The Mage of Orlon: The beginning (27 page)

“
Help me.
”
The two words slipped from Tehara
’
s lips.

Tears began anew.
The white apparition chuckled slightly.
Laughing at the fallen queen!
Tehara tried to get angry, but the wheezing dwarf in her arms was taking shallower and shallower breathes.

“
Laugh at me, spit on me watch them kill me, or take my life yourself ghost, but please help Chama.
”
Tehara could not think of anything else she could bargain with, surely her death would be worth saving the brave dwarf that stood alone against this army that called for her life to end.

“
You can save her, if you remember Meeka.
”
The woman in white stated flatly.

“
Tirana look at Chama
’
s broken body; do you not feel the wounds?
”
The spirit asked.

“
Yes, but I do not know what to do!
Please spirit help me, help me fix this!
”
It occurred then that the spirit had called her Tirana; she didn
’
t know that Tirana possessed her body!
And now her friend Chama was dyeing!

The angry mob was bustling with explanations of what they were seeing.
The Dark Queen had gone mad, she is buying time for one last strike, it was a trick of some sort, on and on.
Finally the archer beside Lela knocked an arrow and took aim.

The apparition felt the arrow being aimed, and stared at Lela.
Lela grabbed her chest and fell to all fours.
Lela locked eyes with the Dark Queen and for the first time heard the person she was talking to.

“
I am sorry for the sudden jolt princess, but I cannot allow that man next to you to fire that arrow, please tell him to put it away.
”

“
Stand down archer.
”

The archer never looked at Lela, his eyes never wavered from the path his arrow would take into the queen
’
s heart.

“
I said stand down now!
”
Lela punctuated the last with a hard punch into the archer
’
s knee causing him to collapse at the same time the arrow was released.
The arrow went wild and struck the beam across the room harming no one.

Lela
’
s gaze returned to the Dark Queen and the strange white woman facing the Queen.

“
I do not want Chama to die, but I do not know why you call me Meeka, or what to do to heal her.
”
Tehara cried.

She was a thing to be pitied, not the same tyrant that inspired fear in villages, only a sobbing woman who was trying to help her only friend and dealing with a ghost that seemed not to care.

“
Help me remember, if it is within your power help me remember specter!
”
The desperation in the Dark Queen
’
s voice was heard by all in the room.

“
Very well, but I will warn you, this will not be pleasant.
Are you watching princess, you might need to let the others know what is going on.
”
With a smile the ghost pulled the hood revealing her face
…
it was Tirana
’
s face!

Tehara was shocked
“
It cannot be!
”

“
I hope you are ready Tirana, because Meeka is coming back!
”
The white robed woman said.

The ghost shoved her hand into the Dark Queen
’
s head, Tehara screamed as every memory she held was ripped open like tissue paper.
Her childhood, the village she grew up in, when she learned she would be a healer, then Chama being sent to get her for the mountain dwarves, the cave in, her healing Chama
’
s brother and sister.
All of it, her memories flooded back faster and faster.
Tehara realized these were not her memories but those of the Dark Queen!

Lela was shocked.
The Dark Queen had once been a healer of the highest discipline!

Then the dark memories came the Duke coming into Meeka
’
s village, Meeka meeting the Dark King and his army alone, Mordock
’
s arrow piercing her flesh, then waking in the castle, the curse that would kill Tirana if she ever stopped expanding the dark empire, trying to fight the curse and nearly dying from it.
All her memories flooded together, until she remembered her true name.

The spirit screamed as she recoiled from the Dark Queen, it wasn
’
t her!
Not all of her anyways!
The little woman went still in Tehara
’
s arms.
She began crying again.
“
It
’
s not my fault I never
…”
Her sentence was silenced by an arrow piercing her heart.
The Dark Queen
’
s body fell lifeless on to the Dwarf that had tried to save her.
Tehara felt the bolt and then saw the light that whisked her spirit away to a plane without pain and suffering.
Tirana stood in the rafters in a hiding spot, tears fell from her eyes as she watched Chama die.
They had killed the Dark Queen or so they thought, but she had survived it, and had a body that would disguise her for the rest of her days.
She regretted losing the power, but she had to admit the spirit was right
…
she lost.

The spirit circled the room looking at everyone it saw.
Lela was the one it finally settled on.
“
I am sorry princess, but I can
’
t survive like this much longer!
”
The spirit flew straight at Lela.

Lela turned and ran.
She couldn
’
t defend herself against a ghost.
The spirit hit Lela and lifted her into the air.
Lela screamed as the two plummeted back to the ground.
Lela convulsed as her body took on the new spirit.
Nathan ran to the fallen princess and knelt beside her.
He touched her skin and for the first time it felt cold!
Nathan began to try to heal Lela when her hand grabbed his wrist with enough strength to crush it.

“
I am sorry mage, but I need somewhere to rest.
The princess will not be harmed, but I could cease to exist if I don
’
t inhabit a body for a while.
”
When Lela opened her eyes Nathan was shocked to find one eye that was as blue as it had ever been, but the other eye was green.
The green eye was focused on Nathan while the blue eye was staring into the sky.

No one noticed the midnight blue robed woman leaving quietly as everyone looked at Lela.
The spirit felt a slight pull, but was too exhausted to follow.
The woman slowly walked into the forest.
Tirana was still getting used to her new body, it was a pity that Tehara was gone, but after everyone left the castle, she could repair her body and take it back over.
That was the plan, at least until she smelled the smoke.
Turning quickly she ran back to her castle.
Those bastards!
They had set the castle on fire, chants of
“
Burn witch queen burn!
”
, filled the air.
Tirana flopped down, it looks like she was stuck in the slave girl
’
s body.
A thought suddenly occurred to her, nobody knew!
She was safe!
Safe from the mage, safe from the spirit, and the curse was gone too!

Tirana sat for a few moments longer.
Her relief was short lived as she realized she was homeless as well.
At first she was a little troubled, she would have to blend in to a village somewhere, and she could start her life over.
The slave girl
’
s body couldn
’
t be over twenty summers old.
She would escape all her past foes and possibly death itself if she could keep hopping bodies.
A thin grin crawled over her face, all she needed to do was blend in and she was safe!

Nathan was still looking at Lela, the spirit was smiling at him.
The young mage was indeed handsome the spirit thought.
Why in all the realms would the princess not love him?
The answer came quietly,
“
I do love him, I just didn
’
t have time to tell him.
Now is not the right time for this discussion spirit, why do you inhabit me?
”

“
I have to regain my strength, and spirits can
’
t do that while outside the body.
Meeka kept me alive by shear will alone, but she has forgotten who she is.
”

“
The Dark Queen is dead.
You saw it yourself, the arrow struck her in the heart and they burned the castle with her body in it.
She is dead.
”

The spirit chuckled,
“
You have been fooled princess, if that had been the Dark Queen as I had met her several nights ago I would have taken her over and she would have saved the dwarf woman.
The woman that was killed wore the Dark Queen
’
s body, but her essence was not there.
Tirana still lives, but her ethereal presence is weak, muddied by the body she now possesses.
”

Lela couldn
’
t believe what the spirit had told her,
“
Are you certain of what you say spirit?
”

“
Yes, and call me Meeka, we are roommates for the time being, and I am sorry about your hand.
”

Lela
’
s left hand extended into long delicate fingers tipped with talons.
The green eye never wavered from Nathan
’
s face.
The smile ran shivers up Nathan
’
s spine, it was the Dark Queen
’
s smile.
Finally she spoke,
“
Nathan I see by your expression you have met with my darker half.
”

Nathan only nodded.

“
Then you should know that the little trap you set for her didn
’
t quite work the way you planned.
”
Meeka said.

“
We killed her, she is dead.
”
Nathan countered.

“
I already explained it all to Lela, and I grow tired, I need to rest.
I will let Lela take back over, but know this you have gained an ally today.
”
Meeka said and smiled.
Her eye closed and when it opened the eye was as clear blue as the other.
Lela blinked and hugged Nathan.

The castle of darkness had toppled in the flames, and the queen along with it.
The problem was all the orcs had returned as human, even the forty left at the elven castle.
The sudden population of humans was troubling, where would all these people stay?
They had lived in villages, but those were destroyed when the invasions began.

“
The elves will have to help these people rebuild their homes!
”
Nathan exclaimed.

“
We cannot, humans have been our sworn enemies since the time of the King of Darkness!
”
Mordenar protested.

“
The elves have taken so much from so many, you need to try to even up your bad deeds by doing good deeds!
”
Nathan shouted back.

“
Our deeds are our business Mage!
”
The king roared.

“
Is letting Lela shoulder the guilt of the destruction of Santrose also elven business?
”
Nathan countered.

“
Stay out of it Nathan I warn you!
”
The king was clearly upset.

Nathan looked at the king when a he saw something,
“
You didn
’
t know about it did you?
”

“
What are you talking about!
”
Mordenar sneered.

“
The spells being switched, you didn
’
t know about it, at least not at first.
”
Nathan said.
The sudden flash of fear in the king
’
s eyes told him he was right.
“
If you didn
’
t know, then who in all of Orlon would have
…
Lex Ripsnorter!
It had to be Lex, he is the only other elder that cast that spell!
You let your daughter feel like she failed for all these years?
Why?
”

The king
’
s secret was out.
“
I have to appear to be in control at all times Nathan.
What good is a king if he doesn
’
t know what is going on under his own nose?
”

“
Lela is your family King Mordenar, how could you do this to her?
”

“
I admit that I have made mistakes in the past, I did have the splintered and Sevol created, but Cravenwood was not my idea.
The spell was supposed to wear off after a few years, not make a nightmare forest for all times.
”
The king said staring at his feet.

“
Why did you let Lela take the blame?
Why not punish Lex for Cravenwood?
”

“
Because he knew he had slipped the spell by me.
He could have exposed the truth which could have jeopardized my rule.
It isn
’
t the best answer, but it is the reason I kept silent.
”

“
Was it worth your relationship with Lela?
She has tried so hard to get you to respect her, but when you look at her she feels like she is not good enough.
”
Nathan said.

“
She makes me proud every day.
She misreads my looks, I know she feels guilty.
So I feel ashamed of letting her feel guilt that is not hers to feel.
”

“
The priestesses know what happened?
”

“
I have sworn them to secrecy, but yes they know.
That cursed scythe mirror showed them what happened.
They alerted me, and I kept it secret.
”

Nathan closed his eyes.
“
How much longer are you willing to hurt your own daughter?
”

The king looked down on the mage, and smiled,
“
You really do love my Lela don
’
t you?
”

“
Yes I do.
”
Was all Nathan could say.

The king thought about this for a few moments,
“
I suppose it wouldn
’
t hurt to help the humans a little.
Mage, can you excuse me for a moment I need to talk to my daughter.
”

“
You never need my permission your majesty.
”
Nathan replied.

“
Maybe I do Nathan; you seem to have a better grasp on things than I do at times.
”