Sisters of the Mists Ch. 13

Danica laughed. "That's Destindale, alright. My shop is just down the road."

Celes let her concentration lapse, and the image within the mists vanished, though the gently swirling cloud remained.

"We may as well try it. At worst, we won't be any farther away than we are now. Let me tell Ashley what we're doing."

Celes nodded her understanding, and then Danica closed her eyes, searching for the redheaded witch within the manor. When she found Ashley's thoughts, she telepathically said, 'Ashley, Celes and I are going to go out and try to find someone that one of my friends is worried about.'

Ashley replied back, 'Celes told me about it while you were napping. Just call if you need me. I may look a little funny, though. The girls want to do my hair and put makeup on me.'

'Good luck,' Danica thought to her with a mental chuckle. She then turned to Celes and asked, "Do you think we should tell Marlena and Andrea?"

"Marlena probably wouldn't appreciate the interruption, and Andrea needs a little time away from things, I think."

"Well, let's give it a shot, then. Let me throw on something that isn't rumpled from sleeping in it and grab my bag."

Intrigued, Celes turned her attention back to her gift. "I'm going to try to see something while you get ready."

Danica nodded and pulled off the light robe she'd worn all day as she walked around the mists to her closet to search for something to wear, picking up her bag of holding along the way.

Dressed in a functional blouse and skirt, Danica returned to Celes' side. She stared into the mists and asked, "Is that your room from Zoraster's complex?"

"Yes," Celes answered. "I know I shouldn't be offended that his lapdog handed it over to someone else, but I am."

"Try moving it to my room."

Celes closed her eyes and thought of the complex of rooms she knew so well, those that Danica had occupied while the two of them endured enslavement to Zoraster. "Dusty and almost empty — just like we left it."

"I hope Ebonar isn't expecting me to move back in soon, because he's in for a rude awakening if he tries." A flash of inspiration struck Danica. "Try to move it to Zoraster's library."

Once again, Celes concentrated. "Looks like he's replaced everything we stole."

"Probably had copies in several places. Oh well, at least we have access to it, and so does Darkni. Doesn't look like your gift triggers any warning magic, same as the Hellgate."

"And a damn sight safer, too. You ready to see if this works?"

"Whenever you're ready. Do you need me to fetch you anything?"

"If I'm not carrying it, I'm sure you are." Celes thought of the river and the village, causing the clouds of vapor to swirl once more.

"Looks like the place to me," Danica commented, seeing the shoreline of a narrow, muddy river, and a few buildings marking the edge of what appeared to be an established settlement.

"Here we go," Celes announced, and then summoned the vapors to swallow them up.

The clouds dissipated, and the scene Danica had observed in the vapors coalesced into reality. Almost immediately, she heard cries of alarm from the nearby village. She and Celes both turned to see a pair of militiamen brandishing weapons.

Danica held her hands in front of her in a peaceful gesture. "We're not here to cause trouble. I'm looking for someone named Helen Fletcherson. Her maiden name would be Whiteglade. She's supposed to live a few miles from here in a cluster of farmsteads."

One of the men stepped forward, his expression growing even darker. "What do you want with my wife?"

Celes snorted in surprise. "Well, that's convenient."

Danica shushed her friend. "I'm a friend of her niece, Heather. She just learned about the goblin invasion, and she's worried. I promised to come make sure you were safe."

"And who are you?" The man asked, still looking wary.

"Danica Ardane."

Celes suddenly stiffened and quietly asked, "Danica, do you smell that?"

The wisps of foul odor burned into Danica's nose only a second later. There was no mistaking the smell of unwashed bodies, rotting meat, refuse and waste. Mindless of the still-bared weapons of the village's defenders, she and Celes moved toward them as one. "If you have some sort of alarm, sound it now. There are goblins coming."

"How do..." The man trailed off, his nostrils flaring as the stench hit him as well. "Shit!" He turned to his fellow militiaman and said, "The bell, Gerald. She's right, I can smell them. Get everyone back inside the walls."

"We can help," Danica offered.

The man eyed Danica and Celes critically for a breath or two, and then said, "Come along, then."

Celes pointed upward and tugged on Danica's sleeve. "That guard tower. It's not all that high, but it should let us see a good ways."

Helen's husband shouted and waved to a few men rushing out into the street at the sound of the alarm bell. He then turned back to Danica and said, "Nobody up there. We ran out of arrows two days ago, and our fletcher got killed. Supposed to be soldiers and supplies coming, but we haven't seen them."

Danica nodded to him and then asked Celes, "Can you get us up there?"

Celes answered by grabbing Danica's hand and staring hard at the small window of the guard tower. A second later, Danica yelped as she and Celes appeared within the tower — a few inches above the weathered wooden floor.

Both women managed to keep their balance when they fell. "Sorry," Celes apologized.

Danica let out a little laugh and hurried to one of the narrow windows. She stared out over the rolling countryside, peering into the knots of trees and vegetation that might hide attackers. "There," she warned, pointing to a group of goblins approaching in a crouch through a creek bed.

"Bunch of them over there," Celes indicated, pointing to a much larger group jogging toward the village through a small wooded area. She sent a thought to the ring on her finger, calling upon the magic hidden there to protect her from a multitude of attacks. "They're mine," she added with a wicked grin.

Danica had already called upon the magic of her hood ring, and immediately launched into her magic. The spell she'd chosen took a long time to cast, and thus wasn't useful under many circumstances, but it would serve perfectly in this surprise attack. Just as the goblins clambered over the steep edge of the storm-washed creek, Danica's arrow storm rained down on them.

As the monsters that had gained the top of the creek tumbled back in with gurgling screams, only to take several more magical missiles while falling, Danica heard the detonations of Celes' spell.

The fireballs of Celes' meteor swarm spell sent goblins flying in every direction, trailing flame and greasy smoke. One unfortunate goblin tumbled head over heels to a height of around fifteen feet, the fireball having exploded directly beneath its feet.

More goblins boiled from every possible place of concealment near the village. "Think we picked a bad time to visit," Celes flippantly observed, and then quick-cast a fireball at another group of goblins.

"Maybe for us — and the goblins," Danica countered as she reached into her bag of holding. She found the pouch she sought, and removed five of the amber marbles within. Scanning the mass of goblins, she located the most compact knot and hurled her magical weapons. Each expanded into a crackling ball of electricity that streaked into the midst of the monsters to wreak havoc.

Some of the goblins drew close enough to bring crude bows and spears into play. The latter clattered against the walls of the village or into the streets, the overzealous creatures having severely underestimated the range. The arrows fared no better, the defenders of the village having wisely taken cover. The single arrow that penetrated a window of the tower stopped dead against Danica's mystic shield and fell to the floor, broken in half.

With some of the goblins now nearing the wall, Celes unleashed one of her favorite magics. Her bolt of lightning slammed into the chest of one goblin, burning a fist-sized hole through it, and then jumped to another, blasting it to the ground where it smoked and lurched — already dead before it touched the ground. Six more goblins felt the devastating power of Celes' spell before it fizzled out.

A bolt of magic dissolved into sparks against Celes' shield, alerting Danica to the presence of a shaman amongst the monsters. Easily locating the creature, as shamans lorded their status over other goblins via extravagant headdresses, ornaments, and other mystical regalia, Danica's fingers moved through the gestures of a spell that she rarely gave any consideration to casting.

In the case of goblins, she was more than willing to make the exception and unleash the poisonous cloud upon them.

The shaman obviously recognized the billowing green death as it approached and grew, because the monster took to his heels immediately, furiously gesturing and likely grunting the words of a protective spell. Goblin after goblin grabbed its throat and fell to the ground, choking out its final breaths. The shaman continued to run, but not nearly fast enough.

With the shaman down and all other monsters nearby scattering, Danica banished the cloud before it could possibly drift anywhere that would endanger the villagers.

Celes unleashed a wall of wind in another direction that provided dual benefits. Numerous arrows and spears sent aloft by the monsters turned in their flight, raining back down upon those who had hurled them. Goblins closer to the source of the tempest rolled across the grass, tripping up their fellows attempting to fight the gale.

Faced with unexpected, powerful magic resistance, the goblin assault turned into a complete rout. The monsters fled in every direction, running as fast as their feet could carry them, or diving into cover to slink away. A few minutes later, only a few smoldering spots and the corpses of the monsters remained on the battlefield.

Celes chuckled and leaned against the wooden wall of the tower. "Well, that went quite a bit better than the last fight we picked. How many do you think?"

"Fifty or sixty. Not even a quarter of those we saw, let alone how many might have hung back."

"Aye, they'll be back. This place is in the thick of it."

"Hardly the sort of news I want to give Heather," Danica sighed. Her head then snapped toward the sound of someone ascending the questionable looking ladder at the rear of the tower.

Celes peeked down and said, "It's Heather's uncle."

The militiaman emerged from the opening and said, "Well, I sure gotta believe you're on our side after that. Not a damn one reached the walls. We all dragged our swords out and about wet ourselves for nothing."

"They'll be back," Danica warned.

He nodded. "Name's Gerald. Don't doubt it, but we can always hope the filthy things decide we're not worth the cost after what you gave them today."

Several voices called up for Gerald to bring down the two women, and he leaned over the hole in the floor to shout down, "Hold your horses!" He then straightened with a groan and said, "Lot of folk down there that want to thank you."

"Go on, we'll follow — our way," Danica said with a smile.

Gerald nodded and descended the ladder. Celes grabbed Danica's hand, looked out the window, and brought her powers to bear. She and Danica appeared at the base of the tower at the same time as Gerald's boots touched the hard-packed earth.

Danica playfully tapped one heel on the ground, prompting Celes to say, "It's a lot easier when I can actually see where our feet are going to end up."

The two women had no more settled to earth than a flash of light startled the gathering villagers. The runes adorning Danica's skin flared to life in response to her rush of surprised adrenaline. As she spun on the source of the light, Danica saw Celes raising her hand, probably preparing to bring her powers as a witch to bear.

"You gave us quite a start," said a man in a purple robe with a drooping mustache.

Danica recognized the style of the robe as one worn by advanced students under her sister and Darkniciad. "It's okay, he's with the Egorian forces," she quickly told everyone around, before anyone made a hasty decision to attack. Her runes slowly faded into invisibility once more.

The wizard let his magical shield lapse. "It would appear the feeling is mutual. My apologies for the sudden arrival." He offered a short bow in apology. "I sensed great magic here, and felt it prudent to investigate immediately. We are encountering far too many shaman and mages amongst the attacking goblins."

"We only saw one here," Danica revealed.

"I trust the goblins have been repulsed for the time being?"

"They weren't expecting magic, and we gave them more than they could have bargained for anyhow," Celes explained with a satisfied chuckle.

Gerald stepped forward. "We need some help. We're out of arrows and we're all beat down from holding them monsters back."

The mage nodded his understanding. "We have nearly secured Gliddervale to the south, and our supply lines. The first scouts should arrive before the day is out, and they have magical means to deliver some of what you need. We can provide only a few soldiers, but those who will stay as we press on will bolster your forces. We have mages and priests, as well."

"Good to hear. Was beginning to think we were on our own up here," Gerald replied, punctuating it with a sigh of relief.

"So things are going well?" Danica asked.

"The monsters still swarm everywhere, but we are steadily securing every town and village. It will be some time before we have enough trained forces to push the goblins back into their holes. You say there was a shaman?"

Danica answered, "One, and he was more interested in running than fighting by the time my poison cloud started drifting toward him."

"Ah — excellent. I need to examine the creature. We have discovered something curious and disturbing about those shaman that have met ends that did not destroy their bodies."

"I can show you where he fell," Danica offered.

Gerald declared, "I'll round up some men to burn the things, if we can find enough wood for another pyre."

Celes tugged on his sleeve as he turned. "No need. Save your wood and let us do it."

Gerald grunted, "Thanks — again." He pointed to a large, two story structure some distance down the street. "That's where me and the wife are staying. Come see us when you're finished."

"We will," Danica responded with a smile. The Egorian wizard gestured toward the timber gates of the village wall, so Danica took the lead.

From the ground, the carnage was disturbing. A partial goblin hand, probably blown there by Celes' initial barrage of magic, lay only a few feet outside the gate. Pieces of the monsters and twisted corpses littered the area outside the village. Though she despised the evil creatures, Danica still had to swallow against a lurch of her stomach when she beheld the truth of the devastation.

Seeing the greenish cast of Danica's features, Celes stroked her hand over her friend's back and said, "They're pure evil from the moment they're born. Sure that they'd have done far worse if they'd made it inside."

"I know, but..."

"I'm not all that fond of seeing what I've done down here either, Dearie. Let's just get this overwith."

Danica's shoulders slumped as she nodded. She pointed across the triangle of land between the village and the river, near the storm-washed creek where she'd cast her first spell. "The shaman should be just about halfway between where the creek turns toward the woods, and the trees."

The Egorian wizard peered off into the distance and recognized the regalia of a shaman. "I see the creature. You need not come, if you wish. I can immolate the monsters."

Danica wiped her eyes, which the smoke had irritated, as she answered, "No. We'll come."

"Very well."

The group had to detour around knots of goblin bodies more often than the numerous natural obstacles, but eventually reached the shaman. Though no visible wounds marred the goblin's body, it was all the more horrific for that lack. The shaman's mouth was open in a silent scream, and the monster's hands clutched its throat. The goblin's eyes were wide open, staring up at Danica as if in accusation.

Thankfully, the mage interposed his body between Danica and the corpse. Only a few seconds later, he declared, "Ah, as I expected." He turned, holding up a wooden disk suspended from a leather thong.

"What is it?" Danica asked.

"A holy symbol. While that alone is not unusual, the god to whom it is dedicated is," the Egorian answered.

Danica made a small sound of surprise and pointed at the spinning disk. "I've seen that design before, at Blackhawk. A woodland troll was wearing it."

The wizard's eyebrows shot up and he cupped the talisman in his other hand. "This becomes more curious by the moment. This is the holy symbol of Blorcasir, the Lord of Murder."

"I thought the other gods destroyed the Lord of Murder," Danica observed.

"Same sermon I always heard," Celes agreed, smoothing back her raven-dark hair against a breeze attempting to blow it in her face.

"That is indeed the sermon, and close to the truth. Were it this alone, it would not be a cause for concern. Unfortunately, rumors fly the Guild of Murder is reborn. If the Lord of Murder will now accept the prayers of monsters such as these, and has human worshipers again, his power will grow."

Celes let out a disgusted sigh and then, with dripping sarcasm, said, "More good news."

Danica winced and covered her nose as a breeze carried the rancid stink of the dead goblins to her. After a quick cough, she said, "We should get rid of these before they start to smell worse — if that's even possible."

"Where should we pile them up?" Celes asked.

The wizard looked around and then pointed at what appeared to be a man-made pit with blackened vegetation surrounding it. "The villagers have already chosen a place to immolate the dead."

Celes rubbed her hands together and said, "There it is, then." She cast a spell, creating a bubble of clear, odor-free air around the trio. After taking a deep, satisfied breath, she made a sweeping, backhand gesture with her hand toward the body of a nearby goblin, and then flipped her palm toward the pit. The goblin vanished.

Danica concentrated to bring her telekinetic powers to bear, zipping another goblin just above the swaying, bloodstained grass into the pit as well.

"This is going to take a while," Celes noted as she teleported a second goblin.

Watching with amazement as the two women absently utilized their inborn powers to gather up the goblins, the mage that accompanied them chuckled and stroked his mustache. "Perhaps by your estimation," he said as he pulled a wand from a sheathe at his belt. "You have done in seconds what I estimated would take several minutes."

"We have certain advantages," Danica responded with a cheeky smile, doing her best to put the macabre nature of the task out of her mind, as she sent another goblin — or rather its upper torso — skimming toward the pit.

"So I see," he said with a grin as he utilized his wand to join in the task, levitating another corpse toward the growing pile.

Danica's next goblin beat it by several lengths.

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

Zoraster absently deposited the report in his hand back into the pile atop his desk. The message was a long-winded progress report from an agent of little import, and certainly far less interesting than the scene playing out in the scrying crystal before him.

A flash of thought dimmed the magical light overhead, in the center of the room, leaving the Archmage bathed in the flickering glow of the crystal. "Well, well..." Zoraster muttered as he watched Danica and Celes gathering goblin corpses. "I hoped only to mire Thakkor and the Egorians in my distraction. This is a rather pleasant surprise, my little rose."