Song of the Piper

::8:: Flames Amidst the Storm (Part 2)

Music is The Wolf and the Swallow from The Witcher 3 OST. Play it!

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Surprisingly, the actual ritual itself was quite simple. All Lord Himmel had to do was steer the horse along the borders—which were marked by magical lines drawn into the ground—and chant an incantation. The lines glowed where the mare had treaded, and I felt like the earth would open up and swallow us any moment. That didn't happen.

No monsters encountered so far, which was surprising, as far as Lord Himmel's warnings went. I hoped that it was because luck was on our side.

I couldn't imagine any other possibility.

"Something's not right," Lord Himmel remarked from in front of me. He yanked on the horse's reins. The rest of the travelling party halted too. I broke my focus on the wastelands. His voice was hoarse, and his back was rigid. I observed the sorcerers. They all looked as haggard as I felt.

Yet at Lord Himmel's words their postures grew more alert, the spark in their eyes sharper. They flicked their attention between their lord, me, and the wastelands beyond.

Storm clouds were beginning to roll in, tucking the afternoon sun away from sight. The already desolate landscape looked more hostile than ever, its forests dark and ominous and its meadows barren and deprived of any signs of life. Not even the haunting caws of scavenging crows could be heard. The thick scent of death and corruption cloyed the air; I half-expected a pack of lycanthropes to pour out from the trees.

Lord Himmel growled in exasperation at the wind, which brought the undeniable promise of rain. "We'll have to move faster now," he said. "How far is the next village?"

"Less than two leagues away, Lord Himmel," said Kaiser. He kept on rubbing his wrist. It had several strings of ribbons tied around it. I would have laughed at the silky, feminine material if not for the fact that I'd seen him draw water out of thin air with it. But the ribbons definitely didn't fit with the rest of his figure: stocky, muscular, soldierly.

"Excellent. Kaiser, make sure your sorcerers flank all my sides."

Kaiser nodded in acknowledgment of his words. He gave a few quick commands to the other sorcerers, who all responded by urging their steeds to hasten their speed. Their light-footed clops engulfed me, giving an illusion of safety for the time being.

Lord Himmel craned his neck around to look at me. "Klaudia, I want you to keep me awake by all means necessary. I will have to perform the ritual faster now, so it will drain a lot more of my energy. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Markus," I said.

He flashed me an appreciative smile; I returned the gesture. Then he returned his attention towards the front, picking up the chant from where he had left it off. It still rang as undiscernible words in my ears, and the syllables rolled off Lord Himmel's tongue too quickly for me to catch anything. The trail continued to blaze behind us. I closed my eyes, concentrating. Elise had taught me how to sense magic through my Core; now I sensed his immense power literally pouring out of him and onto the ground, taking root within the earth and giving it some semblance of life.

We went at this pace for more than an hour. Lord Himmel wasn't exaggerating when he said that he would lose energy. He was barely keeping his seat, and I had to constantly pinch him or offer a waterskin to his dry, cracked lips. My arms were wrapped tightly around his waist so that I could control the reins if necessary. He emanated more heat than usual, and gradually, his temperature climbed so high I felt like I was being scalded. When I asked if he needed a break, he only shook his head and kept chanting. In the end, I resorted to humming an odd little melody, one that cooled his skin and returned energy to him.