The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 (59 page)

Thadius shook his head. “He gave it to me ages
ago.”

“
That’s different to leaving without it,” she said.

“
And
that makes you think he is going to die?” Thadius
questioned.

“
When a wizard dies, their bond is broken with the
pendant. The crystal at its heart is linked to the wizard who bonds
with it. The metal around it dissolves to prevent it being stolen
and used against Mahalia.” She shook her head sadly. “He left it
with you here because he has no further use for it where he is
going. He
knows
he’s not coming back.”

Josephine’s eyes widened as Taico Grimm towered over
her.

“
You! Get
away
from me!” She kicked back in the water, and
gasped. “I do not know
how
you are here but-”

“
I
poisoned
you princess,” he said. “A concoction not used in many
centuries, apparently. You were supposed to be dead by now. But you
always
were
stronger than you looked. Your mind seems to be fighting
me.”

“
Who
are you?” she asked. “Why do you speak like you know me so
well?”

“
I
do
know you princess,” he replied. “I know how
much
of a disappointment
you are! But I am here to straighten things out, once and for all.”
A crossbow materialised in his free hand where the sword had been.
“Think of me as a manifestation of the poison that fills your
veins. A part of the man you have known that remains to finish the
deed.” He aimed the crossbow. “Sweet dreams, princess.” He pulled
the trigger.

Josephine dived, the arrow sailing above her head, funnelling
into the water. Desperately she pulled herself downwards, deeper.
If this was her mind, however altered, however changed, then surely
she could get away from here? A popping sound of bubbles made her
spin around. A crossbow bolt pierced her right shoulder and she
cried out, air escaping from her open mouth. Blood poured from the
wound and blotted the ocean.

I
need to get out of here! I need to leave. Now!

As
if she had commanded it, she disappeared from the room and
collapsed onto a stone floor, water splattering the ground. She was
soaking. How had she done that? The bolt still stung her side, and
she pulled back the tear in her clothing, inspecting the wound. The
bolt was stuck fast, and black veins were spreading out from it
covering her shoulder.

This is my mind dying, she thought. My body is
crippled, and this is my last chance. My only chance!
Gingerly, she
pushed herself to her feet.

“
That was a
clever
little manoeuvre!” Grimm’s voice cried out. He
stood to her back now, crossbow still in hand.

“
Why do you want to kill me so badly? What have I
done to you that is
so
completely terrible, that you wish to see me dead?
Please
,
tell
me! I would like to know before I die who exactly
you
are
to me!”

“
You are the embodiment of
all
my disappointments,” he said, looking at
her through his sallow eyes. “The future that
could
have been.” He laughed. “They tried
to convince me you could help! They made me their puppet in the
hopes I could guide your hand! But it was all
lies!”

“
Who? Who used you?” Josephine asked.

“
Who
do you think? Those false gods!”

“
I
don’t understand?” Josephine replied.

“
And you never
will
,” Grimm said. He hefted the
crossbow.

“
You
are not real,” she stated bluntly. “You can’t hurt me!”

“
Oh I assure you I am, and I can! I will kill you
and then this will all be over! We will
both
be at peace!”

Josephine took a breath. She held out her arms.
“Very well then,” she said shakily. “
Pull
that trigger.”

Grimm’s face grew puzzled. “No fight? No struggle? You will
just stand there and let me point and shoot?”

Josephine took a breath. “Yes,” she whispered.

He
nodded. “Then you have come to your senses.” He took a satisfied
breath. “Goodbye,” he whispered, and pulled the trigger. The bolt
shot from its mechanism. Its wooden shaft shattered inches in front
of Josephine. She exhaled in relief. Grimm gaped. “How did you do
that?”

“
I think I am starting to understand this place, at
least a little,” she said. “This is my body and you are just an
intruder. Your poison gave you a chance to invade my mind, but in
the end it is
my
mind. As long as I can defend it, and as long as I remain
strong, I don’t think you can kill me!”

“
If
you could see what you must look like in the real world, you might
not be so sure,” Grimm responded.

“
Oh yes, I am sure the poison is withering my body
away,” she said coolly. “But in my mind, where it really counts,
where I am guessing the magical part of the poison takes effect,
now
that
is failing miserably, is it not?” She took a breath. “It
wasn’t enough that you could destroy my body. You can’t just kill
me with hemlock or any regular potion, because my power
protects
me!”

Taico sneered. “So you figured it out! It
doesn’t
matter!
I am not
going
anywhere! I’ll wear your mind down just as the gods did
to
me!
No - one can survive
continued
torture! Not even
you!
I will keep pursuing you until you can’t take it
anymore! You are a small,
scared
little girl Josephine.”

The
room shifted and instantly she knew where she was: her chambers, on
a day had been burned on to her mind. She turned and saw herself
and her mother regarding her.

“
Stop
it!” Josephine hissed angrily at
Grimm.

“
What’s
wrong
Josephine?” Grimm asked from her side. “Can you
not
face
your own past?”

She
watched as the lightning coursed through her mother’s body, surging
from Josephine’s own hands. Her mother contorted, her eyes wide.
Then she fell to the floor.

“
No!” Josephine screamed as she watched her mother hit the
ground, striking her head on the cold stone floor, her eyes gazing
up at her with fear and pain before the life disappeared from them.
She watched herself fall beside her mother, tears streaming from
her eyes as she cradled her lifeless body in her arms.

“
This is the darkness you
bring
to the world!” Grimm said. “The darkness
you will
continue
to bring. You can’t change who you are! You are an angel of
death.” Grimm shook his head. “I have seen you kill
so
many people
Josephine, again and again. You will hurt so many
more
people before you
are finished. Unless we
end
this now.”

“
Why do you
torture
me? I am trying to
stop
any more people dying! Why would killing me
help?”

Grimm stared at her. “There was a time I thought
like you do. A time I thought that you could help. But all that has
changed now. I realised that it is all a lie. There can
never
be peace!
Not
true
peace!
They
showed me that. The only way is to burn the land and start
again!”

“
You
don’t know what you are saying!” Josephine whispered. “You
contradict yourself with your own words! You are truly
mad!”

“
If I am, then it is because of
you
,” he sneered.

Josephine turned to him and her eyes burned with
rage. “I will not let you confuse me,” she said. “Someone out there
has awoken me, opened my mind to let me fight you.” The scene
shifted into smoke and she was standing above the heavens again.
The stars shone brightly. “This is my mind. I
am
in control!” She turned to Grimm, who
hovered with her.

“
I-”
Grimm stopped. His cheeks bulged, and he made a choking sound as he
raised his hands to his neck.

“
You
are the poison, and I have to drain you from the
wound!”

His face reddened. “You... must...
die!
” he spluttered.

“
Not today.
Not
because of you! I am stronger than you
think!”

“
This... is not... the
end
...”

“
Goodbye
, Mister Grimm,” she whispered, as he began to
dissolve, and scattered into the stars.

She
stared around her. The image of the world began to fade and her
head suddenly felt lighter. She began to hear voices again. Thadius
and Luccius were talking. She smiled.

Here I come Matthias. Watch me fly.

“
Do you not drink
anything
but endless
tea?
” Thadius asked as Maryn set another tray on to a
small stool and began handing out the delicate cups to Luccius and
himself, before taking her own.

“
I
find it calming,” she said as she breathed in the aroma.

“
I would
kill
for a tankard of ale,” Thadius
muttered.

“
Then you can clear off to the
Fat Hen
,” Maryn sniffed. “They will indulge
you I am sure. But in
here
, it’s tea or
nothing
. Bloody westerners and their
poisonous
drinks!” she
muttered.

Thadius looked at the spiced mixture swirling in
the cup. “The
Fat Hen
. If I wasn’t so worried about leaving Josephine’s side...”
he commented, but then raised the cup to his lips nonetheless. He
spat it out after taking a sip. “That is
disgusting!
What’s in this?”

“
Fennel, vanilla, root - weed and moss,” Maryn
said.

“
It tastes like
pond
water!
” he spluttered.

“
I’ll dunk
you
in the nearest damned pond if you don’t shut up!”
Luccius added, shaking his head.

“
What’s got
your
hair in a twist?” Thadius
retorted.

“
Where would you like me to
start?
” Luccius exclaimed. “Perhaps that we
have been here for nearly six days now and Josephine
still
hasn’t woken up!
Perhaps it’s the thought that Sikaris is even
closer
to being freed. Perhaps I’m also
worried that the men behind it all are apparently ancient
sorcerers. And maybe, just
maybe
, it’s that my oldest and dearest friend is three
days closer to Crystal Ember and is marching to his
death?”

“
I’m not quite
that
close,” a voice said from the bedroom doorway and
they turned to see Matthias standing in front of them. He dropped
his bag on the floor.

“
Matthias!” Luccius exclaimed. “What are you
doing
here? It’s
been
days!
Why have you come back?”

“
I got out of town before the sun went down on me
and spent the next day traipsing across fields in the rain,” he
said as he leant against the wall and rubbed the bridge of his
nose. “Then I was camping out by the river last night, watching the
swirling patterns as the current pushed downstream. And then
I
realised
how
futile
what I was attempting to do really was. I was a droplet of
water fighting against the current, against events I could
never
hope
to overcome alone.” He took a breath. “And the more I
thought about Josephine lying here, the more I realised I couldn’t
leave her. Not when she is like this.” He walked over to the bed.
“So I turned around and came back.”