A Dance of Shadows : Witches of Rothmina

Chapter 3: Rothmina's Golden Champion

And then, he entered.Followed by 4 soldiers wearing golden stripes,his personal guard perhaps.He was tall and seemed slim,with a beaky nose and a pair of grey eyes flashing with stress,paranoia and anger with dark circles under them.Golden curls ,bathed in sweat, stood upon his forehead with a same colored untamed beard covering his lips and jaw .He wore a black and purple uniform with 5 or 6 medals of honor.He looked upon the drunk sailors and soldiers who gave their best effort to at least look decent at his presence.He turned his face from them, smiled,raised his hands and shouted in a victorious tone: "At ease humble citizens!Carry on drinking, for this...this is a good day!".He then noticed some men unconcious on the floor but he continued with his speech." I have business here in Jalya and I was on the road for so long,I decided to come here and have some of the inkeeper's best!" He found a seat next to the door,his men stayed vigilant around him.He started looking around again,as if he was searching for something,or someone.His eyes eventually locked on Attius and he smiled again.
"Well,and what have we here? A new face in this little town! Care to join me for a drink sir?"
Attius was surprised. "You do me honor ,sir",he replied,"but I think I'll pass".The guards surrounding the man gave Attius a strange look.If it was worry,fear or anger or a mix of all, in their tired faces,Attius couldn't tell yet.The man kept smiling,but he raised his voice this time."Oh please.I insist",he said pointing at a chair next to him.Attius' mind was flooded with suspition,the governor himself is sitting in this bar,in this town and is offering him a drink as if he is an old friend.If all of this is a coincindense then Fate has a more twisted sense of humor than he thought.He was more curious about meeting him now.He smiled back at the man,"well,if you insist".He sat on the chair he pointed to him."Splendid!" ,the man shouted, "Barkeep! Bring the finest for me and my friend here..." ,he paused for a second, "Oh I'm sorry I didn't ask for your name?".
"Attius Mether,sir".
The man's eyes widened. "The Attius Mether!?" he started laughing, " Oh this must be a sign of my luck's turning.I'm having a drink with the famous Sword of Perome.What's next? The Hag and her witches will show up before me and surrender?"
He burst in laughter again.Attius kept smiling.
"I suppose everything's possible,your excellency",Attius replied.
"Oh please Attius,call me Egil",the governor said.
"Very well,Egil.So my fame has reached even this island on the edges of the empire then.",Attius said.
"Some stories about you have,yes" the governor said."Although",he continued, "I myself have heard about you from a mutual acquaintance.Tell me,does the name Ilvine Esmer mean anything to you?".
Attius' fake smile faded and a serious look took its place, "yes it does".
The barkeep brought an old champagne and two of the finest glasses this inn had to offer.
"Oh I know her very well",Egil sighed as he raised his left hand in front of Attius.Placed upon his middle finger was a golden ring:"We were to marry".
Feelings of jealousy,fear and anger were slowly taking shape inside Attius'soul.However,he suppressed them behind his calm facade and asked with a soft voice: "Were?"
Egil gulped down and almost simultaneously poured more of the old champagne."Yes...we were",the tone of his voice  was changing more and more with every word that followed,from kind and formal to cold and hateful."If the stories about you are true then you know that witches have been a part of this island for generations.A true scourge, these vile women,corrupting the most pious men and destroying cities and islands to satisfy their disgusting deities.I know this all to well".He took another big swig and continued."I swore an oath to rid Rothmina of these fiends,no matter the cost."But I never thought that this evil was closer to me than I ever expected."4 months ago,with the help of the crusaders of the Order of St Lucillia I uncovered a whole village,up in the hills not far from here,filled with witches and I prepared a group of my best soldiers and the best of those zealots to wipe them out"."The crusaders brought these,peculiar machines that generated a sound that counters magic and painfully paralyses anyone who possess supernatural abillities".
'Damnit! They have those cursed things here!?',Attius thought,"And what happened?,he said,thinking that perhaps the governor's story could provide him with a useful hint.The governor finished his third drink,and with it,the bottle.A spark appeared in his eyes,as he continued his story."We had them cornered"."Some of them I knew from my childhood,others were noble girls who had gone missing"."We gathered them all and As I was about to interrogate them,I heard cries from each direction"."They were expecting us."A hooded figure,moved as fast as lightling and smashed the machines"."Suddenly we were surrounded"."They started casting spells,so we had to stab and gut and shoot them as fast as we could"."It was a bloodbath,the soil itself swallowed five of my men,the others were strangled by roots"."but I survived"."And in the heat of the battle I made a bloody cut with my sword on the hooded bitch's arm before she and the others vanished into thin air"."I and the men who were left returned to Oldfel and I was filled with shame,rage and suspicion"."You see, there were none who knew exactly when we were going to attack that village"."I had both men and zealots prepared and never told them"."There were none,but one"."The one person I thought I could trust"."My future wife then,Ilvine"."I came home that night and the handmaiden told me that she had an accident and had cut herself"."I stormed in her room and without a second thought,despite her objections, I looked upon the wound and I saw something else.Upon the back of her hand there was a glowing symbol,common to those chosen by the vile entities such as the Night Mistress or the Hidden Master".His hands formed fists,the sparo in his eyes was turning into a fire,fueling the anger within him,like a volcano,ready to erupt.Attius didn't have to sense that things would maybe get messy and carresed with his hand his sword."She...",Egil spoke again,"She spat on me,called me a mad prick and vanished,leaving a grey smoke behind her.By what right does this...beast... dare to insult me!!?",he threw his glass on the wall between them.Attius was fully alert now for everything , his facade was replaced by an angry stare .Any man around them who was sober was now terrified of suffering the governor's wrath.His face and voice became calm again,he faced Attius again and said,"Forgive me Attius.The chaos this island faces,disturbs me.I must be frank with you.I was expecting your arrival and I wanted to meet you in person.I understand you wish to find her".
"Forgive my alertness ,Egil,but what if I do?".
"I have to be certain.You have come here to help her bring me down,do you Attius?"
"I'm here because of the unusual and sinister activities of the witches you hunt.Ilvine is just a part of the puzzle.That's why I am looking for her".
The governor wore a slight grin on his face."You mean to tell me,"he laughed ,"that there's not more in finding her?".
"Of course not",Attius responded with a grin.
"And the empire sent you?Alone?"
"I have experience,more than you and your men,judging by your story".
"And the tales about you?",Egil asked,pointing to Attius' left hand,"that you move like ghost with am army of shadows behind you?".
"Superstition of the folk of Perome,rest assured that if I find these witches,I'll come straight to you,Egil.",Attius smiled again.
"Then you wouldn't mind my help.I'm sure my men amd I would be a great help",Egil respnded.
"Thank you,but no.No offense to you or your troops ,Egil, but I work alone and you will only slow me down.And I think I should be on my way".
Egil's fists clenched again and stood up.He smiled again,trying to hide his anger,the guards around were looking at each other,confused about their governor's intentions.After a short pause,Egil broke the silence."Very well then,I will leave you some space,as long as you don't do anything you shouldn't,and the second you discover anything, you come to Oldfel and tell me.Are we clear?".
Attius smiled,"Crystal".
"Splendid!",Egil shouted with enthusiasm,"Well Attius,it has been a long day for me and the lads here.So we're off to the Castle.I will wait with suspence for any news you might bring me,and thanks for the company".
"No problem",Attius replied," thank you for the drinks,and I'm sorry about your engagement".
Attius noticed Egil's eyes twitch for one or two seconds with that last part.
"Well",Egil said,"Life has a way of being strange.Until next time".
Before he even turn around,another guard stormed inside the bar,a young lad of 18 years or so."Your excellency!" he said,clearly uspet.Sounds of conflict and gunfire started echoing from outside."The crowd!",the young guardsman began,"they're restless!".
Egil maintained his calmness."Hold them off and remember lad:whoever interferes in a public execution is considered guilty for standing in the way of my ,and the island's, justice.Now if you'll excuse us,we're off".The boy tried to speak again ,but Egil stopped him a look of fury and a tone of dominance:"Do you question my authority ,boy!?".
With a whislte,the bodyguards formed behind him,ready to draw swords.
"No sir".
And upon hearing that,Egil smiled and walked out of the inn,with the bodyguards right behind him in formation.Attius immediatly run to the side of the bar and found a corridor,at the end of which was the back door Bothrer escaped with some time ago.'Well',he thought to himself,'that went lovely'.'Ilvine protects the witches of this island from our dear governor.Is she working with this "Hag"? 'No,Ilvine would never allow her hometown to be destroyed,let alone the whole Rothmina,which means that the Hag and her followers must be the evil she kept warning me about and asking for my help in the dreams'.'Either way Egil and the crusaders of St Lucillia are going to be thorns on our sides'.'I"ll stick to the original plan',he concluded,'I'll pay a visit to the Esmer estate'.He teleported to the inn's roof and from there to the tops of the other destroyed buildings.He then noticed the source of the fuss he heard earlier in the inn.They were all gathered in the old great Jalya Plaza,a big colouful circlular mosaic of 10 meters in diameter,depicting fish,flowers and at its center,a blue rose.The gold,blue and silver colors of this plaza were now filled with the blood of those who were executed.The residents of Jalya tried to fight back,as some were taken to be shot by guardsmen for crimes of heresy,magic and other felonies,that most of them were obvioulsy not involved with.Then,the guardsmen brought the children.Three boys and two girls,no older than 13."Let them go! Spare them! They are innocent!"were some of the many cries of the mob,as they were strugling to pass through the guards cars,blocking them."For the crimes of theft and consorting with enemies of the Isle..." the guard with the loaded pistol behind the children began saying,"...You are sentenced to death,in the name of The Light,The Isle of Rothmina and our glorious Governor Egil Alfer!".A smoke bomb landed on his feet and in seconds all were surrounded by a thick fog."What in the...? Who!?"
Before he could utter an order he heard a blast and the shape of a car burning was the only thing he could see through the thick smoke.A blurry image passed through him and took the child that was in front of him away,then went for the other."By the Void!! Men,someone is liberating the children.Get around him!!" he shouted.Soon,gunshots were heard and more guards manged to find their commander.They found him on the ground unconcious and Attius above him.They started firing at him but they kept missing,as the man faded amd reappeared from each and every direction,it would seem.The smoke began to fade,revealing more unconcious men and burning cars,an angry mob ready to attack,but non the mysterious man and the children.The remaining guardsmen were ready to fire on the ground,only to discover that the had run out of bullets.The angry crowd ,with smiles on their faces and knives and pitchforks and old rifles on their hands charged at them,with no sign of mercy in their eyes.
On a nearby building Attius made sure that no one had followed him and the children.A boy stood in front of him,perhaps the oldest of them."Thank you so much,good sir".
"Don't mention it,children",Attius responded.What will you do now?"
"There is an opening in the basement beleath us that leads to the sewers",one of the girls said,trying her best not to cry,"this was once my home".The boy spoke again:"With the first opportunity we"ll repay your kindess."
Attius nodded and said."Good luck" and got to the rooftop,while they got to the basement.After teleporting from one rooftop to the other,he finally found the path outside of Jalya that lead to the Esmer estate. 'If I remeber Ilvine rightly',he spoke to himself,'she must have placed a clue that only I would find in the mansion,if at least a part of it exists'.And with this thought,he started running,following the path.

From the rooftop of an old and abandoned temple of the Light,two figures appeared,watching him rushing to the estate.
"Sister",said one of the two.
"Yes,sister?",the other replied.
"Wake the hounds.Tonight,we hunt".