Hemlock And The Dread Sorceress (Book 3) (8 page)

Mercuria looked puzzled, but complied.

“So…” said Hemlock.

“Yes?” said Tored.

“The Old Mother knew you.  How?”

Tored shifted in bed as if to
create distance, but then turned back to face her.  “It is probably best that you know the truth, though it is a point of great shame for me.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Remember when I visited the City before we left on our quest to disconnect the Witch Crags from the City?”

“Yes.”

“The problems between Taros Sundar and Umra Vyle were already boiling over during our journey to the City.  I could tell that Umra Vyle had something planned, and he intended to move on Taros Sundar.  It was only a matter of time.  As you saw, I couldn’t get through to the boy.  He remained oblivious to the threat.

“
When we reached the City, I despaired and confided in a friend who lived here.  He knew of the Old Mother and her magical abilities.  I met with her in secret and asked her for a spell that would rid me of Umra Vyle.  She gave me a potion that would summon a beast to kill the man who drank it.  I emptied that potion into Umra Vyle’s waterskin.”

“The rainbow cat!” said Hemlock.

“Yes.  My hands are stained with the blood of my comrades in arms because I couldn’t accept that my adopted house would be dishonored by Umra Vyle.  My vanity and pride has brought more shame upon me and that house than Umra Vyle ever could have.”

“
Now I understand why you got so distant.  I wish you would have come to me first.”

“We didn’t know each other as well,
then.  And I was so set upon my course that it may not have mattered if we did.  I’ve been a fool, Hemlock.”

Hemlock grasped
his hand.  “We’re all foolish, sometimes.  We both have wielded power and made bad decisions.  We have this in common, you and I.  You have to pull yourself together.  If you give up, it means I should too.  I’ve got a lot of blood on my hands.”

“But you’re young, Hemlock.  Youthful indiscretions are more easily forgiven
by those that sit in judgment and also by the harshest judge of all—ourselves.  But I am an old man, fully formed and with a lifetime of experience.  Yet, I still made this terrible error in judgment.  I have to be honest with you, I no longer trust myself.  I will understand if you choose to part ways with me.”

“Are you kidding?  Do you see me overflowing with friends?  I’ve got my sister
, Merit and you. That’s about it.  If you can’t forgive yourself for your own sake, please do it for my sake.  I need you at your full powers and fully focused.  We still have to face DuLoc, after all.”

“My spear will always be at your command.  But council—maybe you should seek that elsewhere.”

“Nonsense.  I trust you above all others.  And I’m not leaving your bedside until you forgive yourself.”

“That will be a long wait.  I can’t promise that, Hemlock.  I won’t lie to you.  I may never forgive myself.”

“Well, you’re going to be a barrel of laughs on this trip, aren’t you?  Seriously, just work through it.  Talk to me.  Talk to Mercuria, even.  You seem to get along with her.”

“I won’t burden her with this.”

“She’d want to know, Tored.”

“Please don’t tell her.  If I decide to do so
, I’d like it to be my decision.”

“Fair enough.  Now
, rest up and try to put this out of your mind.  We have another quest to begin come morning.”

“I will try.”

“One last thing. Does this have anything to do with the ghost of Umra Vyle?”

“I think so, yes.  His malice
, combined with my guilt, probably allowed his spirit to bind with me.”

“So you’ll
continue to be haunted by him?”

“Unless I am able to forgive myself—which is very unlikely.  This is another reason why I think you should reconsider traveling with me.”

“No way.  We’ll deal with this ghost.  Together.”

Chapter
Three

Hemlock, Tored and Mercuria walked together in the crisp morning air as the
sun, still low in the morning sky, cast long and ominous shadows. 

“So, Hemlock, I didn’t realize we were
literally walking back to find Mother,” Mercuria quipped.

“I wish we could,” said Hemlock, “but our home world won’t intersect the City for a few more years.”

As soon as she said this, Hemlock regretted it.  Since she was the only one who could perceive the movements of the worlds through the great void, she disliked bringing attention to her ability.  It made her feel different and strange, even though her other unusual abilities didn’t affect her that way.

Hemlock still hadn’t discussed the matter of Falignus with Tored or her sister.  She had been waiting for an opportune time, but none had presented itself, so far.

Now is the time.

“Look, I need to tell you both something.  There’s another thing I’m hoping to do on this trip.  I’ve sensed that Falignus is still alive a
nd living on the same world as Mother.  I plan to try to bring him back to the City to help us fight DuLoc.”

“Do you think that’s wise?”
asked Tored.

“Falignus
is still alive?  The man was a monster!” cried Mercuria.

“No, he wasn’t a monster.  I…I’m not sure what he is now, but I hope to find him and see if he’s still…a man.”

“Assuming that he is, how do you know that he will help you against DuLoc?  Remember, he’s descended from the line of the ancient Imperator.  We’ve all listened to Merit’s histories.  He is your mortal enemy by blood, isn’t he?” said Tored.

“Our relationship was complex.  He
believes in something I don’t.  We both want to help people, but he believes in helping people by controlling them.  I believe in helping them to help themselves.  But I’m sure he would disapprove of DuLoc wanting to control and harm people.  He will help us—if he’s able to.”

“Do you still have feelings for him?” asked Mercuria.

“I don’t know,” replied Hemlock, realizing it was a lie only after she had finished speaking.

“Is th
at what this trip has really been about all along?  I thought you were finally focusing on your family over your work.  Now I realize this is just more of the same, Hemlock.  It just so happens that Mother is on the same world.  Otherwise, you’d be searching for Falignus and leaving Mother and me to fend for ourselves.”

“That’s not true! 
I became certain about Falignus only after we decided to go.  I wanted to do something to make you happy and I need to resolve things between Mother and me.”

“I’m not buying it, Hemlock.  I know you too well,” said Mercuria.

Hemlock couldn’t muster the strength to argue any further. Plus, she had a sinking feeling that her sister’s accusation might have been closer to the mark than she wanted to accept.

“How c
an four of us travel back on Penelope?  I understand that she will struggle to take three between the worlds,” said Tored.

“I have a plan for that.  Just wait a few minutes and you’ll understand.”

“Don’t you ever get tired of controlling people?” said Mercuria.

Hemlock was content to let the question remain unacknowledged.

The trio walked in silence.  Hemlock directed them toward a small bluff that overlooked the City.  The white-washed buildings of the Elite district were pretty in the glow of dawn, looking even more clean and perfect in the sanctity of the morning light.  She felt a pang of guilt because she hadn’t accomplished more to alleviate the poverty of the Warrens in recent months. But she had grown tired of politics and found the issues underlying the poverty were more complex than she’d anticipated.

I’ll put that all behind me
for now.  We are leaving for a while.  These problems will be here when we get back, and we’ll solve them then.

“Look,” said Mercuria without enthusiasm as the graceful form of the approaching griffin was cast in a stark outline as it flew from the top of the distant Wizard Tower.  Hemlock considered going to the tower to meet Penelope, but fear of another stressful encounter with Gwineval dissuaded her from that.  She’d asked Merit to deliver a message to the griffin for her instead.

The trio was transfixed by the sight of Penelope’s approach.

“There’s someone on Penelope’s back,” said Tored.

“Good eyes for an old man,” said Hemlock.” It’s Renevos.  He’s come to see us off.”

A few more minutes passed before the griffin landed softly on the hillside.  Renevos, looking more disheveled than usual after the short flight, made a clumsy dismount then bowed in greeting.  Hemlock was used to seeing the wizard, but something had changed about his appearance as of late.  Since he had returned from the quest to the Witch Crags and taken his place on the Wizard Council, he began wearing his beard braided.  It seemed to be an unusual point of pride for the old wizard, even though the remainder of his appearance did not benefit from a similar focus.

“Looking good, Renevos.  Are the women throwing themselves at you now that you have that nice beard?” said Hemlock.

“Well, that’s a very crass comment to greet me with, young lady.  But I won’t hold it against you.  This time,” said Renevos.

“How was the flight?”

“A bit unnerving, I must confess.  But, I am an old man—too old for this sort of running about, it would seem.”

“Rubbish.  You wish you were coming with us.  Admit it!”

“I should like another adventure, yes.  But I am old and tired, too.  Still, Gwineval has enlisted me to accompany his expeditionary force that he’s leading into the south.  I suspect it will prove to be more than a diversion and fulfill my appetite for adventure.”

Hemlock disliked being reminded of Gwineval and his disdain for her latest quest.  She looked away from the wizard.

“Hemlock, has Gwineval brought up the issues with Cassandra and her pleasure cult?” said Renevos.

“No, not since last week.  I was hoping things were quieting down,” said Hemlock.

“
Unfortunately, no.  Unkempt youth are streaming through the City.  Running amok, if you ask me.  People are leaving their jobs and spending days—even weeks—on the lake.  The wall of mist we put around the water preserves the illusion of modesty, at least, but everyone knows about the aberrant behavior that goes on there.  Samberlin is beside himself.  He is stirring up the Senate.”

“Argh—another loose end.  Look, since I’m going away, I need you to try to hold things together for me until I get back.  I promise I will go see Cassandra, again, and make her calm things down.”

“I’ll try, Hemlock.  But I fear things have progressed beyond calming down.  I don’t think Samberlin will rest until Cassandra and her lot are banished from the City.”

“That’s a little harsh, isn’t it?  Where will they go?  We will condemn them to death by forcing them to leave.  They need a sizable body of water to survive and Hemisphere Lake is the only place like that in the City, now.  Will we force them to cross the veil?”

“Perhaps.  Couldn’t you use your second sight to find them a suitable crossing point to a pleasant destination?”

“Maybe, but it could take years for such a world to be in alignment. I’d have to explore each place to make sure it isn’t hostile.  I don’t know, Renevos.  It sounds iffy.”

“Pardon my candor, Hemlock, but this situation with the witches is…iffy.  And it may take a turn for the worse unless you get back as soon as possible.”

“I’ll do my best,” said Hemlock, looking the old wizard in the eye. While wanting nothing more than to climb on Penelope’s back and sail into the heavens without another word, there was another matter to discuss.

“Renevos, did you bring the bottle?” she asked.

“Yes, I did,” said the old wizard, withdrawing a green glass bottle from his robe.  It looked like a simple bottle with a cork in the top, but on closer inspection it was covered in shallow runes. A dull light flickered and tumbled within it.

“This is what I wanted to show you, Tored,” said Hemlock.

“What is it?” said Tored.

“It is a magical vessel that will allow a person to be transported within it.  It is my latest invention,” said Renevos.

“This is your plan to recover Falignus?” said Tored, looking at Hemlock.

“Yes.  We will place him inside and carry him back to the City.”

“How does it work?”

Hemlock detected a trace of discomfort in Renevos as he replied, “The person to be transported needs to lie down, hold the bottle, and remove the cork.  It is imperative not to move during the next step.  Magical energy will emerge from the bottle and consume the person, transferring their essence inside the glass, and drawing the cork back into the top.  The process is slightly…unpleasant.  But it’s critical not to move or cry out.  It could interrupt the spell, which would have dire consequences.  Simply remove the cork to reverse the process.”

“Consumed?” said Hemlock, uncertainly.

“Well, it’s not quite as bad as it sounds.  It seems to have gotten a bit worse since I added the essence of arachnid, but I needed the extra power.  We were only able to do small animals prior to adding that ingredient,” said Renevos.

“Have you tested it?” asked Mercuria.

“Yes, of course.  We’ve tested it with small animals that we drugged beforehand.  And one successful test has been done on a person.”

“And how many unsuccessful tests were there?” asked Mercuria.

“Look, magic is part art and part science.  There are no guarantees.  I will take the bottle back with me, if you’d prefer.”

Hemlock grabbed it from the wizard. “No.  We’ll take it.  Thanks, Renevos.  I owe you one.”

“More than one, by my count,” teased Renevos with a wink.  “Travel safely, all of you.  And come back to us quickly so we can prepare for the challenges ahead.  Oh, and Merit sends his regards.  He asked to accompany me, but the prospect of the return walk deterred him.  His legs have been troubling him lately.”

“Thanks, and good luck to you in the south.  Keep Gwineval safe!  And tell Merit I’ll see him soon.”

Renevos bowed and Hemlock gave him a light hug.  Tored and Mercuria bid Renevos farewell then approached Penelope.

“Penelope, are you ready for the journey?” asked Hemlock.

Yes.  I have been healed and magically rested.  I am ready.

“How should we mount?”

The heaviest must be in front.  Those behind must raise their legs.  My wings must be free.

Penelope bowed her front torso, and Hemlock motioned for Tored to climb onto the great beast’s back.   Hemlock climbed on second, feeling slightly awkward in such close physical proximity to Tored.  The fact that she had to wrap her legs around him only made matters worse.  Mercuria had to climb over Tored and Hemlock to take her seat at the back.  She was lighter than Hemlock and, fortunately for her, equally flexible.

Penelope stood up with a small roar of exertion.  Hemlock had prepared a rope for the journey and she tied it around an iron loop in Tored’s belt, passed it through one on her own belt, and finally handed the rope back to Mercuria, who attached herself.

“Are we ready?” said Hemlock.

Tored and Mercuria both said yes so Hemlock spoke to the griffin in her mind. “We are ready, Penelope.”

Hold on!

The griffin launched into the air with a hard stroke of its wings and continued to beat them furiously as the group slowly gained altitude.  Hemlock saw the receding figure of Renevos waving to the quartet as they soared over the City toward the deepening blue sky.  She could tell the griffin was struggling to fly under the increased load of three riders.  The reality of Penelope’s struggle made her regret asking the creature to make the extra effort.

Soon, the deep blue gave way to streaks of black. Suddenly, they burst through the clouds and emerged into a dark void.

Hemlock had experienced many visions of this strange null place between worlds, but seeing it firsthand took her breath away.  It felt like the context of her life was suddenly pulled away, leaving her bare in a vast, dispassionate space.  She became conscious of the warmth from the bodies around her, and the sensation comforted her.  She hoped Mercuria wasn’t cold.

Hemlock turned her head and saw the fiery ball she knew as the sun rising over the City.  Turning farther, she could see the edge of light that the sun cast as it moved over the eastern mountains, liberating them from the shadows of the night.  Looking back, a tendril of fire behind the sun caught her attention.  It seemed to emerge from the far side of the City—just beyond the rising sun—and it flared out sinuously into the massive emptiness of the void, extending far into the distance until it intersected a distant, bright ball that Hemlock realized must be another world.

As her eyes adjusted to the darkness, she perceived similar tongues of fire leaving the distant world and forming the great net of worlds that she had seen in her visions and in the observatory under the Wizard Tower.  It made Hemlock feel strangely childlike.  The fire seemed to burn with the purest form of love she had ever experienced.  She could feel the intimate energy pulsing from the fire even at a great distance—perhaps even more acutely because the great void around her felt particularly devoid of love.  She longed to get closer to that flame or to feel the comforting sensation of earth under her feet again.  That force of love emanated from the ground, the mountains and every part of the City, but she had never been conscious of it.  She had taken it for granted.