Cursed Bones sotsi-5 Page 4

  “No, we’ll go to my quarters,” he said.

  “As you wish, My Prince,” they said in unison, turning instead down a wider, better-lit corridor.

  Several minutes, and a confusing maze of turns later, they arrived at a nondescript door. The two guards standing to either side opened it without a word and Trajan strode inside, inviting Isabel to follow him.

  Isabel stopped a few steps inside and surveyed her surroundings, nodding her approval. The room was well appointed but not lavish, more serviceable and comfortable than ostentatious. She believed one could learn a lot about a person by how they lived. Trajan didn’t seem interested in impressing people with possessions.

  “Please, sit,” he said, motioning to a comfortable set of chairs separated by a small table. “Would you like some tea?”

  “Yes, thank you,” Isabel said, easing into the chair. It had been a long journey and she was tired and sore. It felt good to simply relax in a well-padded chair.

  Trajan prepared the tea himself, another promising sign as far as Isabel was concerned, but as he was bringing the tray to her, the door burst open and a dozen men filed in with weapons drawn.

  Trajan stopped, facing the door calmly as his father entered behind his royal guard. The King of Karth was an older man, his jet black hair salted with grey and his paunch a little too big for his slim frame. His eyes were intelligent and inquisitive, yet ever-so-slightly furtive, as if he was always hiding something. Isabel decided she didn’t trust him and again wished she had Alexander’s sight.

  “What is the meaning of this, Trajan?”

  “Hello, Father,” Trajan said with a genuine smile. “It’s good to see you.”

  The King of Karth stopped abruptly and took a deep breath as Isabel stood up.

  “Lady Reishi, may I present Severine Karth, my father and the rightful King of Karth. Father, this is Isabel Reishi, wife of Alexander Reishi, Phane’s sworn enemy.”

  Severine frowned while he scrutinized Isabel.

  “They told me you were a witch,” he said gruffly, yet with an air of relief. “I’m glad to see they were mistaken.” He gestured to his royal guard and all but one filed out into the hall, closing the door behind them.

  “Had you ever met a witch, Trajan, you would understand why I entered as I did,” Severine said. “It’s not safe to be alone with a witch that you are not allied with.”

  Isabel’s mind raced. She was missing something, some vital piece of information, but she didn’t understand her situation well enough to even ask the right questions, so she decided to wait in the hope that things would become clearer with time.

  “I believe you’re mistaken, Father,” Trajan said. “I witnessed Lady Reishi charm a jaguar and command the beast to range out ahead of our party, clearing the path of any predators.”

  Alarm returned to Severine’s visage. “Did you give her the malaise weed as I commanded?”

  “Every morning,” Trajan said. “I prepared the tea myself, measured the malaise-weed nectar and watched her drink every drop.”

  “They told me it would inhibit her magic,” Severine muttered, as if to himself, doubt creeping across his face.

  “There are many forms of magic, Lord Severine,” Isabel said. “Some of the magic at my disposal is limited by the malaise weed while other magic is not. I tell you this in good faith because I believe we have a common enemy and my hope is to forge an alliance with your house so that we might stand together against Phane.”

  Severine scrutinized her for a moment before nodding to Trajan to bring the tea as he took the chair next to Isabel’s, motioning for her to sit.

  “Why should I believe you?”

  “My husband sent the warning that saved your life,” Isabel said. “He sent word in your dreams that the Regency would attack on the new moon.”

  Severine stared at her intently before swallowing hard.

  “I did not heed that warning,” Severine said. “Were it not for an abundance of caution on the part of Erastus here,” he nodded to the man by the door, “we would have all died that day.

  “Very few people knew the content of that message. Your knowledge of it lends some credibility to your claim of friendship, yet there is much more I must know before committing to an alliance.”

  “I understand completely,” Isabel said. She proceeded to recount many of her experiences from the past year, leaving out key details that might be used against her or Alexander, but presenting a true and mostly complete account of their fight against Phane. Severine and Trajan listened attentively until she was finished.

  “I hate Phane,” she said. “I came here to kill him myself, but I would welcome any help I can get.”

  “You weave a most compelling tale,” Severine said. “I will take steps to verify some parts of your story but I’m inclined to agree that an alliance would be in both of our interests.

  “On another matter, tell me more about your magic. I take counsel from a coven of witches and they are very different than you. So much so, that it’s hard for me to believe that you are indeed a witch.”

  “I underwent the mana fast with the Reishi Coven last summer,” Isabel said. “Since then, I’ve been learning about my power, refining my connection to the firmament and honing my skills of visualization and emotional control.”

  He sighed and then frowned. “I don’t mean to be indelicate, but how is it that you’re so plain-looking. Please understand, for a normal woman you’re quite beautiful, but for a witch you are, well, homely.”

  Isabel was dumbfounded. She’d been called many things in her life but ‘homely’ was not one of them. She opened her mouth as if to speak, then closed it again, at a loss for words.

  “Please forgive me, I don’t mean to give offense,” Severine said when it was clear that Isabel didn’t have an answer. “I have much to consider, Lady Reishi,” he said as he stood. “Trajan will attend to your quarters. For the time being, your movement will be restricted, I hope you understand.”

  After Severine left, Trajan sighed deeply, closing his eyes and shaking his head. “I apologize for my father’s bluntness,” he said. “He’s accustomed to speaking his mind.”

  “I’m more puzzled than offended,” Isabel said.

  “I’m sure it has something to do with the Sin’Rath,” Trajan said. “Hopefully, things will become clearer after I meet with them. For now, I’ll take you to your quarters. I’m sure you’re tired.”

  Chapter 5

  Isabel woke in the dead of night. She’d been provided with comfortable quarters and was only too happy to sleep in a bed after days on the road.

  There were two men stationed outside her door, ostensibly to protect her, but in truth to prevent her from leaving. She was a prisoner … again.

  In the darkness, she smiled. The last time she’d been a prisoner, things had turned out for the best. Perhaps she could repeat her victory over the Reishi Coven with the House of Karth and add yet more strength to Alexander’s cause.

  Suddenly, she froze, daring not to breathe when she heard a sliding sound as if wood were scraping against the floor. A glance told her that the door leading from her chamber was still closed, a thin crack of dim light leaking through from the hallway. Isabel strained to hear. A gentle rustling came from across the room. She took inventory of her surroundings from memory, searching for a weapon. The nearest, most likely candidate was a pitcher of water on the washbasin near her bed.

  Fluidly, she tossed the covers back and rolled to her feet, striding calmly but purposefully through the blackness to the basin, reaching out to feel for it in the dark, but she misjudged and knocked the stoneware pitcher to the floor. Momentary panic rose in her throat as she whirled to face the unknown intruder … but no attack came.

  “Please do not be alarmed,” a gentle voice said from the darkness.

  “Is everything all right, Lady Reishi?” a guard asked from the hall.

  Dim, greenish light spilled out of a vial of liquid held high by a
woman standing across the room.

  “Please do not alert the guard,” she whispered. “I come with a warning.”

  The woman was in her early twenties, and quite beautiful, with golden skin, lustrous jet black hair and soulful dark brown eyes. She carried herself with poise and confidence, yet she was clearly afraid.

  “Everything’s fine,” Isabel said to the guard. “I just knocked over a pitcher when I was trying to get a drink of water.”

  “I’ll send for a maid at once,” the guard said.

  “That won’t be necessary,” Isabel said. “I’ll clean it up myself.”

  The woman motioned toward the water closet. Isabel smiled and motioned for her to go first, never turning her back on the intruder. She was curious about the woman and how she’d gotten into the room, but she wasn’t about to trust her until she’d earned it.

  “I’m Ayela Karth,” she said, “youngest in my family.”

  “I’m Isabel Reishi. Why are you here? And how did you get into my chambers?”

  “I come with a warning,” Ayela said again. “Do not trust the men … any of them.”

  “Why not?” Isabel asked, frowning.

  “I believe they’re under the spell of the Sin’Rath,” Ayela said, looking about nervously as if someone might hear her.

  “I keep hearing about these Sin’Rath witches,” Isabel said, “but no one can tell me anything about them except that they exist. Who are they?”

  Ayela swallowed hard and looked down, composing herself. She was shaking like a leaf.

  “I saw one once, though they do not know it,” she said. “I was very young and I found a peephole into a chamber where my father went to receive their counsel. He stood before her as if she was a queen, treated her like a man treats a woman that he’s courting, as if she were beautiful beyond words. But what I saw was a monster. I still have nightmares about her, and I’m quite certain that she would have killed me if she’d discovered my presence.”

  “I don’t understand,” Isabel said. “Why do you think your father was so enamored with her if she was so ugly?”

  “I don’t know,” Ayela said, shaking her head slowly. “What I do know is that I’ve never seen anything so dark, so wrong, or so frightening. Not until I saw the things Phane sent against us on the night the rest of my family died.”

  Isabel’s mind raced. “You mean the Sin’Rath are demons?”

  “I think so,” Ayela whispered.

  “Have you told your father or your brother about your suspicions?”

  “No,” she said. “Every man who goes to see them is changed somehow, they come to believe the witches are working for the betterment of Karth and our people, they suddenly change their opinions on a host of issues and begin to work toward new goals. My father always issues a bunch of orders right after he takes their counsel.”

  Ayela paused, wiping a tear from her cheek with a trembling hand.

  “Now Trajan has gone to see them and the same thing has happened,” she said. “He’s my best friend. I know his heart better than any. Before he went to meet with them, he confided in me that he intended to reject their counsel and demand that they stop meddling in the affairs of the people of Karth.”

  She shook her head sadly, another tear sliding slowly down her face.

  “When he returned, he spoke only praise for them. He said the one he met was the most beautiful woman in the world. He said he understood why Father thought so highly of their counsel, even though they cost us our family.

  “My father brought the warning he received in his dreams to them and they told him to ignore it, they told him it was just a dream, they told him that the Regency would not attack … but they did, and half my family died, not to mention countless thousands of innocent people. Now my brother has fallen under their spell and I have no one else I can trust.”

  She placed a small vial of clear liquid on the counter.

  “This will counteract the effects of the malaise weed they’ve been giving you,” Ayela said. “You must drink it all at once and it will take a minute or so for it to take effect. Once it does, the malaise will vanish.”

  “Why are you giving me this?” Isabel asked.

  “Your husband sent the warning that saved my life, saved my father and brother,” she said. “I can’t trust anyone here; the witches have their fingers into everything and everyone in this fortress. I don’t know what they’re planning, but I do know they’re up to something since you’ve arrived.”

  “I’ve offered your father an alliance against Phane,” Isabel said. “It could be that they’ve decided to accept my offer and they’re just making preparations.”

  “You could be right,” Ayela said, “but things have a way of happening in the background, when no one is looking, after my father speaks to the witches. Please don’t tell anyone about this conversation, and remember, don’t trust the men … any of them.”

  “What will you do?” Isabel asked as Ayela stood to leave.

  “Try to save what’s left of my family,” she said. “This passage opens by pressing here,” she pointed to a stone that blended in with the rest of the wall. “Use it only at great need. If they discover you’re missing, they’ll probably kill you on sight when they find you.”

  She smiled sadly at Isabel in the dim light and whispered, “It’s good to have a friend.” And then she was gone and the hidden passage closed behind her.

  “Yes, it is,” Isabel whispered to herself, looking at the vial of clear liquid she’d been given. “I just hope you’re not really an assassin.”

  ***

  She woke to a knock at the door. A maidservant entered with a tray of breakfast, an assortment of unusual foods collected from the jungle. She sampled them all and found the few she liked before eating her fill. Trajan arrived several minutes later as she was sipping her tea.

  “Good morning,” he said with a broad smile, “I trust you slept well.”

  “A bed always beats a bedroll,” Isabel said.

  “I have good news,” he said. “The Sin’Rath have agreed that my father should form an alliance with you. With your help, they think we can defeat Phane once and for all.” He was almost giddy.

  “I thought you didn’t trust the Sin’Rath,” she said.

  “Oh, that was just foolishness on my part,” he said. “I met Clotus last night, she’s one of the witches my father takes his counsel from.” He smiled boyishly. “My father told me they’re beautiful, but I had no idea. She was stunning, easily the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met.”

  Isabel tensed slightly and her awareness sharpened.

  “They want to meet you,” he said. “It’s unheard of, they never speak to women, never, but they want to meet you. Today. It’s such an honor for you. Don’t tell anyone I said this, but I think they’re going to invite you into their coven.”

  Isabel said nothing while her mind raced. She was suddenly feeling very uneasy, but she was hopeful that the opportunity to form a meaningful alliance still existed.

  “I look forward to it,” she said when she realized Trajan was looking at her expectantly. “Hopefully, together we can come up with a plan to strike back against Phane,” she added.

  “I have to say,” Trajan said, “I feel better about our situation today than I have since this war started. We’ve been living under a truce with the Regency for decades. Sure, we’ve had occasional border disputes and even a few battles, but mostly we’ve been at a stalemate. Once Phane’s gone, we can get beck to normal, to the way things are supposed to be.”

  Isabel frowned but held her tongue.

  “Everything’s going to be all right now. You’ll see,” he said as he left, bowing with a flourish.

  His behavior was so out of character that Isabel felt a chill creep up her spine. She didn’t know what to expect from the Sin’Rath but she was starting to dread meeting them. Even with her magic, she was no match for a whole coven. So the direct approach was out. That left subterfuge, not her s
trong suit.

  Chapter 6

  The guard took off her blindfold.

  “We’re here,” he said, pulling open a large oak door.

  She’d been led through a confusing maze of passages, up stairs and then down, until she was thoroughly lost under the stone of the hidden underground fortress. Trajan had told her that the Sin’Rath were very security-conscious, so she wouldn’t be allowed to know how to find them within the mountain … that he didn’t even know. A fact that didn’t seem to bother him, but one that did bother Isabel.

  In the short time she’d known Trajan, he’d shown himself to be cautious and inquisitive, prone to gathering information before making decisions. Since his meeting with the witches, he’d come to trust them implicitly, laughing off any questions about their intent and accepting their guidance without hesitation.

  Isabel looked into a roughly circular room, carved out of a cave. The walls rose at a steep angle until they fell away into shadow. Around the edge of the room, a magic circle was carved into the floor. Each of the magic symbols etched into the stone appeared to be filled with dried blood. Sunlight streamed into the room from a hole in the cave ceiling far above, filling the well of the room with light while shrouding the balcony above in impenetrable shadows.

  Isabel stepped into the room, her eyes adjusting to the sudden brightness. As she surveyed her surroundings, the door closed behind her and the bar was dropped into place. Scattered about the floor were the remnants of people … a scrap of clothing here, a piece of bone there. Fear started to build within her. She thought about the draught given to her by Ayela but rejected the idea … at least for now.

  A rustling noise came from above in the shadows-it sounded like a dozen or so people filing into the balcony. She waited.

  “You are from the Reishi Coven,” a raspy voice said.

  “Yes,” Isabel said.

  What followed made her blood run cold. The balcony erupted into a chorus of barking, snarling, mewling, and howling. It was almost animal in nature, but darker. When the cacophony of beastly noises subsided, another voice spoke, this one cloying and sweet.