Mindbender (5 page)

“I don’t think that will be necessary,” Isabel said. “But hear me clearly, Mistress Constance, Wren has offered us her friendship freely and honestly. I will not have her harmed for being my friend. I will view any retaliation against her as an attack against me and mine and respond accordingly.”

Constance smiled gently. “Then it would seem that she has two protectors.” With that, she turned on her heel and strode off down the hall.

Wren was quiet as she led them back to their quarters. When they arrived at the door she stopped and looked up timidly, her wispy hair floating around her head like a halo. She was clearly shaken by the violent turn the evening had taken.

“Thank you,” she said. “I’m honored to have you as friends.”

Isabel smiled. “Thank you, Wren. We’re a long way from home and this would be a very lonely place without you.”

Abigail gave her a hug, then held her out at arm’s length. “If anybody gives you any trouble, you let us know right away.”

Wren nodded seriously.

Abigail smiled. “Good night, Wren.”

They bolted the door to their quarters and did a quick sweep of their rooms to ensure that they were alone. Isabel went out onto the balcony and found Slyder perched on the railing. She rubbed under his chin and he leaned into her affections.

“It’s going to be a long night,” she said softly. “We have some work to do before we can rest.”

Slyder stood and unfurled his wings to stretch before taking flight.

“What do you have in mind?” Abigail asked.

“I’m going to look in on the witches,” Isabel said. “Wren said they’re gathering tonight. I want to know what they’re up to.”

She took a seat in one of the comfortable low chairs in the sitting room and relaxed. As she had so many times in the past, she tipped her head back, closed her eyes, and linked her mind with Slyder. A moment later she was soaring high over the ocean, gradually gaining altitude in wide circles. She reached the level of the plateau top and still she climbed. Fires surrounding the gathering place of the witches came into view. Isabel circled silently a hundred feet overhead, watching as the witches gathered.

They assembled in a circular amphitheatre. A well filled to the brim with still water occupied the center. The top ring of the seven steps leading down to the well was flush with the ground. Each ring was three feet wide and three feet deeper into the ground than the one encircling it. Torches burned brightly around the outer ring, but the light dimmed toward the center.

Magda, Cassandra, and Gabriella, each wearing a simple white robe, stood in a triangle around the well. On each of the steps radiating away from the central well stood a ring of women. There wasn’t a single man anywhere on the surface of the entire plateau. Once the women had all assembled, over a hundred in total, they began chanting in unison. It was a light and airy verse that they repeated over and over. Isabel thought she could feel the power being drawn to them and focused into the three at the center of the coven.

Magda, Cassandra, and Gabriella joined hands and started chanting another verse. The power reverberated through the air with every word. Isabel circled higher and remained silent.

The night-black surface of the water in the well began to shimmer, slightly at first, and then it started to glow. The witches all around continued chanting, but the triumvirs fell silent, continuing to hold each other’s hands and forming a triangle over the well with their arms.

The surface shifted and moved as the three witches focused the power of their entire coven into their spell. Gradually the surface of the water began to reveal an image. It was blurry and unfocused at first but became sharper as the seconds passed.

Isabel almost lost her connection with Slyder when she realized the image was of Alexander. He was sitting at a table inside a large tent. To his right were Jack and the man who’d been hunting them for months, Jataan P’Tal.

Around his neck, Alexander wore a glowing blood-red ruby cut into a teardrop shape and suspended from a heavy gold chain. Isabel had to remind herself to remain detached. She was almost overpowered with relief at the sight of her love alive and well.

The view shifted and a man wearing a breastplate and sitting on Alexander’s left came into focus. He was a good-looking man with strong features, fair hair, and grey eyes. Isabel looked closer through the keen eyes of her forest hawk and saw the crest emblazoned on his breastplate. It was the family crest of the House of Ithilian.

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. “Your 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.