Cadaver's Spirit

It was completely dark in Callida's shack except for the mysteriously purple fire in the center of the room. She did not chant or call out for Cadaver the sorcerer as Jadis had expected that she would, but she sat cross-legged in front of the fire and swayed slowly back and forth and Jadis knew that she was summoning Cadaver with her mind. Then as she looked at the fire it turned green all of a sudden and a deep voice came from it.

"Who disturbs my death-sleep?"

"I, Callida, sorceress of Charn, on behalf of Jadis, great-granddaughter of your master King Bilis and granddaughter of his son King Avaus, heiress to the throne of Charn."

Jadis assumed that this was her cue.

"I come seeking the whereabouts of any scroll or record of any kind that contains the secret known as the Deplorable Word."

Callida gasped but Jadis ignored her.

"The Deplorable Word is a heavy responsibility for such a young maiden," said the voice from the fire.

"As your princess, I command you to tell me, dog!"

The fire hissed as if a bucket of water had been dumped upon it.

"I do not fear ultimate power as my ancestors did, tender as my years may be!" screamed Jadis.

It seemed as if Cadaver relented as the fire began to crackle again and he started to chant.

"Look in the field of graves where dead kings sleep.

There's a tomb with a lightning-bolt-shaped crack.

Dig until you are twenty-one feet deep.

Until you find a coffin that is black."

The fire sputtered and died but the voice of Cadaver still echoed the last words of the rhyme.

"…coffin that is black…"

"…that is black…"

"…is black…"

Callida whimpered and did not seem at all like the brusk wench who Jadis had first seen in Argilla's shop.

"Your highness, I beg you, do not do this evil," she pleaded. "Spare this world and do not heed the words of a rogue ghost."

"Silence, fool, and speak of this to no one or you will end up like Argilla the potter!"

As Jadis left Callida's shack, she noticed that the sky was growing lighter so she did not have much time to get back before people noticed that Ancilla was not her. She hurried along the streets and was afraid for a terrible minute that she was lost. But then she caught sight of a familiar-looking hovel and from there she could find her way quite easily. The sun was just rising when she slipped in the back door and up the stairs to the hallway where her room was. Finally she thought she was safe from being caught but it was not over.

Bellatrix was woken up by the sound of footsteps in the hallway and knew that her sister was back. She quickly got out of bed and threw on her nightgown. Then she opened the door to find Jadis just opening the door to her own room to enter. Startled, Jadis stared at the robed figure of her sister for a moment. Bellatrix advanced on her twin.

"You have been seeking information about the Deplorable Word," she accused.

"What is it to you?" retorted Jadis.

"That kind of sorcery is only for Black Wizards!" shouted Bellatrix.

"Shut up," hissed Jadis, but there were already footsteps coming. However, they were coming from inside Jadis' room and belonged to Ancilla as she came out in the hall to find out what all the rucus was about. When she saw Jadis, she bowed low, already taking off the nightdress. She was not used to such fine fabric and was glad to be out of it again and in her old clothes.

"Highness, I have carried out the command you gave to me."

Jadis grabbed her nightdress from Ancilla and cruelly pushed her shivering into the hallway as she shut and locked her door.

"Jadis!"

Bellatrix was horrified at the behavior of her sister since Ancilla had not done anything but obey her. She led the servant girl into her own bedroom and gave her another nightdress. Then she told her to go back to the servants' quarters to get another set of clothes so that she could start her duties for the day. Since the sun had risen, she decided that she might as well wash herself and get ready for the day as well. She had decided not to tell her father about Jadis because if she was probing the mystery of the Deplorable Word there was no telling what drastic thing she might do.

Jadis paced restlessly up and down in her room. She could not afford that little sniffer of a sister following and spying on her. For all her caution against deep sorcery, she could learn the Deplorable Word before Jadis and become more powerful than her. It was too risky to have her around snooping into her business any longer. In that moment, Jadis decided what to do.

The next afternoon, Bellatrix was playing with her mouse, Aliger, under her favorite tree in the palace gardens. It was very still and there was no breeze and she started dozing off with the winged mouse still in her hand. Then she woke up with a start when she realized that she could not feel him anymore. But when she looked down at her hand, Aliger was still there. Why could she not feel his soft fur?

Only a few moments more, thought Jadis. Her limited powers allowed her to only paralyze someone partially but she wanted to inflict the most damage that she could. She wanted Bellatrix to be too afraid of her to meddle in her affairs anymore. She had chosen their favorite spot to play in when they had been children to find her because she knew that weaklings like her were more emotionally attached to such things. If she went on not noticing that she was being paralyzed, then Jadis could go on to paralyze her completely.

But she did notice. Bellatrix looked up to see Jadis across the garden just as the paralysis was spreading up her arm. With a sickening horror, she realized what was going on as it reached her shoulder. She reacted before it could reach her neck and Jadis lost sight of her as she ran into the tress before she could finish. A squeaking noise arose from the area around her feet and she looked down to see Aliger, whom Bellatrix had dropped in her escape. Without a second thought, Jadis covered him with her boot and pressed down as hard as she could. The sound of crunching bones and the blood oozing out from beneath her sole made her heart beat faster in delight.