The Line of Illeniel Read online

  Marc spoke, “You were healed by the grace of the Evening Star. Her mercy saved your life. Remember that and live with her in your thoughts and actions.” Then he stood up and looked around, a crowd had gathered. People were murmuring in amazement. “The Goddess has blessed this man, and she will bless us all, if we but let her,” he said. Unable to bear their continued stares he worked his way through the crowd and headed for his father’s city home.

  First you must go to my temple, to present yourself before the priests there. They must hear my words and prepare to give you a place among them. The goddess spoke within his mind. “Yes my Lady,” he answered and then he turned to head for the temple of Millicenth. He had no more doubts about the future.

  ***

  I woke early the next morning. I had slept more soundly than I had in weeks and for a change I felt fresh and rested. Penny lay beside me, snoring softly… for once. I watched her for a few minutes, marveling at her beauty. I still didn’t understand what she saw in me, but I hoped her eyesight never improved. Remembering her promise from the night before, I decided to see if it was still on the table for discussion.

  I eased closer to her and began kissing her neck softly, while my hands... well let’s just say they roamed a lot. The general idea was to get her into such a state that she would be unlikely to refuse me when she finally awoke. It seemed to be working. When her eyes opened I covered her mouth with my own, hoping a kiss would seal the bargain. For a moment it worked, I could feel her excitement, but then she pushed me back.

  “Oh you play dirty!” she exclaimed as she untangled herself from the bed sheets.

  “You can’t blame a guy for trying.” I was in a good mood despite her strength of will. Was she panting? It might have been my imagination.

  “You keep that up and we’ll be in separate beds till the wedding day,” she retorted. I was pretty sure she was bluffing.

  “You did trick me last night. That was hardly fair,” I smiled at her.

  “What isn’t fair... is you working yourself to death in front of me.”

  She might have a point there, but it reminded me of my plans. “Oh that’s right! Where’s your chain shirt? I’ll do it first, and then I can go see how Dad is doing with the molds.”

  “Molds?”

  I hadn’t had a chance to tell her about our plans yet so I filled her in. She liked the idea and agreed to come along to the smithy with me so that Dad could use her pendant for the molds. Her only condition was that I eat breakfast before I got started. She seemed to think I would starve myself to death if I didn’t eat in front of her.

  Dorian came in while we were eating. He looked tired. “Got any more of that?” He motioned toward my food.

  “Sure,” Penny said and she got up to make him a plate.

  “You look like shit,” I opined.

  “This is what you looked like last night, so don’t get too cocky,” he responded. “I spent the entire night looking for your monsters.”

  “Well I’m glad you did, I slept better than I have in days,” I tried to sound grateful. He ate with us and then I got busy working on Penny’s chain shirt. Penny went ahead and took her pendant over to my father before she went to see the architect.

  “What are you going to tell people?” Dorian asked. I had just finished with her chainmail byrnie and was preparing to head over to the smithy.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure what’s worse, panic or fear of the unknown.”

  “I spoke to some of the townspeople this morning; right after the sun came up. They’re worried,” Dorian added. “If they don’t hear something soon they may panic anyway. They haven’t failed to notice me, especially now that my armor sparkles like this. People know you called me for a reason.”

  Dorian could be awfully smart sometimes. It was easy to take him for granted but he was a careful thinker. “What do I tell them? That some sort of undead monsters are prowling around?”

  “You’re their lord, they need your leadership. Explain things to them and maybe they’ll surprise you,” he commented.

  “No one else here is capable of fighting those things...” I started.

  Dorian cut me off, “You are mistaken if you think that’s how this works. Where do you think the Duke of Lancaster gets his power?”

  “What does that have to do with anything?”

  “Answer me,” Dorian said stubbornly.

  “The King of course,” it seemed obvious to me.

  “Wrong. His power comes from those that serve him. A duke, or a count...,” he looked at me pointedly, “...receives his power from those who do his bidding. Without them he is just another man.”

  “I’m a wizard, and they still can’t deal with those things,” I countered.

  Dorian stood up and walked over to a small tree that stood by the house, drawing his sword he swung at it. His newly enchanted blade cut through the sapling as if it were made of paper. It toppled slowly over, narrowly missing my outdoor table. Dorian looked a bit surprised; at a guess I would say he hadn’t tested the sword since my efforts to enchant it the day before. He paused, then remembered his train of thought, “Who cut that tree down?” he asked.

  Idiot, I thought, He cuts down my pear tree and then asks me who did it? “I’m telling Penny,” I replied sarcastically, as if we were still kids.

  He gulped nervously, but went on, “Come on Mort; answer me… who cut the tree down?”

  “When Penny asks I’m telling her it was you, but it was my enchantment that made it possible.” I took a sip of water, looking at him over the rim of the cup.

  “Who’s hand held the blade?” he replied.

  “Yours my good friend, it was definitely yours,” I said, nearly laughing, sometimes I crack myself up.

  Dorian threw the sword on the ground, “Can it cut a tree down now? Get up sword! Go cut that tree down for me!” He was yelling at the blade and pointing at another small tree.

  I was beginning to wonder at his sanity. “Come on Dorian… calm down. Obviously the blade can’t do anything if you don’t hold it. Well technically, I might be able to make it work without holding it... but I think that’s not your point is it?”

  “Damn right it’s not! I held the sword. I cut the tree down... with this hand,” he held his large hand up, making a fist. “And who made the sword, before you enchanted it? Who built this house? Look around you! Everything you see was made by plain old everyday people, your people! You can improve on some things with magic, surely, but you are just one man. True power lies in the people around you. As the Count di’Cameron you have been given their trust, it is up to you to use it wisely. Hide everything from them; treat them as children and you throw away your power, you cheapen their strength. Talk to them, trust them, let them help you and you will learn what true strength is.”

  I had never heard Dorian give such an impassioned speech before, and it cut through my arrogance, touching my heart. “Dorian, you’re right.” For a moment he reminded me so strongly of his father that it almost brought a tear to my eye. I got up and hugged him. “As long as I have friends like you things will always work out. If it weren’t for you and Penny I don’t know how I would manage all this.”

  “I’m glad you realize that,” he answered gruffly. He always got a bit uncomfortable when I was overly emotional.

  “Let’s go see how far Dad is with the pendants, maybe we can help him. When they’re ready I’ll talk to everyone. I won’t tell them till I can at least give them some small measure of protection,” I said.

  “At least you have a plan,” Dorian replied. “Any plan is better than none.” Together we went to the smithy, there was much to do.

  Chapter 4

  The next few days passed by uneventfully. Dorian took to sleeping during the mornings, since he spent the nights patrolling. His speech had made an impact on me, so I let him do it, while I used the days to make enchanted pendants for the townsfolk. After four days I had over sixty of them ready, which I figured woul
d be enough for everyone to have one. I intended to keep at it though; there would be more people as time went on.

  The keep was still a work in progress, but Penny told me that the living areas were finished, so we started moving in. Much of the rest of the interior was still open timbers and unfinished stone, but at least we would have a better place to live. Many of the townsfolk pitched in to help us move our things and get settled, so I took the opportunity to speak to them afterward.

  “I appreciate everything you have all done to help us, but there’s something I need to talk about. If you could gather your families here this evening, I’d like to tell everyone at once.” I felt a bit odd giving speeches, but I guess it comes with the territory. People nodded and soon they had all left to find the others.

  Penny spoke up, “Are you sure about this Mort?”

  “I have to do it... it’s not fair to keep them in the dark.”

  She had a pensive expression. “If you tell them about Sadie Tanner things could get ugly, assuming they believe you.”

  She had a point. I hadn’t thought that part through fully. Sadie Tanner’s friends and family would likely be upset and confused. Scratch that, if I told them I had dismembered and burned their daughter because I ‘thought’ she was a ravening undead monster... they’d go bat-shit crazy. There was no proof, and no one had heard of such creatures before. Even the relatively superstitious common folk would be more prone to believe I had committed a crime as opposed to self-defense.

  “I’ll tell them it was a man, but we didn’t recognize him. If this gets worse they’ll be more able to accept the truth later on. If it doesn’t we’ll just have to find another way to break the news to her family later on,” I said.

  My father came over while we waited, bringing the newly made pendants. I was glad for his presence and support, the thought of giving a speech had made me nervous. “Don’t worry about it Mordecai, just tell them the truth and it will be alright,” he whispered in my ear as people started filing into the room.

  We were standing in the great hall, or rather what would be the great hall. Presently it was more like a courtyard, it had been framed in but the roof was still absent. Sunlight filtered down between the towers and onto the wood floor beneath me. It was a beautiful day, belying the dark news I had to deliver.

  Once everyone had arrived I stood on a chair. It was the best I could manage. “I’ve called you all here to talk about the disappearances,” I started simply. “I don’t know if anyone has noticed, but I’ve been spending a lot of nights outside, watching and waiting. I called my friend Dorian here to help with that,” I told them, gesturing to Dorian. He had worn his armor so he made for a formidable sight.

  “I’ve seen him walking about in the early morning hours,” the man who spoke was David Tanner, the father of Sadie. I winced inwardly.

  “That’s right; I couldn’t keep working on things every day and patrolling at night, so he generously offered to help,” I continued.

  “I wouldn’t want to meet him in a dark alley that’s for sure,” another man chimed in. I realized it was Joe McDaniel. Several people laughed at his remark.

  I went on, “The fact of the matter is I think I have an idea, or at least some knowledge of what is going on. A few nights ago I was out, with Penelope, and we met something in the dark.” I paused, the next part was difficult.

  “What was it? And why were you out there? I thought you were the new Count,” that was from a fellow near the back, I couldn’t see his face.

  “I’m sure you have all noticed, but I don’t have much in the way of retainers yet. As your lord I feel responsible for handling this,” I could hear a few people muttering in agreement. “What I found that night… or rather, what found me... was nothing natural. I’ve never seen anything like it. It managed to sneak up on Penelope and me, despite my abilities. That shouldn’t have been possible.”

  Joe McDaniel cut in, “You’re not exactly known as a hunter from what I’ve heard, no disrespect yer lordship.”

  That took the wind out of my sails. The last thing I could use were doubts at this point, so I decided to put that to rest quickly. “I’m sure you all know by now that I’m a wizard. You’ve seen what I’ve been doing with the workmen’s tools, but I have other abilities you may not have seen. Joe, would you mind helping me for a moment?”

  “Sure sir, just tell me what you want,” he grinned. He was an amiable fellow, even if he took more convincing than most.

  “I’m going to turn around and when I do, I want you to do something… anything you want. I’ll describe whatever you do,” I turned my back on the crowd. Probably not the best idea when giving speeches, but I didn’t have any better solution.

  “Alright, what am I doing now yer lordship?” he called out.

  “You’re holding up one arm, your right one,” I answered promptly. That drew a hushed murmur from the crowd.

  “How about now?”

  “Nothing, except grinning from ear to ear and scratching your nose… now you’re gaping at me,” I replied. I turned back around. “I can see things with my mind, not the same way as with my eyes, but it’s something I do all the time. The thing that approached me that night… I couldn’t see.” The crowd was starting to look fearful, though whether it was because I seemed to have eyes in the back of my head or because of what I was telling them I couldn’t be sure. “It came on me unaware, and it reached through my shield as though it wasn’t there.”

  “Shield? Like a wooden shield?” I couldn’t tell who had asked.

  “No, here let me show you,” I made my usual shield visible, adding a blue hue to it. I was nervous since some people reacted badly to seeing things so visibly unnatural.

  “Holy shit!” someone said. “Merciful lady!” called another. The crowd was shifting now, afraid. Not what I had been trying to accomplish.

  “Calm down, I told you I was a wizard already. The important thing is that I’m your wizard, same as I am your lord.” That helped, I think, so I went on, “The thing that found us that night reached through my shield, and if Penny hadn’t beaten it back it would have had me. It eats magic and only physical force worked against it.”

  “So what happened to it? Is it still out there? Does it have my Sadie?” That was David Tanner again.

  “We killed it; or rather I cut it into several pieces, using plain steel. The worst is that cutting it up didn’t kill it. It was still moving. We had to burn it completely to be sure of things.” The crowd looked uncertain.

  “So we’re safe now? What about Sadie, did you find her?”

  It was Sadie, I wanted to shout. That would have made things worse, but my frustration was rising now. “We never found her. We killed that one, but there may be more, in fact I feel sure there are. That’s why I’m here now.”

  “What did it look like?” Joe piped up. I had to admit it was a good question.

  “Like you or me... it looked like a man. Once I had some light on it, it looked just like an ordinary person.”

  “So how can you be sure it wasn’t just a man?” he replied. Obviously Joe wasn’t keen on the idea of monsters in the night, or perhaps he wanted to find a way to make things seem easier to deal with.

  “With my other sight it looked like an empty hole, like something that didn’t exist. It ate my magic, my spells, as if they were nothing. When it touched me I felt as though it might suck out my very life. It was no man.” I stopped looking at them. This was the point that worried me most. Fear could undo us all, I had to offer them some hope or panic would break out. “I have found a way to fight them though, and a way to protect you.”

  My father stepped up then and opened his box, preparing to pull out the new necklaces. I continued, “I’ve spent the last few days preparing these. Penny has one already, and it is the only thing that allowed her to fight the thing without being paralyzed by its power. So I’ve made more of them, one for each of you.”

  “What are those supposed to do?” Dav
id Tanner spoke, he looked angry.

  “They protect the wearer from magic of the mind. As long as you’re wearing it no magic can enter your thoughts, or affect your spirit. It won’t protect your body, but at least you’ll still be able to fight.” I waited to see what their reaction would be. Chaos broke out.

  People were shouting at one another, and at me. “You tell us there are creatures out there that don’t die when you cut them and we’re supposed to feel safe because you have some gewgaws to give us!?” “This town has been cursed since the old Count died!” I was losing control, but old Joe came to my rescue.

  “Now pipe down! You ungrateful lot! Are you men or sheep?” the crowd grew quiet. Joe had a lot of respect among the men in Washbrook, and they listened. “This boy has been working hard to do what none of us would. He’s been patrolling the farms at night, by himself at first, while we huddled in our beds! Now he’s offering us something, a way to defend ourselves.”

  “We can’t fight the dead Joe!” someone shouted back.

  “We can and we will! I been in this town since you were a pup Cecil Draper! We used to have a militia and I don’t see why we can’t have one again,” Joe bellowed back, then he looked at me, “if that’s ok with you yer lordship.”

  I could have hugged him. “Damn right it’s fine with me!” Things improved after that. We got everyone organized and handed out the necklaces, one for every man, woman, and child. Then Dorian and Joe began discussing the militia idea. Soon enough they worked out a schedule and a chain of command. I would be in charge, but Dorian would handle the militia. He made Joe his lieutenant. I thought it was a good choice; the man had strong leadership qualities.

  We talked late into the night and I was tired by the time everyone left. “You did good Mort,” Penny told me as we climbed into our new bed.

  “I just hope it’s enough.”

  “It will be. You just have to trust them. These are good people and they’re tougher than you realize.” She gave me a light kiss.