Dance Macabre: Tales from a Cursed Land

VII: The Last Bastion of Light (3/3)

While trying to think what else he could do, Raviel noticed a shadow sneaking behind the monk. The next moment a blade flashed across Soldain's throat and the black-haired elf lying on the floor was splattered in blood flowing from the slit artery.

Nightshade pushed the dead body aside and wiped his knife on the white robe before sheathing it. "Now that went well, didn't it, Raviel? Came to seek salvation for another and almost got killed yourself."

"What? How? How did you get here?"

"A bard, a spy, a burglar. I'm a man of many talents." Nightshade grinned. "Honestly, though, I was waiting for them to open that hole in the roof. One can only pass through the door here in the company of the head monk – living one -, and I couldn't think of any relatively risk-free way to trick him into letting me in. But they never thought to block the other entrance."

The minstrel climbed the altar and pulled the statue down. It was at least two feet high, if not three, made of gold and portrayed an elven figure with a halo of sun behind his head and back. "And I figured this way I could get the relic I wanted."

"...You used me as a bait."

Nightshade laughed. "Guilty as charged. But you didn't want to steal it. How could have I told you of my plan?" He knelt next to the elf and cut his bonds. "There you go. Let's get out of here before it gets too hot."

"Get out how?"

Nighshade looked up to the ceiling. "Hey, Tessa! We're ready to leave!"

A silver-haired head peeked over the edge of the hole. Then one end of a sturdy rope was thrown down. First Nightshade tied to statue to it and waited until Tessa had hauled it up before letting Raviel go up. He left the room last, to all appearances not at all concerned that they might be running low on time.

Once they were all safely on the roof, Nightshade took two items out of a large cloth bag and packed the statue into it. Then he held one of them, a wide yet shallow bottle made of dark glass, to Raviel. "And this is your reward for your help."

"This being..?"

"A will o'wisp trap. Find your little friend, open it, wait that he gets sucked in and take him back to his body."

"That's all?"

"Not quite." Nightshade took the other item, a silver-colored bracelet, and clasped it on Raviel's wrist. "His brother will try to fight you to get him back. This conducts light magic, so you might manage not to get fried. Either fight with your own magic or just get out of the swamp. Without a host body he can't follow. That's the nature of the will o'wisps, always tied to their home."

"Neither of you will help?"

"What could we do? I'm just a minstrel, and Tessa is a huntress. We don't have the magic needed to fight spirits. Although if you need additional back-up...I'm sure I could get you some for the right price."

"No thanks. I don't like the idea of owing anything to anyone here."

"Alright." Nightshade stood up. "I'll be leaving then."

"Hold on. What is with that statue? Why do you want it?"

"Actually, someone I know wants it. I'm just a courier. But since you did help, I might as well tell you why. Those monks have sacrificed all people who wander here for centuries – or so I've heard – and their life forces have been drawn into this statue. So in the hands of someone who knows how to use it...it is quite considerable amount of power, don't you agree?"

Raviel also stood up, not saying anything. Not the kind of power he'd want and probably not used for anything good, but maybe it was better not to get involved. That tended to be the trend in this world. Just mind your own business. Anyone with power did not take kindly to strangers barging into their territory. And he could not risk the only way to help Saska being taken away from him now.

"The way is clear for now," Nightshade offered, "The monks won't move from the temple until they believe the sacrifice is completed. Oh, and we took the liberty to retrieve your belongings from the dormitory while it was empty."

~*~*~

"Stop sulking already!" Sasha complained as he twirled around his brother in circles. Will o'wisps always saw each other in the forms of children, even though the rest of creatures saw them only as balls of light. And Saska has been curled up, hugging his knees and looking close to tears, for so long.

"Hey, did you feel that? Someone's come to the swamp. Let's go see how he does with the crone's traps!" He stopped right in front of Saska. "Maybe he brought us something good too."

Saska shook his head. "I don't want to."

"Come -on-! Stop being such a crybaby!" Sasha firmly took his brother's hand and dragged him along.

But as soon as he saw who the intruder was, he skidded to instant halt. Saska, not paying any attention where they were going, collided with his back. It didn't feel like much anything, though. Just a soft bump, like two feathers hitting each other mid-flight.

Then he saw him. Raviel. Overwhelmed by a sudden rush of emotions, he tried to blink back tears – not that he really had tears at the moment. The elf had really come back for him. Not hesitating for a moment, he rushed to his master and traveling companion.

"Saska," Raviel breathed out, relieved, and cupped his hands for the boy to "land" on. The little ball of light settled right above them, the color of his glow changing rapidly, like he were going through a hundred emotions at once.

However, the other will o'wisp, Sasha, was steadily getting darker and darker red, starting to resemble old blood in color. It was not the white-hot rage he had displayed when fighting to protect Saska, but sheer hatred.

"So you do intend to fight me, don't you?" Raviel asked. Then he spoke to Saska, "Get behind me."

Saska quickly obeyed.

"You will never take him from me! I WILL KILL YOU!"

"I won't let you do that." He opened the will o'wisp trap Nightshade had given him and pointed it towards Sasha. There was a moment of calm before the light disappeared and reappeared inside the bottle, barely visible through the darkened glass.

Raviel quickly corked the bottle again. One problem dealt with, one to go. He returned to his horse and as gently as possible untied from the saddle and brought the still body of the boy to the very edge of the swamp. There he knelt down, holding the boy's upper body on his arms and letting his legs rest on the wet ground. "I really hope this works, Saska. Otherwise I fought ghouls all the way here for nothing."

Saska hovered over the body, uncertain what to do. He tried dipping lower, inside the confines of flesh, but only came up as apparition again.

Raviel's face fell. Nightshade had said bringing his soul to his body would be enough to restore Saska. Yet apparently it was not. Then his hands clenched into fists. Cursed liar. Using people as he wished with empty promises.

"Please try one more time, Saska. Reclaim your body," he whispered, still cradling the still form. Please, please, please work.

Like by some miracle the faint light of the will o'wisp spread out and descended upon the boy's flesh where it faded. A moment later Saska opened his eyes. "Raviel..."

The elf released the breath he hadn't noticed he was holding and smiled. "Welcome back."

Without thinking Saska hugged him fiercely.

Raviel patted his back gently. "I promised I'd protect you, didn't I?"

Nightshade watched the tearful reunion from his hiding spot a little longer, then walked away quietly. If Raviel had actually stopped to think when Saska's soul had been taken in the first place, he would have realized he could have called the boy back any time.

After all, Outcasts belonged to their master until they died, body and soul both. A different form of existence did not change anything.

As for Sasha? Raviel was of a mind to sink the bottle containing the vengeful little spirit into the marsh, so that nobody would ever find him again. But in the end he gave the container and its contents to the crone in exchange for a clue about his brother's whereabouts, as cryptic as it was.

His fate is cloaked in shadow. One of the Dark Lords of the realm knows.