And
so we left. Oddly, the raven did not protest. He seemed pretty eager to be
moving about as a human being again. I talked to him all the way to the city,
but I could tell he wasn’t paying attention most of the time. It was strange,
he seemed so thrilled to be seeing the world from this perspective. I always
imagined someone capable of flight would consider an earthbound lifestyle dull.
Come
high noon, we’d finally reached the city marketplace. Bustling as ever, the
place made it hard to breathe. Nevermore seemed none too pleased to be there,
yet he was ever watchful. He must have taken the escort job to heart. That
calmed me down a bit. The last summer bazaar ended with the Lord of Malady
burning down half the stands. I was not intending to let that happen again.
As
my luck would have it, I started to spot some shadowy figures with the corner
of my eye. Having Nevermore watch them, frantically shifting his gaze from one
end of the bazaar to the other was not exactly reassuring. At least I knew the
direction from which I could expect an attack. I finished packing the heaps of
asparagus I’d just bought almost for free, and turned toward an alley where I
thought I could lose them.
“Come,
Nevermore,” I pulled him by the cuff. We entered a dark alley, passing by some
homeless people begging for some money. Nevermore eyed them carefully, all the
while occasionally glancing back. His pace quickened. I started walking faster
as well. As we made a turn, I bumped into someone. We both tripped. My fall was
broken by Nevermore who’d managed to catch me before I reached the ground. She
had no escort. A tall woman in a maroon robe, her flowing brown hair done in a
high pony tail. The distinct mole below her right ear and the shadow figures
pursuing her were proof enough – she was one of us. “Can ye get up?” I extended
a hand toward her.
“Yes,
but we’ve no time,” she gasped for breath. “I must-“
“I
know, they’re following us too. There’s no way out. Ye got any magic left in
ye?”
“No
such luck, I’m afraid. I’ve been pursued for quit be exe some time now.”
“Step
aside, then. Nevermore, hold her.”
The
raven man listened and shielded the woman as I sent out a fiery whirl to deal
with the figures that had been on her tail. Had I not wasted all my energy on
making Nevermore useful, I’d probably have done more. That was my last spell
for the day.
“Let’s
get a move on.”
We
ran down the alley the woman had come from. As was to be expected, a whole
crowd of them was waiting for us as we entered the main street. There were no
back alleys on the way, and we knew there were more and more of them coming from
where I had come from. I was sure that was the end. The figures soon approached
the other two. Nevermore managed to knock a few of them down with his cane, but
I knew that was only a temporary solution. Nothing short a miracle could help
us.
Yet
what happened I’d hardly call a miracle. The main street filled with terrified
screams as a huge beast came rushing down the adjacent hill. It hurled itself
at the crowd of shadow people, separating shadowy limb from shadowy limb with
its huge lupine, its auburn fur ominously fluorescent in the midst of the
blackness, its electric blue eyes a ray of hope to us, the petite rider on its
back shockingly familiar.
“Isolde!”
I shouted. “What in Lamia’s name are ye doing here!”
Isolde
smiled as the beast slowly dispersed the crowd of shadows, black liquid seeping
from its multiple rows of teeth as if it were the blood of its victims. Though
the body was mostly lupine, the ears, paws and tail were more reminiscent of a
lynx. The creature was oddly familiar.
“Is
that Cillian?!” I gasped. The shadows had finally disappeared but I could not
find it in me to rejoice. I was simply baffled. “Did ye turn him into a strix
again?”
“Don’t
be silly, sister, I can’t do that,” she grinned. “William here was pretty thrilled with the idea, weren’t you, honey?”
“It’s
different this time, ma’am,” Cillian said, his voice unchanged. I saw Nevermore
and the witch that joined us flinch. “I mean, Matoya. That is to say, I’m not a
strix this time, I’m slave to no one. I mean, this change was not of my own
volition, but now I can change at will with no repercussions. The power of the
eye is amazing and lady Isolde’s powers are quite impressive.”
“Ye
were supposed to keep an eye on her, not let her change ye into a wolf, or cat,
or whatever yer supposed to be, ye dimwit!” as I scolded him, his ears lay flat
on his head, the look he gave me was uncomfortably guilt-inducing, and I was
pretty sure I heard him whimper. His rider was smiling in the most smug way
imaginable. “And what are ye smiling at, lady
Isolde? I told ye to stay home!”
“No
you didn’t,” she grinned. “Ye told me not to touch the biscuits. I didn’t. I
was bored out of my mind, though, so I used the eye and took Trillian for a
walk,” at this point Cillian grumbled. “Quiet, I’m talking. I believe it’s
turned out to have been for the best. Wouldn’t you agree, sister? It did not
look like ye were going to handle those by yourself.”
“I
thank ye,” I said through gritted teeth. It was true. I owed her my life. Woe
is me.
“And
who’s the witch ye brought?”
“She’s
been running away from that same lot, we’ve met by chance.”
“My
name is Leofwyn,” she said as she released herself from Nevermore’s protective
embrace. The robe she was wearing was actually pretty ornate and covered her
body tightly, revealing a distinct, full hourglass figure. She looked at me
with large emerald eyes. “I thank you, my sisters, for helping me escape the
clutches of the Lord of Malady. You must be Matoya and Isolde, holders of the
crystal eye.”
“Aye,
I be the holder now.” I said. Isolde’s tiny fist sunk into Cillian’s soft fur
with a muffled thud. He didn’t seem
to notice.
“That
is absolutely delightful. I’ve actually been sent to find you.”
“Really?
By whom?”
“The
Grand Hierophant himself requests your aid.”
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