The Archmage unbound

Chapter 17

Penelope watched Mordecai step into the circle and vanish, feeling a sudden pang that they had not had time for a longer goodbye. She felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. “It never gets easier,” Miriam told her. “Royce used to take trips into the city to buy materials and I had to do without him for two weeks at a time.”

For a moment Penny wondered if her mother-in-law were trying to make a point of the fact that her husband’s trips had lasted twice as long, but then she pushed the thought aside as petty. “Did he make many trips?” she asked instead.

“At least two a year,” replied Miriam. “But sometimes he returned with really wonderful presents… like Mordecai.”

Penny smiled wistfully, “Your son really is something special isn’t he?”

Miriam loved nothing more than to hear her son complimented. She linked arms with Penny before answering, “Yes, but don’t tell him too often or it will go to his head.”

Dorian turned to face them. “If you ladies are ready we should probably go inside and give our greetings,” he said.

“Well certainly…,” Penny said, but before she could finish her statement the world exploded. Chaos enfolded her and everything became a blur as her consciousness left her body behind and the future blossomed before her eyes. What seemed like an eternity passed, as scenes of violence played out in front of her, while she watched helplessly. Before the end she saw reality split along two possible paths, one dark and featureless while the other held some hope. At the juxtaposition of possibilities stood Mordecai, holding a balding man by the front of his tunic.

There was death in Mort’s eyes, and anger beyond anything she had seen in him before. “You killed her Prathion!” he said bitterly. “You slew them both.”

The eyes of the man he held were bulging in terror. “Please, I have a family…” he begged.

At the utterance of the word ‘family’ Mordecai began to laugh. It was an evil sound, and one Penny hoped never to hear again. Flames began sprouting from Mordecai’s hands as he laughed and while they didn’t burn him the man he held was not so fortunate. “Family is the last thing you should offer in your defense!” he yelled and soon both men were screaming, one with rage and the other in pain and terror. Mercifully the vision ended before it was over.

Penny found herself on her knees being held steady by Miriam’s strong arms. “Are you alright girl?” Miriam asked, but it was then that Penny’s stomach decided it had had enough and she emptied its contents onto the ground.

It took a few minutes but eventually the retching stopped and she let Miriam help her to her feet again. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” she said.

“Think nothing of it. I was just worried for you. Your eyes rolled back and for a moment I thought you might be having a seizure. I almost didn’t catch you before you collapsed,” said the older woman. “Let’s get you inside and find some water. I’m sure you want to rinse your mouth after that.”

Penny kept Miriam’s hand in her own as they began walking, “Yes I think that would be a good idea,” she answered. Dorian stayed close by her on the other side, in case she showed signs of collapsing again, while the four guards spread out around them as they walked.

A few minutes later she was seated at a table in the great hall of Lancaster Castle, drinking water from a metal goblet. The crisp taste helped her clear her mind but her thoughts wouldn’t stop racing. What do I do? she thought. I have so little time. In the background she could hear Dorian explaining to James what had happened and why they were there so unexpectedly.

A particularly vivid memory came to mind and tears started fresh from her eyes. Using her sleeve she dabbed at them quickly, hoping no one noticed. If they start to suspect I know what’s about to happen it will be even worse, she thought. She turned to Miriam, “Do you think you could get someone to find Ariadne for me?”

“She’s here already Penny,” said Miriam, nodding in a direction past Penny’s left shoulder.

“Oh, of course, thank you Miriam,” she said and rising she walked quickly to Ariadne.

“Are you alright Penelope? I heard that…” Ariadne started.

Penny gave her a look that would brook no interference. “Ariadne, do you trust me?” she said quietly.

“Yes of course,” the other woman answered.

“Do you have writing materials in your room?” Penny asked.

“Not much, but I have pen and paper,” Ariadne replied.

“No I don’t mind at all! Let’s go take a look,” Penny said loudly, taking Ariadne’s arm in her own. “I’ll be back in just a minute,” she said addressing the room. Genevieve had arrived by then and though she looked concerned she nodded her agreement. Miriam seemed positively mystified.

Once Penny reached Ariadne’s room she wasted no time before preparing to write a letter. “Who will that be for?” asked the younger woman.

“It’s for Mordecai, but I need you to keep it a secret,” she told Ariadne.

“You seem awful serious Penny, are you sure there isn’t something else I can do?”

“No, you’ve done enough, but I need you to promise me a few things,” said Penny.

Ariadne gave Penny a long look. “You have the same sort of intensity about you right now that you did the night you tried to murder Devon Tremont on the dance floor.”

Penny was surprised by Ariadne’s acute perception but she couldn’t afford to lose her support now. She decided to try honesty. “There is a bit of similarity between the two occasions Ariadne, but I need you to trust me.”

“Why?” asked the younger woman.

Penny took a deep breath. “I trust everyone here, but I’ve seen something and if they realize that, it will change the outcome of things. Does that make sense?” she replied anxiously.

Ariadne nodded, “You’ve had a vision?”

“Yes, that’s why I collapsed in the yard. It came on me right after Mordecai left, which makes everything more difficult,” Penny said.

“Because you need to tell him something?”

“Yes,” said Penny emphatically. “I need to send a message to him. A message to him in the future, when he returns, and I have to do it without arousing anyone’s suspicion in the present.”

“Shouldn’t that include me then?” Ariadne asked.

“I only need you to keep my secret for a few hours,” Penny told the younger woman. “After that it won’t matter very much, the worst will have happened already.”

“Why do I want to let the worst happen?”

Penny shrugged, “It isn’t the worst for everyone, just for a few, but if it doesn’t happen everyone will die.”

Ariadne squinted suspiciously at her. “Define everyone?”

“Everyone.”

“Everyone in Lothion?” asked Ariadne.

“Everyone,” said Penny.

“Everyone in Gododdin?”

“All humanity,” replied Penny. “I’m talking about the possible extinction of our race.”

Ariadne Lancaster drew herself up carefully before answering. “That sounds fairly dramatic, but knowing you I will suspend my normal disbelief. Tell me something else… assuming I help you, who are the people that something terrible will happen to in the short term?”

Penny shook her head negatively, not trusting herself to speak.

“Is it that bad?” Ariadne asked.

Penny’s courage could only carry her so far, and it finally gave out under her, leaving her to dissolve into tears. Ariadne wound up consoling her for long minutes before her composure returned. When she had regained control she asked, “Will you help?”

“I don’t see that I have much choice, assuming I believe you, and I do. What do you want me to do?” answered Ariadne with some resignation.

“Let me finish this note. Then I will seal it and hand it over to you. Tomorrow or the next day I need you to find someone to take it to Joe McDaniels, in Washbrook. Tell no one about our talk,” Penny said.

“That doesn’t sound too hard,” Ariadne observed.

Penny gave a bitter laugh. “It will be. Things will happen between now and then. Please don’t be tempted to tell anyone what I’ve said,” she told her.

Ariadne hugged her. “I don’t know what sort of burden you are carrying Penny, but I won’t let you down. Trust me.”

Her pronouncement almost brought Penny to tears again, but she fought down the urge. With a nod she returned to writing her note. She struggled, trying to decide exactly what to say, too much and Mort would figure out what was going to happen, too little and he would balk at doing what was necessary. In the end she settled on keeping the note short and simple, trusting that Mordecai would heed her advice. I won’t know the outcome either way, she thought ruefully.

A short time later they returned to the main hall and Penny had to make a few graceful excuses for her absence. It seemed everyone was worried about her now. Eventually she side stepped the issue of her possible illness by claiming fatigue. “If you wouldn’t mind, I’d like to rest,” she told Genevieve.

“Why naturally you do!” said the duchess sympathetically. She wasted no time calling one of the servants over to lead her to one of the guest bedrooms.

“I’ll go with her,” announced Miriam. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving my daughter without a watchful eye,” she said with a protective tone.

Although Penny appreciated the gesture, she wished she could convince her otherwise, but there was little hope of that. Dorian and the guards formed up to escort them through the halls. “That won’t be necessary,” Penny protested. “Dorian you’re enough by yourself, why don’t you let the men take their leisure?”

Dorian hesitated before answering, “I’m sorry Penny. I’ll have to insist, I promised Mort that we wouldn’t leave you unguarded.” He removed his helmet as he spoke, since its presence seemed rude within the castle.

She sighed regretfully. She had known it wouldn’t work but she had felt compelled to try. Taking Miriam’s arm she allowed herself to be led down the corridor.

“You’re shaking something dreadful Penny! Are you sure you’re alright?” asked Miriam worriedly.

“Don’t worry Miriam, I think I just need to eat something after what happened in the courtyard. My stomach feels dreadfully empty,” she lied. Her stomach was full of butterflies. As they walked Penny thought of something and glancing over she realized Dorian still had his helmet off. “Dorian would you mind putting your helmet back on?” she asked.

The large man looked askance at her. “We’re inside the castle Penny,” he said, stating the obvious.

She put on her best stubborn look, “If you’re going to insist on following me around playing bodyguard all day then I’ll have to insist you wear the armor my husband made for you.”

He stared at her for a long moment before settling the helmet back down on his head. “There, is that better?” he asked with a slight tone of condescension.

“Yes,” she replied, “but I want you to put the visor down as well.”

“You can’t be serious,” he said disbelievingly.

She stopped walking, forcing Miriam to stop with her. “I am absolutely serious Dorian. If you don’t put the visor down I won’t take one step further.” Everyone was staring at her now, including Mort’s mother. Unable to think of a rationale for her behavior Penny resorted to letting a bit more of her frustration show in the form of a wild expression and some tears.

Miriam waved her hands at Dorian, “Just put your damn visor down Dorian, we need to get her to a room.” Miriam’s face gave him an expression showing she understood his confusion.

Dorian complied with the request, though his body language showed how silly he thought it was. Penny didn’t care though, she was just glad to see his armor fully in place. A few minutes later they reached the guest room.

Once inside Penny was taken to the bedroom while three of the guardsmen were arranged in the antechamber. The fourth was set to stand guard outside in the hallway. Miriam was still paying her considerable attention, “Why don’t you lie down for a bit?” the older woman asked.

Penny found herself feeling bad for worrying the other woman. She embraced Miriam while speaking softly, “I’m sorry for causing such a fuss, but I’m not actually sick.”

Mort’s mother looked at her suspiciously, “What does that mean?”

Penny crossed the room to close the door. Before she did she looked out and saw Dorian lifting his visor again. “I said keep your damn visor shut!” she barked. Dorian glared at her for a second before his hand drew his helm’s faceguard back down. Penny shut the door and turned back to Miriam. “I’m sure Mort has told you about the visions I’ve had,” she began.

Miriam’s eyes grew wide. “In the courtyard?” she said suddenly.

Penny nodded.

“How bad is it?” asked the other woman.

“Bad, and I can’t tell you how or why, but I need you to trust me,” she said.

“What does that mean?” asked Miriam.

“It means I want you to follow my lead. Something bad is about to happen and I may say some things that don’t make sense but I want you to ignore that and go along with me,” Penny replied.

“Like Dorian’s visor?”

“Yes.”

“Something violent is about to happen isn’t it?” said Miriam.

A knock at the outer door interrupted their conversation and both women held their breath to hear what was happening in the outer room. One of the guards exchanged words with whoever was in the hall but they couldn’t make out what was said. A moment later Dorian knocked on the bedroom door. “Excuse me ladies,” he said politely.

Penny opened the door quickly. She was full of more nervous energy now than she could stand. “Yes?” she asked.

Dorian still had his visor down this time, which made his voice sound odd. “James has sent one of his men to request I attend him in his rooms,” he said plainly.

Penny swallowed before answering, her mouth had gone dry. “Then you should go,” she told him.

Dorian raised his hand to his helm, “What about this?”

Penny started to laugh but she stopped herself quickly as she felt hysteria creeping into her voice. “Keep it down until you reach James. Obviously I don’t expect you to wear it while you’re speaking with him,” she replied.

Dorian sighed again. Though she seemed normal Penny was obviously suffering from some sort of stress induced eccentricity. “The guard who brought the message will remain here in my place till I return,” he told her.

“That will be fine,” she answered.

Dorian turned and strode from the room, feeling ridiculous walking out with his visor down. As he went he stared for a moment at the guard James had sent to summon him. Something about the man’s face bothered him, but he couldn’t figure out what it was. In any case, he didn’t recognize the fellow anyway.

After he had gone Penny returned to the outer room. She had too much energy to stay pent up in the bedroom. Her presence served to stifle the idle banter her guards had been engaging in and an awkward silence fell across the room. They didn’t have long to wait however, less than two minutes after Dorian left another knock sounded at the door.

The guard outside opened the door without waiting for a response, revealing a highly unusual woman framed by the opening. She was garbed in soft leathers, like a huntsman, though she bore more steel than would be necessary for such an occupation. Her hair was black and curled into delicate ringlets, it might have draped past her shoulders but she had it tied back into a businesslike pony tail. She strode forward into the room as though she owned it.

Penny locked eyes with the strange woman and a chill ran down her spine. This woman is death, she thought and her knowledge of what would soon happen did nothing to change her opinion. “Wait,” she said suddenly, before the woman could speak. “I’d like you men to leave so we can talk in private.”

The man closest to her, Samuel was his name, answered first, “I don’t think that’s what Sir Dorian had in mind when he left.” He might have said more but a dagger appeared, lodged in his left eye. It happened so suddenly almost no one reacted for the first few seconds, aside from Penelope.

Penny no longer had the superior speed and strength she had possessed while she had been Mordecai’s Anath’Meridum, but she had been trained by one of the most skilled warriors in all of Lothion, and she had already known a good deal of what would happen. As the first dagger flew toward Samuel’s head she was already drawing a long bladed knife from her skirt and though she was too far to save him she managed to bat a second blade from the air before it reached one of her other guards.

The room grew still for a moment as Samuel slowly collapsed to the floor, twitching as he died. The other guard, Cole, had just begun to register the fact that a similar blade had almost reached him as well. The strange woman looked at Penny appraisingly, “Not bad, I see Cyhan did a good job with you.”

The other woman’s patronizing tone got under Penny’s skin immediately and she wanted nothing more than to teach her a lesson, but she kept her wits about her. “This is a mistake. No one else needs to die if you’ll just let me explain,” she said.

The dark haired woman drew two long knives, each with a blade almost eighteen inches in length and advanced. “I’m afraid the time for talking is over sweetheart,” she replied.

To their credit the two guards that remained never wavered in their resolve. Cole drew his sword as the woman stepped forward, as did the man beside him, but they never stood a chance. Their opponent feinted toward Penny and Cole took the bait, lunging sideways to protect his ward and the woman cut his throat wide as she swept back in the other direction. Ducking a swing from the second guard she moved in closely and slashed at his midsection.

That move was purely a distraction however, his breastplate made it impossible for her blade to hurt him there, but he flinched and drew back reflexively… or at least he attempted to do so, but she had pinned his left foot under her own. With a small push she sent him falling backward and followed him downward, using his weight to start a tumbling roll. Penny had stepped over Cole and her own blade narrowly missed the woman’s back as she rolled away.

The stranger came up and into a crouch several feet away, but the man she had tripped didn’t rise. One of the two long knives was lodged under his chin and a pool of blood was already spreading underneath him. Penny stared at him in shock, she hadn’t seen the attack that killed him, or even expected it. All three of her guards were now dead and she assumed that the one outside the room was gone as well. The fight was effectively over, unless she intended to take the intruder on singlehandedly.

Given her condition that seemed foolish. The woman before her was more deadly than anyone she had ever seen, except perhaps Cyhan. Without the extra speed and strength she had had as Mort’s Anath’Meridum there was no way she could hope to overcome her. That didn’t mean she was ready to surrender however. What is it that Mort’s always saying? Stupid never dies. I guess that describes me as well, she thought to herself. If there’s no way to overpower her directly perhaps I can make her underestimate me.

Penelope began edging sideways around the room, backing further from the woman as she moved, until she had reached the place she started. Cole’s now still form lay on the ground behind her, but before she could begin her opponent spoke. “I’m not here to kill you,” the other woman said.

Penny knew this already but she feigned ignorance. “Who are you?” she asked.

The woman laughed, “Ruth is my name. If you put the dagger down I won’t hurt you.”

“And if I don’t?”

“Then I might put my knee right in the middle of that big belly of yours,” Ruth replied with an evil sneer. “You wouldn’t want to endanger the baby would you?” she said with mock sympathy.

Penny decided to risk some of her information on a bluff, “The king would be very displeased if something happened to me or my child.”

Ruth stepped forward without bothering to reply. As she did Penny stepped sideways but her foot came down awkwardly on Cole’s body, causing her to trip. Ruth lunged thinking Penny vulnerable but her eyes widened in surprise when Penny sank gracefully to one knee instead, bringing her dagger up and in-line with Ruth’s mid-section. Twisting like a cat she narrowly avoided being gutted and the sharp edge slid over the outside of her ribs, ripping a deep cut through her leathers and scoring deeply into the skin beneath. The motion threw her completely off balance and she fell awkwardly beside the pregnant woman.

Penny cursed as her thrust failed to eviscerate Ruth but she followed through, trying to make the most of her opportunity. As Ruth fell Penny leaned to her left and drove her left elbow into her attacker’s side. If she had been more limber she could have tried for a better target but her belly was hampering her movements. She felt as much as heard the grunt of pain that escaped her attacker’s lips as the blow connected. Bringing her right hand around she wasted no time, trying to catch Ruth with her blade before she could recover.

Ruth was moving already though, she rolled to the side before Penny could connect with the dagger and lashing out with her leg she caught her solidly in the side of the head. Penny was thrown sideways by the blow, crashing into the wooden doorframe between the two rooms. Struggling to clear her vision Penny tried to get up, when a second blow she failed to see knocked her down again.

A moment later she was caught. Ruth’s long legs were wrapped around her waist and one arm was around her neck. With crushing pressure Penny felt Ruth’s forearm cutting into her neck, choking off her air supply and making her head feel as though it were about to explode. “You’re going to pay for that cut bitch,” came Ruth’s voice next to her ear. “You’ve got me so worked up I might just choke you to death.”

Penny wanted to reply, but she couldn’t, the pressure on her throat was too great. She was unable to even croak and she knew her face must be blood red… the world was starting to go dark.

Then the bedroom door flew open and Miriam entered the fray. The older woman had been searching the bedroom for weapons and not finding any had finally settle upon the only workable item in the room, a slender wooden chair that had been used with the writing desk. Swinging the chair wildly at Ruth’s back she charged. “Get your hands off my daughter!” Unfortunately her approach was far from stealthy.

The pressure on Penny’s throat abruptly vanished as Ruth released her and leapt aside. Miriam struggled to stop her swing before she hit Penny but only partially succeeded and Penny felt fresh pain as the heavy wood struck her legs. Ruth was smiling now, with a new blade in hand as she approached Miriam, like a cat that has found a new mouse to play with. “I don’t really have to keep both of you alive.”

Penny felt fresh horror sweep over her as Ruth prepared to attack Miriam. No! This isn’t what’s supposed to happen! She thought to herself while her body stubbornly refused to listen to her commands. She couldn’t get up, and there was no way she could reach Miriam in time to save her.