The Flames of Deception - A Horizon of Storms: Book 1 (97 page)

“
I may have eaten very little of late, but I
still
doubt
very much I will fit in
that
,” Josephine said acerbically. Her heart
thundered faster and faster. She knew her time was short to find a
way out of the unfolding situation.

Fenzar smiled. “
This world is intricate and
incredibly
malleable
in the right hands.” He placed the figurine on the ground
so that the woman lay on her flat back and stepped away. “Size is
changeable.” Fenzar smiled. Then the wizard's eyes illuminated and
Josephine could feel a cold tingling that made her skin bristle and
told her instinctively that the man was using the earth power. The
figurine began to luminescence and then started to grow in size
until it stood in front of Josephine like a great casket at chest
height. Her eyes boggled. The sleeping woman's face was now the
size of her own, revealing the scratchy imperfections in her
metallic complexion. “This is an Artefact. An ancient tool
crafted by the Akari to extend the usefulness of their power. It
has been held by Mahalia for centuries.” He stroked the gemstone in
the circlet with a finger. “The gemstone is comprised of an unknown
element. But what we do know is that it responds to our powers. A
twist of the earth energy into the gemstone causes it to expand and
contract at will. We believe they were designed to contain
creatures that the Akari would otherwise have had to destroy. We
will place you in the sarcophagus and then reduce it in size again
for transportation back to Mahalia.”

“
I will
suffocate!
” Josephine exclaimed. "Or else be
crushed!
"

“
You will be
quite
safe inside. The Artefact suspends the life of the
person inside it
without
harm.”

“
And then you intend on
keeping
me in this thing? What will you do,
place me on a mantelpiece and admire your prize?”

“
Once we return to Mahalia then the council can undertake
your cleansing.”

“
And how will they do
that?
” She asked, trying to remain
calm.

“
There are
several
means. The most effective by far is to alter the
state of your mind. By doing so, you are no longer able to see or
manipulate the energy you have become attuned
to.”

“
And
how is that done?” She asked. A wisp of her power dangled almost
within reach, but whenever she tried to pull it towards her it
slipped away again.

“
We
must cut into the head to gain access to its inner workings. From
there we can then affect the solution.”

Josephine swallowed. “You want to open my
head
to play with
my
thoughts?
You are
barbaric!
” She exclaimed. The thread of energy grew taught as if she
had hooked it like a fish on a line. She drew it towards her and
felt the sweetness of its power. Carefully she channelled it
towards her until the trickle became a stream.

“
Princess, you
must
see that this is necessary to ensure the safety
of
all
Triska!” He indicated to one of the other wizards. They
stepped forward and pulled from their robes a silvery ring and
slipped it on to the finger of the figurine. There was an audible
clunk from within the sarcophagus and then a line of light split
the woman's body in two, before the sarcophagus opened outwards on
hidden hinges. “The process will be performed
quite
carefully. Now, if you will step into
the Artefact we can”-

Josephine slammed as much energy as she could at the three
wizards and watched as the air rippled around them like a shaken
rug. All three wizards fell backwards with the shockwave. Josephine
reached around them with the energy, quickly and carefully. She was
becoming accustomed to binding people up in the power as if it were
an invisible, indestructible rope. She stood up warily.

“
What are you
doing?
” Fenzar gasped, visibly shaken and surprised by
being outmanoeuvred.

“
I haven’t decided,” Josephine swallowed, her voice
angry. “Do I prove you right? Do I show you
just
how much damage a woman scorned can
do?”

“
For the sake of Triska, princess, you
must
resist the
temptation of your powers!” he babbled. “Cast
out
the darkness!”

“
Oh
shut
up!” she hissed. “For the
last
time, I am not
tempted
by the dark!” She glared at him. “But
I
am
angry. You have
followed me across half the continent to
neuter
me. Well I tell you
now
Fenzar, I have been chased and cowed
for
long
enough! By you, by creatures of my nightmares and by those
who seek to shape the world for their own ends. Your
‘
peace
’ survives only at the expense of others. Mahalia is no
different to any sorcerer or emperor who wishes to extend their
hand and control people’s destinies!”

“
We are
protecting
this world!” he exclaimed.

Josephine grasped the three men and lifted them into the air.
Her rage burned hotter than the flames of the dragon and her power
surged through her.

 “
You are protecting
yourselves
. It is time you learned
your
new
place in the order of things,
ambassador
!” She growled.

“
What do you
mean?
” he asked, his voice wavering.

“
I will bring a
new
kind of peace to this world! A peace not enforced
by fear and
deception!
I am the heir of the Akari and I
will
fulfil their legacy and
purge
this world of
corruption!”

“
What will you do with us?”
one of the two other wizards
asked, genuine fear seeping into his voice. He wriggled to see if
he could pry himself free, but the bonds were wrapped tightly
around them all.

“
I will show you more compassion than your kind
intended for
me
,”
she nodded and then her eyes reflected on the sarcophagus. She
moved the wizards until they hovered over the casket, and then let
the energy holding them in mid - air go. They fell into the casket
with a thud. Josephine looked over its carvings. Instinctively she
pulled the ring from the chiselled figure’s stone finger. The doors
began to creak shut.

“
Princess!
Please!
” Fenzar stuttered. “We can
find
another way! We can
help
each other!
O
Princess
Josephiiiine!”
The doors closed with a clunk and Josephine exhaled
heavily. She inspected the jewel that Fenzar had channelled his
energy into and focussed her attention on it, weaving some energy
into it. The sarcophagus began to glow again and shrink until,
suspended in mid - air, it was the size of her hand again. She
plucked it out of the air with her thumb and forefinger and stared
at it, then let go of her power with relief.

“
No
more
running
.”

“
Yet
another
dead end town,” Emary blustered as they wandered
out between the trees of the copse they had been passing through
for the last hour and emerged back out into open field, where the
outline of clustered buildings sat in the near distance. “How
many
more
places can there be to
search
for this woman?”

“
She can’t have gone
much
further,” Luccius said. His left cheek and skin
under his eye was blotchy, swollen and purple. “Even if Thadius
carried her on his back they couldn’t have travelled beyond the
next few villages!” He looked down. “I
hope
so anyway. I don’t know how much more my
feet can take. In these
rubbish
shoes,” he said sarcastically to
Emary.

She shook her head. “Nearly two weeks more we have
been roaming with no more leads. And as for that
last
village…” she
sniffed.

“
How was
I
supposed to know they would take unkindly to strangers in
their village?” Matthias sighed and trudged on.

“
Three
days
they bound me to that chair!” Emary
growled.

“
I
didn’t see them coming with those sleeping salts,” Matthias
shrugged.

“
And
we lost the horses we obtained!” she
continued.

“
Well, the important thing was that no one
got
hurt
,” Luccius said. Then he held his finger up. “Oh, except
for
this!
” he gestured to his black eye and his eyes
narrowed.

“
I
apologised
for that,” Emary shrugged.

“
Not
enough
.”

“
If you hadn’t
blundered
into the room…”

“
I was trying to
save
you!”

“
I do not
need
you to
save
me, rabbit - ears,” Emary retorted. “I’ve killed
more men than you have hairs on your
head!
”

“
Be
quiet
, you two,” Matthias said, holding a palm up and stopping
on the spot. He looked concerned. “
Listen
.”

“
A
noise?” Luccius asked, straining to listen.

“
It’s coming from within the village,” Matthias said
gravely.

“
What it is?” Luccius asked.

“
You cannot make it out with those ears?” Emary
exclaimed, and tweaked one of his long lobes. He shook her off.
“That is the sound of
war
.”

“
You’re certain?” Luccius asked as Matthias squinted into the
distance.

“
I
have faced enough armies to recognise the sounds of a battle when I
hear them.” As if to prove her point, an explosion sounded from
deep within the town and a lick of flame rose off the horizon:
black smoke winding its way upward. The crackling of burning
timbers was audible as they drew closer.

“
What in the gods?” Luccius exclaimed, startled. “Is it
Sikaris?”

“
No
,”
Matthias said. “It’s sword fighting. The sound of metal on
metal and men shouting.”

As
Luccius strained to hear, he began to make out the noises. He
nodded. “You’re right. Should we go and see what’s happening?” he
asked.

“
We should steer
clear
,” Emary replied.

“
I would have thought
you
would look
forward
to another tussle?” Luccius
suggested.

“
This is not
our
battle,” she sniffed. “What is the
point
having your head
cut off for a cause that is not
worthy
of your attention?”

“
Josephine
could
be in there,” Matthias said, turning to them. “We
can’t afford
not
to check. Not when we have come this
far.”

Emary pulled her curved blade from within her
coat. “Then it looks like I will be needing
this
.”

Chaos rang through the streets as they entered the village
over a crumbling bridge. Arrows sailed through the sky further into
the clustered buildings, clattering against shields and piercing
flesh with a dull thud and the stifled cries of their victims. The
clash of swords and spears was interspersed with the cries of women
and children. Luccius hafted his spear and Matthias drew his sword
hesitantly as they stepped into the streets. The paving slabs were
stained with puddles of deep - red blood, filling in the cracks
between them. Under a splintered wooden beam, surrounded by bricks,
the bloodied body of a tiny baby lay broken among the rubble.
Luccius threw a hand up to his mouth and tried not to retch. To the
left a woman lay tangled among more debris, her arms twisted and
eyes staring lifelessly up at the sky. Matthias knelt down and
surveyed the bodies darkly.