Tales of Vyscher Book 1

Chapter 16

Vic was up early with Rek. They had time for a quick bath and a bite to eat and were now readying themselves to get back to work. No more recovery time! In this case, readying meant Rek sitting on the floor in front of her while Vic braided her long black hair. When she had first met Rek, Vic had loved her braid, and it hadn't taken long for her to learn how to put her hair into it, and even less to take it out.

A knock at the door surprised her and made Rek jump for a moment. Odder still, the door was opened with her even having a chance to respond, and Jondure stood there looking somber.

"I'm sorry ladies, but this is most urgent. I have already sent a message to Gyrtek, but for the moment you're working for me," he rushed, but in a sad tone.

"Is everything all right?" Vic asked, with a ball of dread in the pit of her stomach.

"No, I don't think it is. I need you to go up to the Sky Knights, Alia is awaiting you as is Torple. Go with them to where you found the ogres and find Fehrys."

"Fehrys? What happened?" Rek said, her hair falling out of the braid. "Are he and Luce all right?"

"I don't know much, I got an unusual message," he said with an odd expression, "It said you would know where he was, and that he would need a mount to come back. But that you should get there as soon as possible."

Vic's hand flew to her mouth. This was wrong, so wrong. But it didn't seem as if Jondure knew too much, just that aid was needed. "We'll get there as fast as we can!" she promised. "And we'll bring him right back here."

The two girls headed out of the room and took off at a run for the western tower where the Sky Knights were housed. Vic was already crying, not knowing what was wrong, but only that something terrible had certainly happened.

Aldebaran clung to the side of the house in the early morning light, his many claws digging into the cracks in the stone. He had shed his human skin near the river, and it should flow downstream until scavengers took care of it for him, and finally felt the freedom of his own form. In the meantime, he had work to do. His bulbous bead peered into the window as he took in the sleeping couple in the bed. The woman didn't matter, but the man had to die. He had already slayed once this night, and while he was tempted to steal the skin of this Aichen person, it would be too hard to pull off without much more detailed knowledge of what he was like and what he knew.

But that would require time, and time was something he didn't have. He was too exposed up here on the surface, he wanted to do his job and get out of here. There were no good targets yet that he could take. But with Aichen gone, and Flautia already dead, the Bishops and Sky Knights would be leaderless.

He was from far beneath the surface. Twisting tunnels and damp caverns were what he preferred. His kind had developed strong water and shadow magic to ensure they could always make a home in any cave. The magic had ensured their survival since they were not physically strong enough to be in fights.

But that magic was also useful for slaying the unaware.

His segmented body stiffened as he concentrated, and a globe of water appeared over the head of the sleeping man. Quickly, the ball descended, enveloping him in an airless sphere. Tendrils of shadow formed around him and kept him from thrashing, and though his eyes opened in horror, there was nothing he could do to stop his death. In a few moments, it was over, the shadows disappeared, and the ball of water popped, soaking the bed and waking the woman.