Warning: the imagery gets a little intense further into the chapter. Think of it as a Halloween present.
Chapter 4
Flickering shadows danced across the walls of the royal bedchamber. Three bell tolls sounded through the night as Karigan wrung out a cloth in the cool water of a porcelain basin. Zachary lay in a fitful sleep, murmuring something unintelligible.
Karigan had refused to allow her children into the room for fear of their contracting the fever no matter how much they pleaded to see their father. Now she kept a late night vigil. The menders felt there was nothing more they could do for their king--it was now up to his body to fight off the infection.
She bathed her lover's brow again. Abruptly she realized that the murmurings had stopped. Zachary's eyes were dark pools staring at her.
"Karigan," his voice was soft and raspy.
"Here, drink this," Karigan slipped a hand under his head and held a cup of water to his cracked lips. After a few sips he resettled into his pillows. His face was still flush, but his eyes were gaining more focus than they had held since her arrival.
"How long have you been sitting with me?"
"About two days. How do you feel?"
"That's a silly question to ask a sick person," Zachary said with good humor; his eyes drooping close. "You should get some sleep, Kari." Considering how his voice trailed, it was obvious that he was falling back into slumber. Nonetheless, he softly patted the bed space next to him.
Karigan had to smile a little at that. She suspected that many of the court would be surprised to find out that the king was a cuddler. Missing his presence after weeks away, she crawled into bed next to him. Although he looked like he was asleep, Zachary was conscious enough to wrap an arm around her as she rested her head on his heated shoulder. Soon, his breathing became deep and even. Karigan allowed herself to drift into an exhausted slumber with thoughts of the man beside her filling her head.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS(start flash back)
Darkness squeezed around her and condensed to fill her eyes, nose, ears--until she thought she would suffocate. I will have you Galadheon. Nothing will stop me. Distantly, she heard the sweet notes of the Rider's call and thundering hoof beats. Then she woke up gasping for air and covered in a cold sweet.
A cool spring breeze wafted into her bedchamber, making her shiver. Karigan reached for her dressing robe and wrapped the silk around her before rising to close the window. She gazed into the distance at Ullem Bay with its dancing bits of silver under the light of a full moon. In her belly she could feel her child stir in response to the sudden awakening.
The dreams were becoming more common. Almost every night her sleep would be disturbed by darkness. Lately, Mornhavon's voice intruded to make threats. She did not doubt that it meant the timeline had caught up with him, and he was back. It was also becoming increasingly obvious that she was being lured to Blackveil and that she had little choice in going. The constant buzz of hoof beats and the Rider's call that always stayed with her after the dreams convinced her of that.
With a sudden conviction common to Rider's, Karigan started packing. She retrieved her saber and extra uniforms from the back of her wardrobe. In the weak light of a candle she quickly dressed in Rider green. To her dismay she found that she could no longer fasten the jacket closed. Although the pants still fit well enough since, as Aunt Stace dryly noted, she was carrying high. The last things she took from her room were the caped great coat and her old bedroll.
In the kitchen she packed some basic road supplies and took the time to pen a quick note to her family. With a heavy sigh she took a last look around one of her favorite rooms in the house. It was in the kitchen that the G'ladheons often gathered for breakfast to chat with each other and the servants, many of whom had been with the family since she was born. Now dawn's first light was finding its way into the room. It was all bare counters and empty places at the table. There was nothing to suggest the bustle that would be happening here in just an hour. It was oddly lonely.
Karigan picked up her belongings and made her way out to the stables before her thoughts turned too melancholy. Condor was contently dozing in his stall when she began to saddle him. He gave out an annoyed whicker and butted his nose against her chest.
"I know it's early, but it can't be helped. Unless you want to help me explain this to everyone?" Karigan whispered back to him. However, she did not get the reprieve from explanations that she had been hoping for. Stevic's voice came from the entrance of the stables as he took in the sight of his daughter in uniform and tacking Condor.
"Kari, what are you doing?"
Karigan silently cursed her luck that her father would be up earlier than usual. She answered him simply, "I think it would be better if you didn't know."
"You're in no condition to be running around the country." Karigan paused for a moment as worry flitted across her mind. She could only have confidence that her baby would be safe within the protection of her womb.
"I have to go anyway. Too much rides on this." Karigan cinched the last of her saddle bags. As she mounted up she decided to give her father a last parting thought. "I'm sorry. I know you'll worry, but I don't have a choice in this. At least no other choice I could live with." Condor leapt forward at Karigan's nudge. Stevic was left standing in the stable yard yelling his daughter's name.
After two weeks on the road, Karigan arrived at Wall. The dreams hadn't stopped. If anything they were more vivid, more complex as she drew closer to the source.
"Karigan?" a flummoxed Alton exclaimed upon seeing the new arrival to his camp. "What are you doing here?" His eyes quickly registered her rounded belly. "And what…?" he trailed off motioning at her midsection with wide eyes.
"Hello, Alton. I think we need somewhere to talk."
"Of course, of course. My tent is right over there." Karigan passed off Condor to a passing servant before following Alton to the tent. Passing through the flaps Karigan took a seat and quickly got to the business at hand.
"Has there been anything strange happening in Blackveil?" she asked.
"Well, Blackveil his hardly a normal place, but I haven't noticed anything new," Alton stated as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Karigan, what is going on?"
"Dreams and visions. I feel that I am supposed to be here." Alton just looked at her blankly. "I'm sorry, that doesn't make much sense, but it is the best I can do right now."
"I suppose I'll have to be satisfied with that. But you have rarely been easy to figure out." For a silent moment, Alton debated with himself over the tact involved in bringing up the obvious. In the end he decided tact had little place between friends.
"Um, Karigan…Who's the father?" Karigan was silent for a moment as her eyes fell to the ground.
"I would rather not say. In fact, I would prefer if you didn't mention the baby to anyone."
"Why would you want to keep this a secret? Or better yet, how do you really expect to keep a baby secret?"
Karigan wrapped her arms around the gently swelling of her belly and answered with all the confidence and all the uncertainty she had been feeling, "I don't know how, but I just know it's best everyone if as few people as possible know about the baby. Can you respect my decision in this?"
"Yes, although I don't pretend to understand it."
"That's alright. Now about Blackveil…"
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Karigan went into the dark forest the next morning. Unsure of what she could be facing, she was wary and ready for most anything. She rode all day down the remnants of forgotten roads. Dark creatures watched her from their burrows, but were kept at bay for now.
At sunset, Karigan came to realize that she would need a place to camp for the night. She decided to stay on the road and built a strong fire. Unfortunately it smoked heavily from the greasy Blackveil wood. Nervous over the rustling of the creatures coming closer to the camp, Karigan unpacked the shard so moonstone at the bottom of her pack.
When she first packed, she hadn't known what possessed her to bring the small shards of crystal with her. Now it seemed that, although the moonbeam was gone, the shards still held some magic. When she revealed the small pieces to the rising moon, they shimmered and the dark creatures withdrew.
"Moonstone, a rare artifact these days." Karigan whirled to face the voice from the darkness. Al old woman stood calmly before her. She looked kind and matronly at first glance. It was when Karigan looked into the woman's eyes that a cold shiver went down her spine. Karigan drew her sword.
"Who are you?"
"My people call me Grandmother. You must be the Galadheon our Master told us would be coming. It is time that you face the crimes of your line." Karigan slipped the moonstone shards into her pocket and stood ready to fight.
"That bit of steel won't help you Galadheon." Grandmother raised her hands and an army of ghosts appeared. They were like twilight on the eve of a great storm made tangible—all darkness and roiling anger. At Grandmother's command they rushed forward and engulfed Karigan. She felt like she was drowning in nothingness. Despite her struggle, she quickly succumbed to the dark power pressing in on her.
xxxxxx
"Wake up Galadheon," a silky voice whispered in her ear as she fought her way to consciousness. When she opened her eyes she looked up into the darkly handsome face of the man crouched in front of where she was seated on the ground, against a tent pole. She shifted and felt the searing pain of her bonds.
"Don't try to struggle. You belong to me now."
"I belong to no one," Karigan snarled as she continued to pull at the fire binding her. A deep chuckle penetrated her as he bent closer.
"Your spirit will serve me well. You see, I have special plans for you—and your baby."
"No. Never. I will never—"
"Yes, you will. You have no choice. Soon my most faithful servant will finish her preparations. It will finally give me a true body again instead of this false one of yarn and clay. And you will fuel the body, soul and magic needed to complete a very specialized spell. The child within you can only help to fuel the longevity of the body."
"You're Mornhavon, aren't you?" Karigan asked through her dawning horror.
"Yes, I am. Just as you are the descendent of my dear friend, who stayed by my side, who was my confidant," Mornhavon paused and Karigan watched his eyes fill with rage. He reached out a hand and grasped her throat, "And he is the reason I lost to such pathetic adversaries as the barbarian clansmen and their Rider mages. I will have my revenge. The souls of those who once served me have been awakened and will be my army. I will lead them across your land and slaughter all that stands in my path until your meadows run crimson with the blood of the Sacor Clans. Then I will build the empire I was always destined to rule."
Mornhavon abruptly released his grip as Karigan's vision began to cloud. It quickly cleared as she gasped for air through a swelling throat. Her mind was racing as she tried to think of a plan to stop the evil that stood before her, but it seemed truly hopeless.
"Master, the spell is ready," Grandmother announced.
"Excellent, proceed," Grandmother approached Karigan with a cast iron basin, filled with some rank liquid. She carried a bundle of several mottled herbs and a knife of black glass. She walked behind Karigan and undid the bonds of her wrists. Two large and solemn men, that Karigan hadn't previously noticed, came forward to clamp down on her shoulders. She wasn't going anywhere. One of the men grabbed her am and forcibly presented to Grandmother. With more gentleness than the moment deserved she cradled Karigan's arm and with great care sliced the flesh of her wrist to the bone.
Blood pumped form the wound over the herbs. Grandmother added these to the potion, and then turned back to Karigan's wrist to remove flesh.
"There dearie, I only need a bit, and then it will be done. My grand Master will have his right and Second Empire will rise to serve him."
The potion roiled and bubbled as she chanted foreign words over it while weaving a complex knot out of fine crimson yarn. Karigan began to feel light headed and weak as her life's fluid left her body. Distantly, she heard the chanting stop and Grandmother instructing her Master to drink. As he did, Karigan could feel threads forming between her body and Mornhavon. The threads thickened and snaked around and through her. Then a wrenching pain began and grew as her soul began to rip apart.
No, no, no, no…, Karigan kept chanting in her mind. She could feel the pain increase and then she felt her baby twisting in shared agony.
"I won't let you," with a push of will and her unique power, the pain stopped. All went silent. She opened her eyes to find herself whole and facing a dark wraith in the world of white. It was almost human in shaped but not in substance. It was like bottled ink spilled into a murky pond with two points of piercing red where eyes should have been.
Karigan was prepared to fight and squared off. Then she saw a great stallion beside her. Salvistar kneeled, and she did not hesitate to climb upon him. She felt herself change; become the Avatar.
In a voice that was not hers she faced Mornhavon and said, "You have escaped me long enough." A black lance appeared in her hand and she charged the twisted soul of Mornhavon. The lance pierced through him and Karigan-Westrion continued to gallop across the white plain until the gates of hell opened before them. Karigan-Westrion leapt through the gates and delivered Mornhavon to the depth, where he belonged.
"Never will you influence the mortal world again," Karigan-Westrion said. The iron doors of Mornhavon's prison closed, and Karigan-Westrion turned back for the in between world of white. As Salvistar crossed the boundary, Karigan felt she was alone in her body again, but she was impossibly weary. She slid off Salvistar's back and onto soft grasses. Drowsily she saw a velvet sky above her with perfect jewels sparkling back at her. She drifted off into oblivion as her hands cradled her baby, and she prayed to the watching gods that he was safe within her womb.
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Cool water touched her parched lips. Her bruised throat protested the invasion just as it welcomed the soothing presence of the drink.
"Easy Galadheon. You'll be just fine." Karigan opened her eyes to find an Eletian standing over her.
"Where am I?" she scratched out.
"On the edges of Blackveil, by the Wall. We came when out prince had a vision of you here and in need of assistance. Members of Second Empire were caught by your guards at the Wall, and amazingly the forest seems to be breathing easier since you completed whatever it is that you did. We have tended to your wounds. The healer says you will have full use of your hand again since she was able to tend to it as a fresh injury."
"Karigan simply nodded and allowed herself to return to sleep. She felt sage with the Eletains—even if this one did babble.
SSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS(end flash back)
Karigan woke from her dreams of the past to find that Zachary was soaked in a cold sweat. She put her hand on his forehead and found it to be cool—his fever had broken during the night. She silently thanked the gods and held his sleeping form closer as dawn crept into the royal bedchamber.
AN: yep finally here. I should be studying for a quiz, but I'm feeling pretty prepared for it and this has been sitting in my notebook too long. Enjoy.
