Sisters of the Mists Ch. 17

"Do you think they could sense yours?"

"Probably. Should I dismiss my spell?"

Danica shook her head and continued the conversation with telepathy. 'No. Just because someone can sense it doesn't mean that they can penetrate it. Let's hide as best we can, though.'

'There's something strange about the magic I'm sensing too.'

'Inhuman?'

'Yes.'

After passing by an outcropping a little farther down the trail, Danica spied a ramshackle cottage butted up against the mountain. The trail continued upward in more switchbacks beyond the cottage. 'Why would anyone live up here?'

'They're probing my magic — whoever it is,' Marlena answered.

The door of the cottage opened with a creak, and an old man peeked out. He looked around, but gave no indication that he'd penetrated Marlena's spell.

Danica winced as a wall of emotion hit her. Somewhere beyond the cottage door, people reacted with both fear and longing to the beam of light intruding on the darkness.

A mental gasp accompanied Marlena's warning. 'It's an illusion. All of it.'

'There are prisoners — slaves — inside,' Danica added. 'I can't see through the illusion.'

'Me either. It's powerful. I think I have a spell that can break it, but we'll lose the cloaking magic.'

The old man wandered outside the door, closing it behind him as he continued to sweep his eyes over the trail.

'Let me get something ready first,' Danica cautioned, then began chanting a spell.

Marlena spoke her own words of magic, and Danica heard the illusionist pause before completing the spell. As she was ready to say the last word of her own spell, Danica sent a mental signal to her friend. 'Now.'

The old man instantly turned toward the two women when they appeared before him. Marlena's spell made a sound like the roaring of flame and sent a column of ripples speeding toward the old man and the cottage. When it hit him, the magic erupted with a loud, low frequency hum and rapidly expanded, destroying the illusions. Where once there was a cottage, a cave entrance loomed. The door proved to be a large stone.

Danica's spell of entrapment closed around a monster rather than a man. The creature hulked nine feet tall, with red skin, horns, and a horrible visage. It roared and flexed its muscles, easily tearing apart Danica's spell.

"Oni!" Marlena called out, then snapped her wrists. Her new magical bracelets produced two wands.

The monster let out a roar and charged toward Danica. Initiatively, she lashed out with her telekinetic power, but the Oni did little more than flinch, not even slowing.

Marlena aimed one of her wands and shouted a command word. A cone of wind slammed into the approaching creature, toppling it from its feet and sending it rolling backwards.

"Wind magic! They're creatures of earth," Marlena explained. Her wand discharged again, keeping the monster from rising and slamming it into the cold stone of the mountain.

Danica cast the first spell that came to mind, peppering the Oni with wind missiles. The monster roared in pain as the magical darts pierced its flesh.

Yet another blast of Marlena's wand pinned the Oni to the wall. "We have to break its contact with the earth. That will weaken it. Don't kill it."

Though she wondered why Marlena was concerned about killing the raging creature, she concentrated on the first instruction. Her hands flying through the gestures, Danica spoke the words of a spell. When she finished, the creature's feet lifted from the ground.

Marlena's voice rang out in another command word and she pulled back on the wand as if fishing and setting the hook. The Oni flew toward them to hover a few feet away, about twenty feet up. "Now bind it, or put it to sleep."

Trusting her friend, Danica cast a sleep spell, and the monster's head slumped down to its chin.

Marlena breathed a sigh of relief and lowered her wands. "The spell will work as long as it isn't in contact with the earth."

"What do we do with it now, though? Is it a demon?"

A shake of Marlena's head answered no. "They're related to ogres, but they're not evil."

"Uhm — it has people caged up in there, and it didn't stop to ask questions before it attacked us."

"Oni use their power of illusion and other magical abilities to capture and enslave evil beings." Marlena paused and shrugged, looking a little embarrassed. "They have been known to be corrupted by capturing something so evil that they couldn't deal with it, though."

"I can feel the fear from the people in there," Danica cautioned, "Fear of the Oni."

"They could still be evil."

"But if not..."

"I know."

Danica nodded and conjured up a ball of light that hovered over her head. "My spells will hold up long enough for us to find out who's in here."

Marlena let out a resigned sigh and led the way into the cave.

A short distance down the passage they found the den of the Oni. Once, it might have been a strangely human dwelling beneath the earth — save for the size of the furniture — but no more. Everything was scattered around the room in disarray, and the remains of the Oni's last meal remained in one corner — human bones.

Marlena covered her mouth and made a choking sound.

"Marlena, I think it's obvious that this one has been corrupted."

"I know but... I just..." The illusionist trembled, her voice carrying a profound note of sadness.

"I'll do it. Go help them." Danica gestured to a side passage, from where the weeping of the slaves echoed off the stone walls. "Take my bag. I've started keeping lots of spare clothes, food, and bandages in there."

"Airburst," Marlena said in a small voice. "The spell will destroy it instantly."

Though she didn't know why, Danica understood that something beyond the necessity to destroy a once good creature corrupted by evil was bothering Marlena. "I won't wake it up first."

Marlena nodded and walked into the side passage as Danica turned to do what had to be done.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

"It's about time," Celes said as the transparent image of Danica appeared a few feet away in the center of the study.

"I know. Sorry," Danica apologized. "We were a little busy. Still are."

"Everything okay?" Ashley asked, turning from where she stood rinsing her potion pot in the small study sink.

"I'll let you know this evening." Seeing Celes' eyes narrow, Danica quickly added, "We just ran into something unexpected along the way, and Marlena's having a bit of a hard time with what we had to do. She'll be okay."

Celes nodded, accepting that Danica knew what she was doing. "We just finished with the last batch for today. We're going to start popping around dropping off the potions and recipes."

Andrea piped up, "We all need to get out of this room for a while, before we go crazy."

"Be home by evening?" Danica asked.

Celes answered, "We'll be here when you call, and you might actually be able to see the tables when you do."

"They'll be covered again by lunch tomorrow, though."

Andrea and Celes both groaned when Ashley said that.

Danica laughed. "Okay. I'm going to get back to Marlena. I'll fill you in more this evening."

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Danica dismissed her spell and looked down one more time at the Oni horn lying on the ground. For some reason, it had remained when she'd cast the Airburst spell, though the rest of the creature had simply disintegrated. Thankfully, it had landed behind a rock, and Marlena had not yet seen it.

The pain in the illusionist's face had doubled, brought on by the pitiful state of the slaves within the cave. Seeing that Danica had completed her spell, she said, "They won't even come out of their cells. They're terrified."

"It is done."

Danica spun on the deep, growling voice emerging from behind her, the words of the Airburst spell on her lips the moment she recognized another Oni.

"Danica! Don't!" Marlena cried out as she grabbed Danica's hand, spoiling the gestures of the spell.

The creature gave a slight bow of its head, and Danica felt a chill run up her spine. She could see the creature's eyes, and immediately knew that this one was not like the other. Despite the Oni's brutish, demonic face, its eyes held intelligence and compassion.

"This one hasn't been corrupted."

The Oni moved to the horn lying on the ground and picked it up. "Long have we mourned the loss of our brother. You have given him peace."

Even more so than the Oni's eyes, its urbane manner of speaking clashed with the harsh voice to such an extent that Danica was completely unsettled. Marlena seemed not to notice, and stood with a sad smile on her face.

"We thank you," the Oni continued. "Fear not for those within. Our magic will erase both pain and memory, and return them to their homes."

Marlena approached the creature and spoke, the words full of hard consonants and her tone throaty. Whatever language she spoke, it was one that Danica's earrings were unable to translate.

The Oni's face split into a toothy grin. "We accept your condolences with a glad heart. How is it that you know of us, one of fire hair?"

Marlena answered, "The master who taught me the art of illusion was well acquainted with one of your brothers. He visited frequently, so I knew him from the time when I was a little girl. He was far from home, and grew lonely for conversation from time to time."

Offering a sagely nod, the Oni said, "It is difficult when one of us is called away from this land by the swelling of darkness." The monstrous-looking creature stiffened, its eyes growing distant for a moment. When the Oni's eyes focused again, it cupped the horn of its fallen brother in its hands and held it out to Marlena. "Take this. Even in one corrupted, there remains the light of our purpose. In this, our brother's light remains. Should darkness descend upon you, it will light your way."

A single tear rolled down Marlena's cheek as she accepted the horn. "When the need arises, your brother's light will once again serve the purpose, scattering the shadows of evil."

The Oni bowed its head, and then lumbered toward the entrance of the cave.

Marlena met Danica's eye and nodded toward the path that continued on through the mountains. As she walked, she reverently placed the Oni horn in her bag of holding and said, "They're uncomfortable around people, and they can do far more for the prisoners than we ever could. They'll be home, safe, and happy tonight."

Danica remained silent until a bend in the path took them out of sight of the cave, as Marlena seemed to need some time to reflect. Part of her felt as if leaving the prisoners was wrong, but she trusted Marlena enough to accept that the Oni would keep its word.

Marlena broke the silence first. "Sorry about taking over that way."

"You understood what was going on — I didn't. It's a good thing that you took charge. Sorry about..." She made a few obscure gestures miming spellcasting. Ahead, she could see the trail continuing up the mountain.

Marlena smiled and took Danica's hand. "That is why the Oni remain hidden from most people. How could you not suspect them of being evil? I was more scared than you can imagine when he first came to visit my master. I think I was nine at the time."

Danica couldn't quite shake the memory of the hulking creatures. "I'd have screamed loud enough to wake the dead and wet myself if I'd seen one of them when I was nine."

"Oh, I screamed. I ran and crawled into the smallest place I could find to hide."

Coming out of the shaded rock valley, Danica flinched upon stepping into a wall of hot humidity. "So how did you get over it?"

"Kapallen could convince me of anything." Marlena laughed, her eyes a little distant.

"Your master?"

She nodded. "I'd have never learned magic if it weren't for him. I looked forward to him performing at the harvest festival almost as much as I looked forward to Yule. When I was seven, I perfectly duplicated one of his illusions, and he saw it."

They had started up the next switchback as they walked and talked, and Marlena barely seemed to notice. Considering the illusionist's fear of heights, Danica thought it would be a good idea to keep this conversation going as long as possible.

"So he invited you to his school?"

"Oh, there was no magic school close to where I lived. Kapallen went straight to my parents and asked them to let me apprentice with him. He was well liked and respected, so they jumped at the chance. They were both laborers, and knew that they could never give me an opportunity like that to do something different with my life."

Danica nudged Marlena with her elbow. "It's no wonder you're so good, considering you had one-on-one instruction from such a young age. I didn't even start until I was twelve."

"He was a wonderful teacher." Her smile turned a little sad, and her voice quavered a little when she added, "I miss him."

Wincing inwardly, Danica remembered that it was the death of her master that had set Marlena on the path of revenge against Zoraster, and eventually into the madman's clutches. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring up painful memories."

Marlena shrugged one shoulder. "I've never really talked about it with anyone since it happened. Maybe I should." "If you want to. You know I'm here for you."

Marlena looked up at the sky and let out a wistful sigh. "There was just something about him. He made me feel confident — talented." She glanced over at Danica and smiled. "I've been feeling that way again, recently."

Danica smiled back. "You do seem a lot more comfortable in your own skin."

A snap of her right wrist summoned up one of the beautiful — and powerful — wands Danica had made for her. She held it up and admitted, "These help," before quietly laughing and slipping the wand back into the magical bracelet.

"I think Brandon has something to do with that too," Danica suggested, twitching her eyebrows as she turned to climb the next ascending section of the trail.

The illusionist's cheeks reddened a bit, and she nodded in agreement. "He just makes me feel so pretty — sexy. I haven't felt that way very often. A lot of boys used me when I was younger. I was the only redhead for miles around, and blessed up top." She cupped her breast for a moment. "They looked at me as a trophy. Kapallen tried to protect me from all the wealthy boys trying to be the first to..."

"I understand," Danica offered when Marlena trailed off, knowing that the illusionist was speaking of her virginity.

"I still had my heart broken more than once, but at least I never went that far. After a while, word spread that I was frigid, and nobody tried."

From somewhere overhead, a hawk loosed its lonely, keening cry.

Danica didn't know what to say. The tale explained much about Marlena's lack of confidence in herself and her abilities.

"I'm glad I saved myself, though."

"So, your first time was special?"

Marlena took a deep breath and nodded. "Very." Her eyes welled up with tears.

Danica stopped and clasped her friend's hand. "It's okay. You don't have to."

Wiping her eyes and sniffling, Marlena said, "I think I need to. I've never told anyone." Her eyes darted toward the emptiness beyond the edge of the trail. "It's better than thinking about that."

"That's why I was keeping you talking," Danica admitted.

Still holding Danica's hand in hers, Marlena started walking up the trail again. "It just sort of happened. Nobody would have understood, and even though we never actually talked about it, we kept it a secret." A wide grin spread across her face. "He looked so dumbfounded and frightened the first time I kissed him."

A little shocked by where she suspected Marlena's story was leading, Danica instinctively interjected a little lightness, more for her own sake than Marlena's. "Don't they all?"

The illusionist laughed, nodding her head, and then continued. "It was just after my parents died. He'd spent days trying to make me feel at home and consoling me. We were sitting in front of the fire, and he had his arm around me. I just felt so warm, safe, and loved that I couldn't help myself. He tried to pretend that it was nothing, and to go on as we always had, but I knew that everything had changed."

There was no denying the wave of need that Danica felt coming from her friend. Marlena desperately wanted to say what Danica now knew for certain through her empathic powers, but she was afraid to. Dozens of snippets of memories traveled along the psychic pathways between them, and Danica knew that there was nothing improper in the relationship between them. He had resisted, fearing that she mistook respect for love, but Marlena had worn him down. When he finally surrendered to his own love for her, they were both deliriously happy.

"Kapallen was your first, wasn't he?"

Marlena nodded, looking relieved. "And only until..." She left his murder at the hands of one of Zoraster's minions unspoken. "I've kept that secret for so long, when all I wanted to do was sing from the highest rooftops about how much I loved him."

"It must have been hard."

"Only when we weren't alone. I never thought I'd love again when I lost him, until Brandon. They're so different on the outside, but Brandon's heart is so much like his."

Danica chuckled. "He puts on a good show of being boisterous, but he has the soul of a poet."

Squeezing Danica's hand, Marlena said, "Thanks for listening to me blubber, and for not judging me."

"You're welcome, and I would never judge you. Neither would Celes, or Andrea."

"Or Ashley or Edna," Marlena agreed. "Sometimes, even when you know something deep in your heart, it's still hard to believe."

Danica glanced at the trail snaking back and forth above. "You know, I think that highest trail looks like it's curling toward the other side of the mountain. Let's save some walking and see if we can't start walking downhill instead of up."

Marlena nodded, then took a deep breath and pinched her nose as Danica neared the end of the spell chant.

The pair vanished in a puff of brimstone smoke.

{*****~~o~~0~~o~~*****}

Celes stepped out of the mists, Andrea and Ashley immediately behind her. Evelyn awaited them on the front porch of the home she now shared with one of her sister witches.

"Not a bad day's work," Celes remarked, clapping her hands together as if dusting them off.

Spreading the potions out had proved even easier than anticipated. Using Evelyn's descriptions of other witches she knew, Celes had called up the mists and unerringly found herself near who she sought. Those witches in turn provided their own contacts. Fortunately, the prophecy of the Sisters of the Mists was quite widespread, and they rarely had to explain their arrival before instructing the witches in the use of the potions.

A package arriving in the message bowl had added one more item to each of the potion drop-offs — a small charm that would connect with the magic of the mirrors Darkniciad was creating. When those mirrors were complete, they would seek out the charms and find their way to the widely scattered witches.

"You don't even look winded," Evelyn said with a bit of wonder in her voice as she approached.

Celes shrugged. "Calling up the mists is effortless. Its coming from somewhere outside me."

"We should get home. Danica will be calling soon," Andrea suggested.

Ashley added, "And we need to get some rest before we start to work on more potions tomorrow."

Celes' brow furrowed and she frowned. "I swear sometimes that you purposely take all the joy out of life, Ashley."

The redheaded witch offered a sheepish smile. "Sorry."

"So, you'll be back in a couple of days?" Evelyn inquired.