Chapter 1 - Hi?:
"Whew! I'm bushed. I'm all for dropping right in bed and staying there for a week." announced Dirk, as he collapsed on to the couch.
"Of course you are." Talia, his wife, giggled as she sat down beside him.
Dirk snaked an arm around her and pulled her against him. "All for locking you in the room with me, too." Talia giggled again.
"Okay, now, settle down you two. We're here on business." Elspeth, the former heir, settled into a chair nearby. Her mother, Queen Seleny, took the seat next to her.
Talia immediately sobered. As the Queen's Own Herald, she did need to pay attention.
Herald Dane, an older gentleman, came out with tea and a smile. "Perfectly alright. They're youngin's after all. Let 'em have a bit o' fun now an' then." He served the tea, then took a seat. "Now, your Majesty, an incident as of late has arisen. Howler and I thought it should be brought to your attention."
"What is it, Dane?"
"The Yarman's have been losing chickens. The folk are all whisperin' 'bout magic being worked with the animals blood. We don't know what to say. The birds keep getting' found bled dry."
"Hmm…This doesn't sound good. We should investiagte--"
Dane lunged to his feet. "NO!" he roared.
"Dane?!" They were all shocked.
"The towns people are attacking one of the citizens." He ran out the door. The others quickly followed. Jumping onto their respective Companions, they raced into the village, Sure enough, a young girl had been surrounded by the other villagers.
Dane's Companion, Howler, forced his way though the crowd and made them move away from the girl. Dane dismounted and gently gathered her into his arms. She looked to be no more than 10. "Isis? Are you alright, little one?"
She blinked wearily, her left eye blacked. "I am fine."
Seleny stepped in then. "What is the meaning of this? Attacking a child. You should be ashamed of yourselves. I want an explination. Now."
A large, heavyset woman stepped forward. "Isis Silvertree is no child, she is a witch and a thief."
Elspeth narrowed her eyes. "Really. And you have proof of this?"
"Six, six, of my chickens, including my best rooster, were found bled dry on her doorstep! Obviously --"
Isis snorted, cutting her off. "Obviously, I didn't do it. Why the hell would I leave them out for you to find if I had done it? Use your head Yarman."
Mrs. Yarman's face turned purple. "Why you little ~~" She took a step torwards her and Dane, by Howler taking a step forward caused her to pause. Before she could say anything else Isis continued speaking.
"You say I did it because you don't trust me. Even though I've never done anything but help you. *Sigh* In truth, I don't even want to be here, but if I left, you would have no healer. Plus you're too scared to let anyone come near me long enough for me to train them." Isis glowered at the ground. "I know who had been taking and bleeding the chickens. I've known for a while."
"You know who has been stealing my chickens?! Why haven't you said anything?!" Mrs. Yarman yelled. The gathered townspeople seconded that loudly. Isis' ferocious glare silenced them all.
"If I told you any one of you villagers had done the crime, but they contradicted me saying I did, who would you believe?" she hissed. "Are you saying you would believe me? Take my word over the word of another villager? I think not."
No one said anything. It was true and they all knew it.
"Why didn't you bring Herald Dane in then? If he had used the Truth Spell we would know." Mr. Yarman pointed out.
Isis cocked an eyebrow. "You just said that I am a witch. Even if Herald Dane did use the Truth Spell, you would have most likely deluded yourselves into believing I had fucked it up somehow. I may not interact with you much, but I understand how the human mind works better than you ever will. Oh, and before you go twisting my words around, I'm saying I know how the human mind works, not why it works the way it does."
"I could cast the Truth Spell at the second level if you would like." Talia offered.
Isis blinked. "I'm fine with that. You are Herald Talia, the Queen's Own, yes? Is this acceptable for you?" She asked turning to the Yarman's.
Mr. and Mrs. Yarman looked at each other. "It sounds good to me." said Mr. Yarman. "Hmph!" Mrs. Yarman apparently didn't agree.
"You don't find it acceptable Mrs. Yarman?" Mrs. Janson asked.
"No, I don't."
"Why not?"
"Why? Because she's not a human! Whose to say it affects her the same way it affects us! Her father was a demon of some kind --!"
Mrs. Yarman stopped when Isis surged to her feet. Her gold eyes blazed with anger. Her voice was quiet, but deadly. "He was no demon and you know it. My father was one of the few male White Birch trees. He first came her to prove his fertility, as they all must, but he fell in love with my mother and stayed here, replacing your healer who had died halfway through winter. If he hadn't been here, you and your youngest would have died during childbirth, and your middle would had died from having nemonia and the flu. So I suggest you not insult him again. As for the Truth Spell, why should it affect me differently? My mother was a human."
"She's right Linda. Herald Talia, please use the second level Truth Spell." Talia nodded in response to Mr. Yarman's request and turned her attention to Isis.
Everyone but Isis could now see the blue glow surrounding her. Before anyone could say anything Isis began.
"After the third chicken turned up, I was out in the woods gathering herbs. I heard laughter. I went towards it, wondering who else was out so late at night. I came to the edge of a clearing. Four boys with gathered around a small fire.
'Did you see the looks on their faces? Priceless!' said Jimmy Janson.
'Oh yeah. Even dad looked sick.' snickered Keth Ungermire.
'This was the best idea ever.' piped in Christopher Yang.
'And this is just the beginning.' said Julian Yarman, with a cruel smile. Knowing that no one would believe me if I told them, I just left.
"Last night was the full moon. Cretus blooms only under the full moon. I went out to gather some. I heard the squawk of a chicken coming from the clearing. I went to go see what they were up to.
"They had a pattern etched out on the ground and five dead, bloodless chickens. Julian stood at the center of the pattern with his parents best rooster. It was still alive.
'Once we sacrifice the rooster at midnight, we'll go visit little Jasmine Gem.' With a twisted, cruel smile, he added, 'We'll have some fun together.'
"I didn't like the way he said fun. I got a bad feeling. So, I decided to ruin their spell. I crept around the edge of the clearing till my back was towards the deep woods. Then, I let loose a wolf howl. The nearby pack answered me. It scared the bejeezed out of the boys. Jimmy, Keth, and Christopher ran, but Julian hesitated, so I snarled. He ran then.
"I finished collecting my Cretus and returned to the village. Julian jumped me at the edge of the woods. I knocked him to the ground and said, 'Blood magic is dangerous. One mistake and you'll die. Painfully. The spell you were going to activate would have helped you rape Jasmine, but it would have activated again and again every full moon for the next year. Then it would start activating more frequently. Eventually, it would just stay on. Permanent hard on. Sounds nice don't it? Thing is, if you don't relieve it…you'll go mad from sex deprivation and you would be in constant pain. Till it killed you that is. I suggest doing more research next time.'
"I went back home. That's all."
The villagers were stunned.
Talia turned the Truth Spell on Jimmy, Keth, and Christopher (1st level only). All three confessed to participating, but none had known they were really doing blood magic. They also didn't know the intent of last nights spell had been to rape Jasmine.
Julian refused to say anything under first level, so Talia kicked it up to second to make him talk. He had found the blood rites in the basement, under a loose floorboard. Apparently, Julian's mind was partially warped and twisted. No one knew why, until Isis spoke.
"Julian, have you ever received or sustained a severe blow to the head?"
At first he said nothing, then he said yes. When asked to describe it, he said that earlier in the year he had been playing in the woods, climbing trees. He had fallen and hit his head on a rock. He hadn't broken anything so he never mentioned it.
Isis sighed. "He suffered a concussion. It is too old for me to heal, but the Elder Birch Trees can. I'm going to move into their grove. I'll take Julian with me. I'll teach him healing while he heals. When the concussion is gone he may return to live in the village. The grove is on the other side of the hill."
Isis looked at the Heralds for conformation. They all agreed that it was an acceptable plan. Mrs. Yarman was furious, but before she could say anything Julian spoke.
"I would like to go with Isis. Healing has always interested me. I…" He looked at the ground and blushed. Then he brought up his head and looked Isis in the eye. "I never thought we treated you fairly. I think you are really a nice person, but act cold and somewhat mean to hide how much the ridicule hurts. I…I would like to be your apprentice…and your friend." Finished, he bit his lip and looked down.
Isis stared at him. When Julian peaked up, his gaze was captured by those gold eyes. Then Isis did something she hadn't done since her father had died.
She smiled.
"Well, no time like the present. Come on. You can help me finish moving my stuff, then we'll go get yours." She walked away, Julian following along behind her.
"Well…that was quick problem solving." said Talia. She looked at Dane. "Huh? Dane! What's wrong? Why are you crying?"
"I'm happy, Talia. Isis has been alone since her father died. Now she has a friend. That was the first time she's smiled in three years."
The Heralds spent the night at the village. Before they left though, they stopped by the grove to see Isis and Julian.
"No, Julian, not that way. This way. Otherwise the bone won't stay set. Do you understand?"
"I think so. It has to do with where the pressure is applied, right?"
"Very good. That's exactly right. Now, how about we break for now? I'll start the tea while you go greet our guests." "Oh!" The door opened a few moments later. Julian invited them into the small cottage.
"Hello. Heading out?" Isis asked.
"Yes. Going to visit family." Seleny said.
Isis nodded. "There's an old widow in the next town. Tell her I said to stop by. Herald Talia, your Rolan would be interested in the creatures she keeps. Especially the black mare I suspect. You'll find them interesting too, I'm sure." Isis traveled with them to the edge of the forest.
"Feel free to stop by any time. If I can ever be of any service to you and yours, do not hesitate to call upon me. White Birch Tree groves are excellent places to make camps, but do not harm any living thing within the grove, unless it is threatening you. Death and pain upset the tree spirits.
"They will also shield you from harmful magics and are great places to seek shelter during an attack, for they will help if your ask and your intentions are good. But mind that they will ask for a favor in return. Nothing that will be hard for you to accomplish though, so never hesitate to ask for help. If they hesitate, feel free to mention me.
"Good fortune to you and yours upon your journey." With these departing words of friendship, Isis turned and proceeded to walk back to the grove were Julian waited.
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