Mindbender Page 4

  Alexander had gone to Ithilian.

  The witches seemed satisfied with the results and allowed the spell to lapse. The water went dark and the women began to disperse without a word.

  Isabel returned to her own body and opened her eyes. Abigail was sitting in a chair nearby waiting patiently.

  “He’s alive and well on Ithilian,” she said with a broad smile.

  Abigail took a deep breath and released it slowly as she closed her eyes. “Ithilian has the only other Thinblade known to exist. That would make them powerful allies.”

  Isabel nodded. “There’s more. Jataan P’Tal and Jack were sitting to his right. Jack looks good, by the way,” she said with a knowing smile.

  Abigail almost blushed before she changed the subject. “How could you tell they were on Ithilian?”

  “The other man at the table wore the Ithilian family crest,” Isabel answered and then fixed Abigail with a deadly serious look. “Alexander is wearing the Sovereign Stone and it’s glowing.”

  Abigail closed her eyes and shook her head. “I have met the enemy and it is me,” she whispered.

  “Nonsense,” Isabel replied. “Your blood has nothing to do with the quality of your character. Alexander has a good heart. I know that with the same certainty that I know water is wet.”

  “I don’t doubt Alexander,” Abigail said. “I’ve just spent the past several months running from the Reishi only to discover that I am Reishi. It’s a lot to take in.”

  “This may be the best news we could have gotten,” Isabel said. “If Alexander can access the knowledge and wisdom of the Stone, we might be able to turn the tables on Phane. At the very least, it looks like Alexander has a battle mage watching his back.”

  “Provided Commander P’Tal can be trusted,” Abigail said cynically.

  “I think he serves the Reishi,” Isabel said. “If that’s the case, then Alexander is his master. If Alexander can forgive him, then I can.”

  “He’s the one who sent the assassin to kill Darius,” Abigail said. “It’ll take me some time to get used to the idea of forgiveness. That’s never been one of my strong suits.”

  As they retired for the night, Isabel felt more hope than she had in quite some time. With certainty about Alexander’s well-being and confirmation that he had bonded with the Stone came a sense of calm purpose.

  She was Lady Reishi.

  Her duty to the people of the Seven Isles had just magnified and multiplied. She could no longer think in terms of protecting only the people of Ruatha. She had an obligation to safeguard the lives and liberty of every innocent person in the entire Seven Isles. She drifted off to sleep with the firm resolve to bring an army of Sky Knights to her husband’s side.

  Chapter 5

  They started early the next day. Isabel made it a priority to learn as much as possible about the workings of the fortress island. She and Abigail explored the place in a methodical way, both to familiarize themselves with the layout and to determine any military vulnerability. She was both impressed and concerned that she couldn’t find any significant weakness.

  The entire island was nearly completely self-sufficient. The only real exception was the meat brought in by hunting parties of Sky Knights that snatched up bison from the range on the Reishi Isle. Aside from that and the fish they caught, everything else was produced within the giant stone plateau. The gardens on the top were efficient and well tended. There were several openings at the water level that allowed for fishing boats to come and go with ease. The vessels were mostly sturdy longboats designed for use in the immediate area—they weren’t suitable for travel across the open ocean.

  Isabel wanted to talk to the triumvirate but she was politely informed that they were too busy to see her. Witches of lower rank seemed to regard them with curiosity, although they wouldn’t engage in any form of meaningful conversation.

  Few of the Sky Knights would talk to them and the ones that did weren’t interested in having a conversation either. It was clear that the majority of the people in important positions regarded them as the enemy, but then they were so isolated that they had no doubt formed an “us versus them” mentality regarding the entire Seven Isles.

  The serving staff and trade class that kept the island running smoothly were far more friendly and forthcoming. Aside from those directly involved with the mission of the fortress island, the rest of the people were just living their lives in the only community they’d ever known.

  Through Wren they learned about the political structure of the fortress island. The triumvirs were the highest authority on the island. They commanded the coven and the Sky Knights as well as set and enforced the laws of the community. Each triumvir won her seat by challenging and defeating a sitting triumvir. In this way they ensured that the most powerful of the coven were the leaders. The witches served as constables and arbitrators. They were widely regarded as wise, evenhanded, and fair in their judgments.

  The Sky Knights were commanded by witches as well. The Air Commander was in charge of the entire army and all of the support personnel necessary to care for the wyverns. Subordinate to her were four Flight Commanders, each in command of about a hundred Sky Knights. Each flight had four wings of about twenty-five led by a Wing Commander. Within each wing were a number of squads which were typically led by Sky Knights or witches chosen for the position based on demonstrated merit.

  They were a well-ordered and disciplined military force that clearly took great pride in their capability. The more she learned about their history and sense of duty, the more Isabel came to understand the shame they felt for letting the Sovereign Stone return to the Seven Isles. They had a long tradition of seeing themselves as the guardians of the world against the tyranny of the Reishi. Their entire reason for existence was to prevent Phane from getting the Sovereign Stone. They had long believed that he would be unable to retrieve the Stone from the aether. The wild card that Alexander represented had dealt a serious blow to their confidence and wounded their pride. It was clear to Isabel that they would go to great lengths to redeem themselves.

  She worried about that. They knew where Alexander was and might take it upon themselves to confront him. She couldn’t be certain how that confrontation might end, but she suspected that the witches would not be happy with the outcome. Alexander’s power was growing. With the Sovereign Stone and the Reishi Protectorate behind him, he was a significant threat. Added to that was the high likelihood that he would be successful at negotiating an alliance with Ithilian. The combined forces of Ithilian and Ruatha would be formidable. Isabel only hoped that she could convince at least two of the triumvirs of the wisdom of an alliance.

  Wren had become a constant companion and a genuine friend. She was very naïve, but she had a heart as big as a house and was eager to hear any story of the Seven Isles that Isabel or Abigail was willing to tell. Occasionally, they would catch her singing softly under her breath as she went about her tasks. She had a clear and bright voice with perfect pitch and excellent range.

  At dinner several days after they were given their new quarters, Wren seemed hesitant about something. When Isabel asked if she’d been threatened, she shook her head emphatically.

  “No one has bothered me since that day,” she said. “I think Mistress Constance made it known that I was to be left alone. Since she’s a Flight Commander, her word counts a lot, especially with the Sky Knights.”

  “You seem nervous about something,” Abigail said.

  “I’m more excited than nervous,” Wren said. “The eggs are hatching. Already the first five have chosen. I think the rest will hatch tonight and I want to go watch.” She stopped herself short as if she had revealed too much.

  “May we come?” Isabel asked.

  “Of course, but please don’t tell anyone,” Wren said. “I know a place where we can see the hatchery. I don’t think anyone else knows about it, and I’m not really supposed to be watching.”

  Isabel and Abigail chuckled softly. “You
r secret is safe with us,” Isabel said. “Would you get in serious trouble if we got caught?”

  Wren shrugged. “I don’t know. They might be pretty mad but there aren’t any laws against it, so I think they would just close off access and give me some extra work to do for a while.”

  ***

  She led them through a winding series of passages and corridors until they came to a door that looked like it was seldom used. Wren was careful to look both ways to ensure that no one would see them enter before pushing the door open and slipping into the dark room. She held her candle higher to illuminate a storage room lined with shelves filled with sealed containers of food. She threaded her way through the shelves until she came to the far corner. She carefully pulled a bin out from under the shelving and set it aside. There was a crack in the wall beyond. It was about two feet wide and only four feet high.

  “It’s kind of a tight fit,” Wren said. “And we have to douse the light, so it’ll be really dark until we get to the hatchery. Please be as quiet as possible so they don’t hear us.” With that, she squatted down and made her way into the darkness.

  The passage led through the solid stone of the fortress island for several dozen feet and made a sharp turn before opening onto a ten-foot-wide natural stone shelf that jutted six or seven feet out from the wall. Past the edge of the shelf, the stone sloped down at a steep angle into a large chamber about forty feet below. It was a natural cave that had been adapted to the purpose of birthing wyverns.

  The circular floor was about a hundred feet across. The walls sloped up and away from the floor to the ceiling nearly eighty feet above. Oil lamps on high posts formed a ring around the entire chamber. In the center was a clutch of very large eggs surrounded by a ring of stones. A number of hopeful trainees stood around the clutch of eggs, waiting for the next one to hatch.

  At the entrance to the room on the far wall stood a number of Sky Knights, handlers, and a woman who wore the same rank insignia as Mistress Constance. They watched for a few moments before one of the eggs started rocking back and forth. A crack formed and the egg toppled over, abruptly widening the crack and releasing the baby wyvern within.

  It flopped around as it tried to make its legs work, then stumbled out of the ring of stones and past the first hopeful trainee. He shied away as the baby wyvern squawked at him. The other trainees shifted position to form a circle around the hatchling. They kept a distance of about ten feet and were very disciplined in their behavior. They didn’t try to draw the wyvern’s attention but instead waited for the wyvern to choose. They didn’t have long to wait. After a bit of clumsy stumbling around, the baby locked eyes with one of the trainees. The young man smiled with pure joy and walked straight up to the wyvern. The baby nuzzled him on the chest and he led his new steed to the entrance where he was congratulated by the Sky Knights and assigned to a squad. He led his wyvern out of the hatchery, and the remaining trainees returned to their posts around the clutch of eggs, waiting for another to hatch.

  Isabel shared a look with Abigail and they both looked over at Wren. She had an expression of pure joy. Her eyes sparkled and she was smiling gently.

  Two more eggs started to move. The trainees held their positions, waiting for the hatchlings to emerge. As the first egg cracked, Isabel and Abigail both heard a noise behind them. They turned and saw a man with a sword. He said nothing as he lunged at Abigail.

  She was sitting cross-legged, close to the edge of the stone shelf. As the tip of the blade came for her, she twisted and lay over to avoid the strike. At the same time, she grabbed the man by the wrist and pulled, remembering Anatoly’s training in hand-to-hand combat. He always told her to use an enemy’s weight and motion against them. She pulled with all her might and spun her feet around to kick at the man’s shins. He toppled over on top of her and went over the edge, but not before grabbing a handful of Abigail’s tunic and dragging her over with him.

  They slid down the steep sloping wall of the hatchery, struggling to right themselves so they would land on their feet instead of their heads. As they slid, two eggs cracked open and two baby wyverns stumbled out into the world. The trainees were torn between the two new hatchlings and the commotion at the edge of the chamber.

  Wren sat in wide-eyed shock at the suddenness of the attack.

  Isabel drew her knife and slipped over the edge, sliding to the floor below so she could stand with her sister.

  Abigail and her attacker regained their feet at the same time. He still had his short sword. She drew her knife and backed away from him toward the center of the chamber. There was shouting off in the distance. Sky Knights started running toward the intruders.

  The attacker charged Abigail. She blocked his slashing strike, but just barely. Rather than engage, she spun away from him and ran for the center of the chamber, hoping the onrushing Sky Knights would protect her from the sudden attack.

  Isabel landed and rolled to her feet. She didn’t call out to their attacker but instead charged him from behind. He heard her footsteps and whirled to meet the attack but was just a moment too slow. Her attempt to stab him in the lung from behind slashed his arm as he spun. He couldn’t get his sword around fast enough but he was able to land a hard backhand.

  She went down but regained her feet quickly, coming up in a crouch to face him. Abigail stopped and whirled around to see Isabel and the man squaring off. She heard the shouts of running Sky Knights and the squawk of a baby wyvern behind her as she charged back toward the enemy.

  He turned to face her rather than expose his side by attacking Isabel. Isabel circled as the man with the sword lunged at Abigail. She blocked the stabbing strike with her knife but left herself open for the thrust-kick he delivered into her abdomen. She fell backward, doubled over and gasping for breath. Isabel charged again but she was just a step too far away to land a solid blow. He raised his sword for a kill strike against Abigail when the entire chamber filled with brilliant light. The Flight Commander stood at the edge of the ring of stones with her hand outstretched. A bolt of white-hot fiery magical energy stabbed out from her hand and burned a hole three inches in diameter through the man’s chest where his heart used to be. He stumbled backward and collapsed.

  There was a moment of stillness. Isabel sheathed her knife and raised her open hands as she started forward. One of the hatchlings had stumbled through the ring of trainees and clumsily made its way straight toward Abigail. When she opened her eyes, the baby wyvern was looking straight at her from a distance of about a foot.

  Her vision cleared and they locked eyes. A sudden and unexpected feeling of protectiveness and love for the hatchling washed over her. In spite of her pain, she rolled onto her knees and smiled at her new steed. It nuzzled her and she gently hugged its head to her breast. When she looked up, there was a cordon of Sky Knights surrounding her and Isabel.

  The Flight Commander strode through the circle of armored men and stopped a few feet from Abigail. The commander was tall and stocky for a woman. Her hair was dirty-blond and braided. Her eyes were dark brown and her face was tan and weathered. She appraised the situation for only a moment before she nodded.

  “I am Mistress Bianca. You have much to explain, but right now you must feed your hatchling. This is Knight Raja. He is your squad leader and will teach you how to care for your wyvern. The first days of a wyvern’s life are critical. Go with him and do as you’re told.”

  Abigail blinked in surprise but then she looked at her hatchling. He was ugly and gangly but she realized she loved the beast and would do whatever she could to protect him. She looked at Isabel, who nodded for her to go with the Sky Knight.

  She got to her feet with a wince from the pain in her gut and turned to Knight Raja. He stood about six feet tall and had a stocky build. His arms and chest were muscular and he wore a neatly cropped beard on his strong jaw. He appraised Abigail for a long moment.

  “Come with me,” he said. “Your wyvern will follow.” He turned on his heel and strode off w
ith Abigail and her hatchling in tow.

  Mistress Bianca turned and faced Isabel. “Explain your presence here.”

  “We were watching the hatching,” Isabel said.

  “From where, exactly?” Bianca asked. “This chamber is supposed to be closed except for the main entrance.”

  “There’s a stone shelf about forty feet up the wall,” Isabel said pointing. “Abigail and I were watching the eggs hatch when we were attacked by surprise.” Her mind was racing. The attack could not have been random. He had to have followed them. Then there was Wren—Isabel had given her word that she would keep the young woman’s secret.

  “I see,” Bianca said looking up to the platform above. “How did you get there?”

  “There’s a crack leading from a storeroom to the platform,” Isabel answered without elaborating.

  “How did you come to discover this in the few days you have been permitted to roam our halls freely?” Bianca asked.

  Isabel looked her directly in the eye and said, “I prefer not to say.”

  Bianca frowned like a woman who was unaccustomed to being refused. “Ah,” she said with sudden understanding. “Mistress Constance told me you’ve befriended your serving girl. She will not be punished, although her secret passage will be sealed.”

  “Who is this man?” Isabel asked, pointing to the dead man who had tried to kill them.

  “He is one of the trade class,” Bianca said. “I don’t know his name, but I will before nightfall. You will be required to provide a full report of this incident to a constable. She will determine if any sanctions are warranted.”

  Isabel nodded. “I will honor your law. And what about Abigail? What happens to her?”

  Bianca shrugged. “She will be trained as a Sky Knight.”