prison. Suspended in the air, the Sorceress didn't struggle, eerily calm as she looked down at Ori with that smile of hers. Lulu hurried to Idelle's side, framing her face with her hands to try to get her to calm down.
"We need you, Dell. Right now," she shook her friend. "Right now, or we're gonna die, babe." Idelle's eyes, red and rimmed with tears, finally opened. Lulu nodded encouragingly. "We need you."
"Oh gods..." Ori's frightened voice made her whirl around.
Her cousin's arms shook with the force it took to hold the Sorceress. Her eyes were darting around the room. Spiders were crawling through every crack in the stone, pouring down to the floor in a black wave that rushed toward Ori. Idelle shook off whatever had stunned her, a wall of fire racing toward the spiders. They hissed and shrieked as they died, but still, more poured through the walls. There was no progress to make.
"I..." Ori gasped in sudden pain. "I can't hold her...You have to go...You have to go now!"
Lulu started forward, ready to protest, but those words were never uttered. In a sudden push against her spell, the Sorceress snapped both of Ori's arms, the bones breaking audibly as they were forced behind her back in an unnaturally sharp angle. Ori screamed. The Sorceress fell to her feet. Sir Thancred rushed forward, his spear once more aimed for the Sorceress' heart. She snapped it in two without so much as a gesture and threw the pointed end straight into Lulu's gut.
Sputtering, she fell forward as blood began to flow from the wound. At her side, Idelle screamed in fright, catching her before she fell. Her vision was blurring, black edges creeping closer as her body fought against the mortal wound. Somewhere, she could hear Ori's voice, could feel the familiar rush of Idelle's magic filling the room, and then, a violent, ripping sensation that she had never felt before.
When she blinked again, she was somehow staring at the ceiling of their rented inn room. People were moving around her, but their movements were too frantic for her to focus. Her head rolled to the side, and there, in the corner of her room was her lost dad, his brow knitted in worry as he watched her. She tried to lift her hand to reach for him, but she was too tired. Lulu let her eyes drift shut even as the shouting in her ear grew louder.
Author's Note: Shout out to SunlessSky307, TangledTales87, and NotHowardPotts!!! You all have made me so happy to see you sharing this journey with Lulu and Idelle. I love every star, every comment, and every view from you. You are awesome people, and you have kept me writing through the writer's block and the anxiety. Thank you so much for reading!!
<3 NotJuliaChild