Tabby Cat Mage

       Sibico sat in the darkness, licking her wounds and brooding over the battle. When that girl had caught her neck and wrists with those whips, she was sure someone else had been there too. When she had looked at the girl, intending to drop a spell on her head, she had been silenced by the stare of a woman who had vanished in the next moment.

                She had been like a ghost, save she had molded herself into the same posture as the girl, and her eyes weren’t the icy blue of the girl but as red as the twilight. Was there some supernatural being, or beings, looking out for those children? Or was it something else? Either way, Sibico was sure that was the only reason that they won.

                “Sibico!” Jakhals’ voice boomed through the shadows.

                The dream vampire cringed, but stopped sulking long enough to slink out of the shadows into the chamber where Jakhal had called from. Her humiliation was even more complete when she saw Vasad standing there, eyes narrowed dangerously.

                “Yes, my lord?” she asked him quietly, keeping her eyes downcast.

                “Tell me, how could you loose to a bunch of children?” Jakhal demanded.

                Sibico shrank back, “I do not know, sir. I was fighting, but two ganged up on me, and the girl with the whips had a spirit guardian.”

                “She had a what?” Vasad hissed. “There is no way. No one has had a spirit guardian for centuries. Such spirits have long since given up protecting anyone.”

                Sibico glared, “I saw her! I know it! She had long white hair and eyes the same color as blood! I know that was the woman I saw guarding that girl! How else could she beat me?”

                Jakhal stepped in before Vasad could retort, eyes the color of emeralds glowing from deep within the shadows of his face. Vasad gulped visibly and backed down, knowing better then to argue when the ‘gem-eyes’ were there.

                “Maybe her tale has truth to it,” Jakhal said quietly. “You have studied the ancient text, yes, Vasad?” Vasad nodded. He had to have studied them; else he would not be such a high-ranking summoner. “Well then, you must remember the chapter on the warriors of the Angel Beasts, yes? The Shards of Fate? Which one matches the description Sibico just gave you?” Jakhal pushed, emerald eyes glittering demonically.

                Vasad racked his mind for answer, knowing not answering at all would be very painful. He sighed and shook his head, “I cannot recall. The descriptions were not detailed in my texts.”

                “Never mind then,” Jakhal shook his head. “But, just the same, it puts a twist in this little game.”

                “What sort of twist?” Sibico asked meekly from her position on the floor.

                “A dangerous one,” Jakhal snarled. “Sibico, keep an eye on them, but do not engage them.”

                Sibico frowned, “A spy?”

                “Exactly,” Jakhal nodded. He turned to Vasad, emeralds sparkling dangerously, “And you, go see if you can find Icuros.”

                “Icuros?” Vasad cried. “Is he really necessary?”

                Jakhal nodded, a faint purple smile stealing across shadowed lips, “Yes, if you want to have a real show, that is.” Vasad asked no more, merely bowed and walked away while Sibico took to the shadows. Jakhal left the room and entered his own chambers, calling for wine before setting to his bookcase.

                He took a think volume down, making himself comfortable before opening it and scanning the pages. A small chuckled escaped his lips, “I will find out who has taken such interest in you, girl. That I will.” He flipped through a few more pages before a louder chuckle escaped, echoing through the room darkly, “This game is far from over!”

*~o0o~*

                Birds took flight from the windowsill where Sentineal sat, frightened by the scream of panic that ripped from his throat only seconds before. “What do you mean they haven’t arrived yet?” he shrieked to nothing unparticular. The wind swirled around his head, making his air ripple like the waves. He cocked his head before sighing, “No, no, something happened to them, I know it!”

                The wind came again, a soft voice upon it that only Sentineal could hear. I have not seen them, and no one else in the town has noticed them either. They would stick out too. How many groups of six young children on some of the finest stallions and mares in the world enter this backwater dump?

                “That’s beside the point! What matters is that they may be hurt!” Sentineal snarled.

                And if they are? What do you expect me to do?

                “Help them!” Sentineal bellowed. “You are to be their teacher, you should look out for your students!”

                Wrong! They are not my students, not yet!

                Sentineal crossed his arms, voice thick, “You would still not abandon children to a fate like that would you?”
                I am in debt to you yes, Sentineal, but that debt only goes so deep.

                Sentineal’s face spread into a sad smile, “But you must have more heart then that? Why would have saved those villagers then?”

                The wind was still for a moment before something like a sigh echoed in Sentineal’s ears. Very well, I shall go and seek them out.

                “Good,” Sentineal said haughtily.

                But, that ends my debt to you. I will only take them on if they can…impress me.

                Sentineal gasped, “Traitor! That was not part of the deal!”

                Neither was my saving them! Do the math, Sentineal. I save the kids for you, as you saved me. We are even. But, I will teach them, if they impress me, just like my past students.

                Sentineal gritted his teeth, but nodded in consent just the same, “Fair. I expect a report though. I would like to know if they are dead or alive.”

                Now that is one thing I am willing to grant outside repayment. It shall be so. With this last statement the wind faded and Sentineal knew he was alone.

                “Please,” he whispered, “please be okay.” He turned back into his study and set back to his books and spells, though his mind was far from the room he sat in at the moment.

*~o0o~*

                The forest was silent. Nothing moved. Nothing made a sound. As one, the beasts and flowers of the mighty forest mourned the loss of a mother to be, the young doe’s pure blood watering the grass, but filling it with a killing drink. And as one, the forest looked down with hate upon the murderers.

                “Man, didn’t know such a place could hold a grudge,” Tyler commented, shouldering his harpoon. He brushed a hand through his brown and blonde hair, droplets of sweat sparkling in the few rays of sunlight that managed to penetrate the canopy above them.

                “All things that live can hold a grudge,” informed Elaine, leading the horses and a makeshift sled behind them. “Now help me load her. She’ll be heavy, as close to birthing as she is.”

                Tyler sighed, burying his harpoon in the earth before grabbing the doe’s hind legs, dragging her onto the sled, “Sad, though, that we end a life before it begins.”

                Elaine shrugged, “Dog eat dog world. The weak feed the strong, and we just happen to be the strong.”

                “I suppose that’s how the world is if you’re that blood thirsty,” Tyler mused, lashing the doe to the sled. “So, how long will she last, do you think?” he laughed. The last time they had made a kill it was a huge buck, and it had lasted not four days.

                “Her? More then the buck, for sure, if Kane and Chelsea aren’t such gluttons this time,” Elaine sniffed, mounting her steed, holding the reins of Tyler’s mare, which happened to by dragging the sled.

                Tyler hefted himself up before grabbing his harpoon, “You can’t blame them. They are recovering.” Elaine just snorted and nudged her horse into a working walk, setting a brisk pace as they headed back to camp.

                They made their way back in silence, Elaine not responding to any attempts at conversation and Tyler smart enough to know it was useless to try. He was content to watch the scenery go by, rays of sunlight lighting their path like spotlights every now and then. He felt the rhythm of his mare as she walked, could hear every chirp of every bird, and could feel their pain at the loss of such a beautiful being. He cringed away from the forest, feeling eyes on him that stared from every direction.

                “Honestly, you’re far to emotional,” Elaine sniffed, picking the pace up to a trot when they came to the beaten path.

                Tyler frowned, feeling the heat rise to his cheeks, but not from embarrassment. He shook his head and urged his mare into the same pace, her strides eating up the ground effortlessly, never jarring the sled. More sunlight managed to make its way through, lighting their path as a lighthouse guides ships into a harbor. The horses took comfort in the light of day, reveling the warmth it offered and the sweet sunshine that everyone had sighed in relief when they saw it break over the trees at dawn.

                Ever since the attack, ten days ago, Elaine and either Jordan or Tyler had gone to hunt and search for water. Two always stayed behind to guard their two wounded and tend to camp. Most of their searches had turned up empty handed in the beginning, but Jordan had found water one day and their luck improved since then. Deer and other large game often came to drink, making them good targets. In the end, Tyler and Elaine took care of hunting, Tyler’s harpoon better for far range strikes, and Jordan tended to water. And yet, through all their work, somehow Chelsea and Kane found something to complain about when they brought the meat in.

                At first, Elaine had left them eat as much as they needed, knowing the nutrients would help them heal faster, but then she had begun to clamp down on their supplies. They had gone through two deer in six days with three meals a day and maybe a snack every now and then. Tyler doubted Elaine would be so generous now with the doe since Kane and Chelsea would be well enough to ride in a few more days.

                He winced as the sunlight came full on as they broke through the brush, their camp just ahead. “Hey, who’s that?” 

                They checked their mounts, studying the scene. Chelsea, Jordan, Kane, and Anne were there, and it would have been normal…had not a fifth member joined their camp side. Elaine turned to Tyler, “Cut the doe!”

                Tyler nodded and sliced through the ropes holding the sled to his mare. The instant the doe’s weight was lifted from his mare, the two charge, their mounts lunging forward like racehorses from the gate. Elaine let a whip swing loose, riding slightly out of the saddle, while Tyler let his harpoon graze the ground, swinging his mare wide and to the left.

                The intruder looked up at the sound of pounding hooves and the blows of galloping horses. The person smiled and waved a hand as if in dismissal. Tyler tried to check his mare, knowing something was up, but it was to late. A shockwave hit him full on, blowing him back off the mare to roll into the dirt. The mare screamed and turned sharply, galloping back to stand next to the doe. Tyler coughed up spit and managed to see Elaine receive much the same blow he did, though she endured it much better, flipping and sliding backwards on her feet.

                “Who are you?” she demanded, unraveling her other whip in open threat.

                The person stood, coming to stand not fifteen feet from Elaine and her whips. The person was really a man, hair the color of a tabby cat’s fur piled atop his head in Jamaican braids. His face was narrow and pretty, almond shaped eyes rimmed with kohl, making the golden orbs stand out dramatically. He wore something akin to Sentineal, save he wore sandals, and his pants were much looser. Also, he wore a vest that revealed his chest, a topaz jewel embedded within it surrounded by arcane runes.

Slim fingers appeared beneath long sleeves and began to weave a pattern in the air. Elaine rocked forward onto the balls of her feet, a whip before and behind her. Chelsea and the others had their eyebrows raised, not concerned, but obviously not excited, about the impending battle.

There was a flash and the duel began. Lightning rang down from the sky, forcing Elaine to weave a complicate pattern around the man, her whips amazingly coiled in her hands once more as she rolled and dodged. The man’s hands rose in the air and fell, weaving more complex patterns, resulting in fireballs and bursts of earth to erupt from beneath Elaine’s feet.

Tyler gave the girl credit, she could pull some fancy footsteps. She twirled and leaped like a ballerina, using the eruption of rock faces to her advantage, vaulting off them avoid lightning blasts and fireballs. She spun like a hip-hop dancer when rocks erupted, and pushed off them like a gymnast does a spring board, back arched elegantly and head thrown back, avoiding the stray pebbles. What was more, she was weaving an ever-tighter circle around the man, inching closer and closer with each flip and duck.

The man seemed to not to notice her edging closer, and continued to weave the complex pattern that kept the attacks coming. Eventually, he had to take notice. Elaine’s whips unraveled as she spun away from one of the rock eruptions, making her look like a top with spinning blades. One of the whips managed to make a hit, throwing the man back and disrupting the pattern. Instantly, the attacks stopped, but Elaine kept her assault coming.

She ground to a halt, sinking to her knees and hurling the whips at him, catching his leg with one while the other fell short. Not missing a beat, she heaved back, bringing the man with her. His foot dragged out from under him, the man looked as if he would fall on his back spread eagle style, but he too had tricks up his sleeve. He bent his back at an impossible angle like a contortionist, placing his hands beneath himself and rocking back with such force he ripped Elaine’s whip from her hand. At the same time, he shouted something in gibberish, a fault appearing in the ground. Elaine rolled away, but not fast enough. Flame erupted from the  gap, catching her leg.

She gritted her teeth, but did not cry out. She came back onto her feet, though she was terribly off balance in order to take weight off her injured leg. The man was up as well, Elaine’s whip discarded. His fingers appeared again and began to weave another pattern. The winds began to swirl around Elaine, like a miniature tornado. At first, everyone had to wonder what good this would do, but the pattern wasn’t done. The man spat another word in gibberish and the tornado went from pathetically amusing to deadly.

Cuts appeared all over Elaine, as if daggers were flying past her in all directions, and the wind’s speed was terrific, ripping up clods of dirt and grass, and also rendering Elaine’s whip useless. Several grunts escaped her before she finally relented and let out a scream of pain and rage, lunging from the circle of wind and landing heavily on her wounded leg. She hit the ground hard…and didn’t rise.

“Enough, Mr. Disean!” Anne called. “She has taken enough damage! Stop this at once!”

The man did as she asked, brushing a hand through his tabby cat hair, golden eyes shining in amusement. “I have to admit,” he laughed, his voice smooth like a cat’s purr, “Sentineal was right. The girl of raven’s wing hair is quite the little fighter.”

“Sentineal?” Elaine growled as she rolled onto her back. Anne rose from her place by the fire and trotted over to help Elaine, Tyler using his harpoon like a walking stick now that he was back on his feet, able to breathe easy again.

Disean nodded, “He and I are acquaintances.”

Anne kneeled by Elaine, grasping her arm gently. Elaine tensed under the touch, but nonetheless accepted the help. It wasn’t like she could get up under her own power anyway. Anne turned her towards the fire, “Yes, that’s what he told us. It seems he was the person we were supposed to meet three days ago.”

“Sentineal was worried when I sent him the news,” Disean informed the two from behind, arms crossed as he walked. “At first I wasn’t that interested in coming to save you, but that little display has gotten my attention.”

Elaine made no comment as Anne lowered her onto the ground and Chelsea set to rolling her pants’ leg up. Elaine arched her back in pain and Chelsea closed her eyes, the burnt skin ripping away with the cloth. Anne shook her head in sympathy as she beat a salve out of herbs.

Chelsea turned to Anne, brow drawn down in worry, “This was a little more then what I expected.”

“Me too,” Jordan agreed. He faced Disean as the cat like man watched the two girls tend to Elaine, “You honestly didn’t have to go that hard on her. That sets us back at least another five days.”

Disean arched an eyebrow, “What slow healers you are.” He dug in a pocket, producing a vial of green tinged glass filled with a purplish liquid. He threw it and Chelsea barely managed to catch it. “Drink,” Disean instructed, waving a hand at Elaine.

Chelsea looked down apprehensively at the bottle, but uncorked it just the same and held it to Elaine’s lips. Elaine paused a moment before opening and letting the liquid dribble in. She immediately began to cough, the liquid splashing into the dirt.

“What kind of slop is that?” she demanded, glaring at Disean as she heaved herself onto her elbows.

“A healing potion, dear,” Disean hissed, rubbing his chin with a long finger, now adorned with a golden claw. He chuckled and waved his hand, “It is already working. You’ve managed to sit up.”

Elaine glared, but nodded her thanks. The others knew it was as close a thank you as the man was ever going to get and let the matter drop. Chelsea rose and went to Tyler, letting him sip some. He swallowed it, turned a nasty shade of green, and then returned to normal after regurgitating in the grass for a few moments.

“Nasty stuff,” he spat, wiping his mouth. “But I do feel better.”

“Exactly,” Disean nodded. “But, moving on, Sentineal also asked me to guard you as I teach you.”

“Wait! You never mentioned this!” Kane growled.

Disean sighed, “They showed up. I didn’t have time.”

“They did charge him,” Anne pointed out, forcing Kane to bite his tongue.

Disean nodded in approval. “I acted in self defense. But, again, that is beside the point. If you will round up your horses, we can begin the trek to my hideaway. You will be living there with me while I ‘teach’ you.”

“Why do I have the feeling you don’t want to do this?” Elaine asked him icily.

Disean laughed, “Oh, but I do! Originally, I wasn’t supposed to seek you out, but Sentineal asked me, and this repays my debt to him. Teaching you was cut from the deal when I did come looking for you.” He regained his breathe after the laugh and continued, “I wasn’t going to teach you, but I changed my mind. When you fought me I was…impressed. Most warriors are not so agile against spells such as those.”

“Is that the only reason then? She interests you?” Jordan demanded. No one had moved. It seemed Elaine’s trait of distrustfulness had worn off on them.

Disean shrugged, “That, and if you plan to live through the next attack on your little group, I suggest you come.”

“I vote to keep my head,” Chelsea called and turned to fetch her mare.

Elaine rolled her eyes, “Well, if she’s going, I have to. Who knows how many times she’ll get into trouble.”

“I heard that!” Chelsea called.

“You were supposed to,” Elaine snapped, whistling for her stallion.

Kane shook his head, “Chelsea will need better company then you two. I had better come along.”

“What makes you think you’re good company? And for two women?” Anne challenged. “I’ll just have to keep you boys in line. Count me in.”

“Lord, spare me,” Tyler sighed. “Stuck with you three for who knows how long? I’ll come along, if only to spare Kane.”

Jordan shrugged, “Eh, go with the flow, yeah?”

Disean’s lips were spread in a smile much like that of a cat who just caught the mouse, “Well, now that you all have decided, shall we go?” There was no response as the six checked their girths and supplies. Disean wagged his head and threw his hands up in exasperation, “Sentineal, I will hurt you one day for this. I am so not trained to deal with children.”

“Define ‘children’ and I’ll define what it means give you a ‘hard time’,” Elaine said coolly from atop her mount. “And I take it you’re either going to summon something or you’re going to float the whole time on wind.” She nodded at his feet.

Disean looked down and shrugged, “It is not unusual. Many mages float when they are thinking.”

Elaine took the answer and turned around in the saddle as the others reigned in their mounts. She looked them over before turning back, “Well then, lead then way.”

“Hope you like long rides, cause that’s what this is going to be,” Disean warned them.

Chelsea spoke up this time, “Don’t worry. We’ll keep up!”

“Pray to the gods you do,” Disean said. “I’d hate to have you fall before I get a chance to see what you’re really made of.”

“Why does that no sound comforting?” Kane asked sarcastically. No one answered, for Disean turned to the north and shot away. Immediately, their mounts took off after him, the sound of their pounding hooves like thunder in the sky.

Ahead of the six, Disean smile to himself. Maybe he had Sentineal to thank for something after all. Sure, actually seeking them out was rather tedious, but the girl with eyes of ice seemed interesting. Never had there been a warrior who could last that long against him without magic shields and enhancers. And they way they all fell in line when one made a decision. It made him laugh in ways he had not been able to laugh in hundreds of years, ever since…

No, he couldn’t dwell on that. Disean shook his head and turned back to make sure the six were still within three horse lengths of him. Assuring himself they were, he turned back and weaved his fingers into seven different symbols, repeating them over and over with a hallow chant that began to echo, as if they were inside a cave.

“What are you doing?” Elaine hollered, but Disean was to far into the spell to react.

Chelsea screamed as rips appeared on either side of the group, and the land between heaved up, like the opposite of a landslide. The horses slid to crashing halts, some rearing in panic, nearly unseating their riders.

“Disean! Explain yourself! What is this?” Elaine demanded.

“Why, the way to my hideaway of course,” Disean called, appearing beside her froth covered steed.

The earth lurched and it felt and looked as if they had been hurled straight into space. They were floating in impenetrable darkness, unable to see or hear, the uncanny silence driving many of them to the brink of insanity. It was only when they fell foreword in their saddles, bruising their chests when they met the horses’ necks, that they returned to reality.

“Where are we?” Anne asked in a weak voice, turning desperately in the saddle, trying to find something, anything familiar, about their surroundings.

“You’re at the beginning to the path to my hideaway in Djornion Siliem. Welcome, to the Road of Silence,” Disean said, his words unnaturally loud. It was then it suddenly dawned on the six, that the world around them was silent, still…dead.

And it was then that their first doubts sprout in their minds.