So this is another two-parter that got squeezed into one. About 13k words, so settle in.
Chapter 8: Staying Human
Although the room was small, it was private and close. It was the best she could provide for her friend, and it would definitely help. Princess Henrietta told herself, still wishing there was more she could do for the woman before her. Looking down from where she sat, Henrietta watched the unconscious form of her most loyal subordinate take slow, weak breaths from beneath the mound of blankets.
Never had Henrietta doubted this woman's courage and skill. How could she? This was Agnes de Milan, captain of the musketeers. The woman had stubbornly risen from an orphaned commoner to the rank of Chevalier. Every challenge before this woman crumbled before her sheer grit. And yet here she lay, beset by infection and fever. "I'm sorry Agnes... If only I had realized. If only I had known..."
A weak cough drew Henrietta from herself loathing. With the ease that came from hours of practice, Henrietta dipped the cloth into the bucket of water and rung it out before carefully dabbing away Agnes' sweat. Though she couldn't hear it, Henrietta knew the maid outside was once again fidgeting in fright. For the Princess to tend to a lowly soldier? Outrageous to be sure, but the world had gone crazy anyway. What was one more slip of sanity?
Henrietta placed the cloth back on the lip of the bucket and briefly looked out the window toward the west, toward Albion. The thought of the floating isle of Albion used to fill Henrietta with longing and hope, yet now it brought only heart wrenching guilt and restrained anger.
For a long time now the country of Albion had been embroiled in a civil war. Nobles had banded together under the banner of the Reconquista and fought to dethrone their rightful ruler. When it had become obvious that a rebel victory was only a matter of time, Henrietta had been pledged to Germania's Emperor. A marriage like that would cement an alliance and protect both countries from a possible attack. Yet there had been one small problem. Henrietta's heart belonged to another. It belonged to the Prince of Albion, her dear Wales.
It was with a heavy heart that Henrietta had ordered Agnes to retrieve or destroy a love letter she had sent to Wales, the contents of which could break up the marriage between her and Germania's Emperor. Agnes had handpicked her best soldiers for the job. They were each professionals; each were exemplary soldiers. Yet Henrietta had worried; they were all commoners, magic-less. So, she had sought to protect them by assigning one she didn't fully know to the mission, one she believed she could trust. That one was Viscount Wardes, captain of the griffon knights and square class wind mage. Though she didn't know him personally, Wardes was the betrothed of her dear friend Louise, surely he could be trusted then. And that had been the greatest mistake of Henrietta's life.
The now ex-captain had waited until the letter had been retrieved to enact his own plan. He had struck Wales, Agnes, and all the musketeers down in cold blood. There had been no battle, no duel, only a brief moment of trust capitalized on. With letter in hand and no witnesses, the man had left the corpses to be lost under the bombardment of the advancing Reconquista artillery.
However, Agnes had somehow survived being run through by a blade of air. Through sheer grit the woman had forced herself up and proceeded to bind her wound. In what could only be an act of heroism, she had evaded rebel scouts and passed by the rebel army unnoticed. Then, still wounded, had commandeered a moored rebel sloop in the dead of night. Agnes had been found barely conscious by a patrolling dragon knight the next day. She had tied herself to the helm and maintained a heading directly toward the palace. With no place closer, the dragon knight had taken her aboard his dragon and flown her to the capital's garrison for healing.
When word of Agnes' condition had reached her, Henrietta rushed to her side. Like the dutiful soldier she was, Agnes remained conscious long enough to deliver her report and then passed out. Since then, her wound had festered and her fever had risen. Periodically she would wake with varying levels of lucidity. Each time, she would only try to report again, unsure if her previous reports were only dreams. Henrietta had called the royal family's personal healer to attend to Agnes' wounds, but no more could be done. Only time would tell if Agnes could pull through.
So there Henrietta sat, alone in the world. The love of her life murdered by a man she sent, her most trusted subordinate and protector dying directly because of her shortcomings, and her country soon to be without alliance now that the rebels had her letter. As if that alone was not enough, just when Henrietta had thought to send for Louise Valliere, her childhood friend whose unshakable loyalty was needed more than ever, a messenger from the pope himself arrives and declares Louise a heretic. Never before had Henrietta been so tempted to kill a messenger than when the man declared that Louise was to be burned at the stake for partaking of unholy magic and becoming a lich.
Henrietta clenched her hands together, repressing the urge to cry. Her oldest friend was being hunted by the church and all she could do to help was decline to hunt her. Helgenkia was large, and finding one girl on the run was impossible for the few agents Henrietta had left that she could trust with a heretical mission of helping a lich. Agnes could do it,Henrietta thought grimly.
Another cough from Agnes signaled Henrietta. Working silently, she tended to Agnes. With all the power of a nation at her fingertips, Henrietta could do nothing to help her dead lover, her dying protector, or her lost friend. All she could do was dab away a little more sweat.
The coin purse jingled pitifully as Louise retrieved it from her cloak and opened it. "We have enough for maybeone ticket, and that is without spending any more on food." Louise was starting to regret leaving their things behind in Romalia. Sure, their wagon was stabled right outside the city, but it also had all their traveling clothing and food. Neither Montmorency or Louise had any experience hunting, so they had gotten by with what little ecu that Louise had brought with them. That and any berries they could forage.
Berries, that was the one benefit to traveling off road. Louise knew enough to keep a proper heading from her years of riding, but traveling through forests and hills was a lot less fun when you didn't have a mansion to ride home to at the end of the day, and had to walk rather than ride, andhadn't bathed in a week. The two girls had agreed that using the roads was too risky now that an inquisition was underway. Fliers had been sent out to every major village with their description, it was just too likely to get recognized by a passing merchant. Even when they went to buy food they were quick and discreet; traveling hard as soon as they were done.
Buying a horse had been out of the question, it would have cost everything they had for a barely passable horse. Flying was also turned down. It was too visible from too far around, not to mention the fact that Louise didn't want to overextend her willpower. She had heard of mages casting too many or too powerful spells and losing their magic for a time while their willpower regenerated. Louise shuddered when she thought of that happening midair.
So the two had walked across the countryside; sticking to forests and valleys with one eye on the skies. Twice they had spotted a dragon. Both times they huddled beneath their earthen cloaks. Dragon sight was incredibly good, but not even dragons could distinguish an unmoving blob of green on a green plain.
One hand on her chin, Louise pondered their situation. Traveling so far had been unpleasant, but also unhindered all the way through Romalia and Gallia. Besides, even if they had taken the roads, the food money saved would not have been enough for another airship ticket. That meant they had two options. They could try to get more money somehow or try flying on Louise's staff. The latter was dangerous; as Louie wasn't sure she could even find the island in the clouds before her willpower ran out, let alone manage to fly that high. The former was almost as unlikely. Getting a job would be far too dangerous and Louise couldn't bear the thought of stooping to theft. "Heh heh, I got it covered." Montmorency's confident giggle snapped Louise from her thoughts.
A broad smile was plastered across Montmorency's face. Louise could only raise an eyebrow in question. "Not to be sour Mon, but do tell. What are you so happy about?"
Digging into her cloak, Montmorency produced a parchment. "You think too much Louise. Sometimes you have to go with the obvious answer." With a flourish, Montmorency unraveled the parchment. "Treasure hunting!" Just as Montmorency said, a shoddily drawn map and directions were scribbled onto the worn out paper.
Pinching the bridge of her nose, Louise sighed, "Blockhead... How much did that cost?"
Looking away, Montmorency suddenly refused to make eye contact. "Well... Not enough for a ticket." The vein on Louise's forehead pulsed. "You said it yourself, we need more money." Montmorency quickly continued to keep Louise's temper in check. "We can't work, we won't steal. That leaves treasure hunting. Besides, this is on the way to the port." Montmorency pointed at the map, showing a badly drawn mountain labeled Port La Rochelle.
"You do know this is probably a scam right?" Louise deflated at Montmorency's insistence. It was like dealing with a child.
Puffing out her chest, Montmorency retorted. "I'm no fool Louise. I have even heard of this artifact before. It is called the Dragon's Raiment." She once again pointed to the map in emphasis. "It is a magical artifact that is supposed to grant flight to its user. So we could sell it, oruse it to get to Albion. That's double the chances."
Once again, Louise found herself pinching the bridge of her nose. "Blockhead... We still have the same chances. If it is there, we get what we need; if not, we don't." Louise looked over her hand at the map. "Still, you have a point... So we'll try."
Louise could only relent under Montmorency's booming smile. Things had been getting worse and worse recently. A little harmless fun was okay now and again.
"Harmless fun... sure." Louise grumbled to herself as she climbed over yet another boulder. The small ball of flame emanating from her wand was her sole source of light in the dark cave. The two girls had followed the treasure map through a forest to a hidden cave. Then, as the sole fire user of the group, Louise had been forced to take the lead. For what seemed like an hour they meandered through the twisting cave, following the unclear directions of the map. Twice they passed that same stalagmite, Louise was sure.
As irrational as it was, Louise wanted to blame the Kyuubey for their lost state. The silent animal just plodded along behind them, never speaking unless spoken to. Several times, Louise caught it staring at her, yet it didn't have the sense to turn away. The creature really had no tact.
Even Montmorency was starting to lose her vigor. She no longer urged Louise onward with hopes of riches. The thought that there was some treasure trove deep in a cave this close to a farming village was silly, Louise thought. Surely someone from the village would have wandered up here long ago.
Still, Louise didn't want to give up now. Not after spending so long searching through this cave. Grumbling as she was, Louise didn't pay attention on her way over the boulder. Her foothold was slimier than she expected, causing her to slip when she put her weight on it. Gasping, Louise reeled and dropped her wand. Mid fall, a hand grabbed hers and Louise steadied. "Caught you." Montmorency sighed.
Louise mumbled her thanks, embarrassed as she was. Now, how would they find the wand in the dark? The, as Louise's eyes adjusted, she caught a glimmer in the distance. "Montmorency, light!" Louise exclaimed and pointed toward the far off light.
The two girls giggled with new found excitement. In the dimly lit tunnel, Louise was able to make out her wand. Deciding to pocket it, Louise made her way to the light unaided by her wand. With each step, the tunnel became brighter and brighter. Soon enough, the two girls were shielding their eyes from the bright rays of the sun. Slowly, their eyes adjusted. Before them lay a valley of trees surrounded on all sides by a sheer cliff. This was definitely looking more like where treasure would be, Louise silently conceded.
With much more glee than they had in the caves, the girls made their way to the center of the valley. Navigating through a forest was far easier than a cave, and they had far more practice at it as of late. Sure enough, Louise could make out a building through the tree line when they drew close to the valley center. With a slight hop to their step, the girls rushed toward the building. Both silently thinking of the wonders that awaited them.
The two broke the tree line at the same time. In unison, they slowed to a stop before the massive wooden building before them. Vegetation had taken over the building's walls, climbing up and over the roof. The windows were molded over and foggy. Yet as Louise's eyes trailed over the building, her breath hitched. One of the massive doors that led into the building was slightly ajar. Had someone been here before them?
"Miss Valliere?"
Louise's heart nearly stopped at the sound of a new voice. Turning to her right, a single woman dressed in common clothing was standing there holding a basket. Mind racing, Louise managed to recognize her as one of the maids from the school. That ink black hair had always stood out. Why... what was this girl doing all the way here. "Miss Valliere! It really is you!" Louise's hand found her wand in her pocket. Getting recognized like this. How could she have such bad luck? Montmorency took a step back, obviously realizing just what Louise was thinking. The maid was running toward them. Did she mean to kill them? To capture them? This was just a commoner, silencing her wouldn't be hard. Yet, Louise could not raise her wand. Was it fear? Was it morality? Louise didn't know.
Two hands grasped Louise's free hand. "Miss Valliere." The maid said, bringing Louise's hand up to her chest. Louise took a half step back in surprise. What was this? "Thank you."
What?Louise was flabbergasted. "Um... You're welcome?" She managed to get out. Realizing the oddity of her actions, the maid blushed and bowed, apologizing profusely. Louise could only share and confused look with Montmorency as she tried to quiet the bowing maid.
"Miss Siesta?" Once again a new voice joined them, though this one didn't cause Louise to jump quite as much.
It helped that she recognized it. Sure enough, stepping out of the old building was a face she remembered from many a lecture. Bald head shinning in the sun, Professor Colbert stopped as soon as he recognized Louise and Montmorency. "By the founder." He mumbled in surprise. Yet, before Louise could consider running again, the man smiled. It was that warm, welcoming smile he always used to comfort her when she failed at yet another spell. "We have company then? Why don't you join us? Siesta and I were just sitting down for an early supper." Montmorency and Louise locked eyes, searching each other for a moment. "Siesta makes a fine stew." The professor supplied.
Warm food. Staying for supper wouldn't hurt, they both decided.
The professor had not been joking when he said Siesta made a fine stew. It may have been the fact that she had not eaten a hot meal in a week, but Louise swore she never tasted better food than the stew before her. Greedily, she scooped another potato chunk into her mouth. Neither she nor Montmorency spoke much, too busy eating the delicious food. Not that it bothered the Professor, he was content to ramble on and on about the strange object in the building. With the door wide open, Louise could see the odd artifact. According to Siesta, it was the Dragon's Raiment. It looked somewhat like a dragon, Louise conceded. There were obviously two wings, but it had tiny legs with wheels on the end of them. It also looked to have its nose pierced, odd as that sounded.
"It's quite fascinating really. The wings are rigged, designed to only soar. And the rider's room on the top, that is obviously meant for a person, it has controls and an odd helm. Oh! And the nose it spins! I wonder, what would happen if it spun fast enough? The blades are curved, but why?"
Siesta shot Louise an apologetic look. The professor's stew remained untouched ever since Louise had asked what he was doing this far from the academy. Apparently he had come here to find the Dragon's Raiment out of curiosity, and found something far more interesting than a magic artifact. The only magic on the thing was stasis magic apparently, to prevent aging. How something could fly without magic, Louise had no idea, but the professor seemed positive that was the purpose it. The idea of machines doing things like flying? That was definitely something Professor Colbert would study, the man was weird like that.
He was not the only weird one of the group. Louise knew the Kyuubey ate only very small amounts, but it had completely forgone the meal to inspect the Dragon's Raiment. It was a curious thing to be sure, but the white creature had not stopped climbing all over it for some time. Now it just sat on the nose, looking back at the main body. Louise briefly wondered if she should stop it, but decided against it. The little bout of curiosity kept it familiar out of her hair anyways.
With a light cough, Siesta interrupted the rambling professor. "Mister Colbert, your food is getting cold. Won't you eat?" Colbert realized he had started to repeat his ideas once again and laughed nervously. Picking up his bowl, he began to eat. For the rest of the meal, the group ate in silence, but it was a calm, safe silence.
The sun was already setting when the four finished eating and cleaning up. With winter fast approaching, the days were growing shorter. "Ah, not to offend, but you two look like you could use a bath. We have a washroom with a tub. I could heat some water for you if you wish."
"That's alright professor, I can heat it myself." Louise replied, eliciting a worried look from her professor. "No really!" Louise protested, raising her wand in proof. With a small chant, a tiny ember of flame spouted from the top. "My magic is fixed."
Colbert adjusted his glasses, not quite believing what he was seeing. After a moment of thought, he smiled broadly. "I knew you would do well Miss Valliere. I'm so proud of you."
Louise could only blush in embarrassment, "It's not that big a deal." Looking back at the proud smile of her professor. Louise blushed again and turned away. "S-siesta, why don't you show me the tub. I'll heat it." With that, Louise retreated with Siesta in tow, still hiding her embarrassed blush.
Colbert went back to stacking up the remaining dishes, only to stop after a moment. Turning back, he found Montmorency still there, not having followed Siesta and Louise. "Miss Montmorency, I'm sure the other girls could use your help filling the tub. You are a water mage correct?"
Montmorency ignored the warm smile adorning the face her old professor. "Why should we trust you?" So strong was the accusation in Montmorency's voice that it froze Colbert for a moment, causing his smile to falter. "I know you are just pretending to know nothing, but I'm no fool. There is no way you wouldn't have heard of the inquisition." Her voice grew as she became more and more heated. "Louise may want to trust you because you always coddled her, but not me." She took a step forward, "Why would you help us? Aren't we liches? Why haven't you killed us! Have you called for the church and are just stalling!" Breathing deeply, Montmorency tried to recover her lost breath.
Colbert tried and failed to smile again. Instead, he just lowered his eyes to the bowls in his hands. "Liches... I don't really know what to think about that Miss Montmorency." Silence filled the night air. Montmorency continued to breathe, waiting for Colbert to find his words. "When I saw you two though... I knew right away. Before liches, before anything, you two are my precious students." The man found his strength and raised his head, once more a warm smile plastered across it. "I would never let harm come to my students, I promise you."
Much softer than her previous shouts, Montmorency shakily replied. "You promise?" Caution was etched into her nervous words.
Colbert only nodded in return and placed his hand upon her head. "I promise."
In lunge that nearly sent Colbert teetering, Montmorency latched onto him and buried her face in his chest. Words spilled out of her, but they were unintelligible through his chest and her sobs. Slowly, Colbert placed his arms around the sobbing girl. With one hand he rubbed her back and waited. Sobs diminished into snivels, which diminished into slight hitches in breath, and soon enough Montmorency had quieted. Slowly, she broke away. "Now," Professor Colbert began, "How about that bath?"
"When the professor said you had a washroom, I assumed he meant a bucket and soap, not... this." Louise gestured before her. A tarp cordoned off a section of the massive building that housed the Dragon's Raiment. Behind the tarp was a massive basin, towels, even a sink. While none of it looked pretty, it was a fully functional washroom.
Siesta nervously sighed. "That might be my fault. The professor asked to move the Raiment to his lab at the school, but after seeing it myself, I didn't want to lose that piece of my family's history. So I said he could study it, but not take it." She looked toward the artifact, sitting in the center of the building. With a smile, she rolled her eyes. "So he just says 'If I can't bring it to my lab, I'll bring my lab to it.' I thought he was joking, but next thing I know, he has brought a wagon load of supplies here and set up this little encampment."
Louise nearly snorted. The professor was either shirking his teaching duties or using his vacation time to study this artifact. She wasn't sure what was worse. "So then, that doesn't explain why you are here? Are you afraid of him taking the artifact?"
Raising her hands, Siesta shook her head enthusiastically. "Oh no, I don't mistrust Mister Colbert, he is nothing but a gentleman." Placing a hand on her chin, Siesta thought for a moment. "Well, when the professor first came to Tarbes searching for the Dragon's Raiment, he hired me to help him find it when he found out it was my great grandfather's treasure." Siesta moved toward the basin and leaned against it. "I had never seen it, though my father had and he insisted I go and see it for myself, that it was a family duty." The maid kicked her legs. "Then, when he moved in, he needed help with food and cleaning, so I just ended up staying around and helping. He even made it official and hired me, he pays me and everything... It's... nice."
With each word, Siesta's voice grew more and more wistful. Yet Louise didn't press her. Whatever had drawn the lively girl's mood down, she would speak of it if she wanted. Trying to brighten the mood, Louise approached the basin and checked the water. "Well, this water could use some changing. Let's get Montmorency to clean it and I'll heat it, then us girls can have bath."
Siesta looked toward Louise and brightened. "Okay."
One quick 'Purify' spell from Montmorency and one underpowered 'Boil' spell from Louise had created quite the tub. The three girls sat soaking in the warm water, having already scrubbed each other clean. Louise had briefly thought of how it must look for two nobles to bathe with a commoner, but shooed the thought away. Two heretics and a commoner was a little better she supposed.
It would be a completely relaxed silence if not for the soft clangs of metal and hushed whispers coming from beyond the curtain. Apparently Colbert had finished cleaning and gone back to tinkering with the Dragon's Raiment. "Does he usually mess with that thing this late?" Louise asked jokingly.
Siesta snickered, "He'll go on til the morning if I don't stop him."
The three girls snickered at the oblivious man's expense. "Well at least we know he's not sneaking a peek." Montmorency joked. "Can you imagine of Guiche was here? We would have to tie him to a tree before even trying this." Once again, giggles filled the makeshift washroom before it slowly descended into silence. "Siesta," Montmorency spoke up, "I've been meaning to ask you. When you saw Louise, you thanked her. What was that about?"
Louise perked up, remembering the incident. She had forgotten in the wake of Colbert's arrival. It had seemed pretty important, now that she thought about it. Siesta slowly descended into the hot water, hiding the blush on her face. Oh, this would be good. Giggling, Louise egged her on. "Come on Siesta, you have to tell me." The maid only blushed harder and looked away. "Or are you not thankful?" Louise teased.
Finally needing air, Siesta reemerged with a gasp. "It's not that Miss Louise, I'm just embarrassed. I was just thinking about how I'd never be able to thank you and you appeared, I was just so overcome that I acted so improperly." Victorious smirks greeted Siesta on both sides.
Finally she relented, knowing she wouldn't be free without telling her story. "Well, I guess it all started when I left the school." She began, remembering the events. Louise and Montmorency leaned in, sensing a good story. "See, I caught the eye of Count Mott when he came to visit the academy." Siesta's expression darkened. "I wish I could say it was my skills as a maid or my work ethic that inspired him to buy my contract, but that would be a lie."
It took a moment, but realization slowly filled the two listeners. Siesta was a beautiful woman. She was young and curvaceous, and her ink black hair was slightly exotic without being over the top. What was more, a commoner had no right to refuse if their contract was bought. Doing so would mean being blacklisted. That meant either allowing the count to have his way, or lose any chance at a job she had spent her life training in. A rage welled within Louise. A man who would abuse his power like that. That was no noble, just a dog. No, not even a dog. Those were the actions of slime.
Not wanting to say more than was necessary, Siesta continued. "I had resigned myself to my fate and started working in his mansion. When-" She stopped for a moment, collecting herself. "When he called me to his chambers to clean a spill. When I got there his room was clean." Once again she fell into silence, only the soft clangs from beyond the curtain could be heard. Siesta's eyes fell and her bangs hid her face. "And then..." She clenched her fist so tightly her knuckle when white. "And then he came to me, bringing me toward his bed." Holding the shaking fist to her chest, Siesta continued, "And I..."
Montmorency reached out a hand to comfort the girl. Then, just before she could place her hand on Siesta's shoulder. The maid stood up in one rushed snap, spraying water everywhere. "And I punched him right in that fat nose! Knocked the bastard clean out!" Righteous fury boiled off of the maid. Louise and Montmorency could only gawk from where they sat; both frozen in surprise. After a beat of silence, Siesta realized that even Colbert had frozen in the wake of her outburst. With a blush, she sat back down. "Of course I was fired, but I didn't regret it. Not one bit."
Louise was still stunned. It was an inspiring story, but not one she had any part in. Why was the maid thanking her? Siesta seemed to realize this and explained. "I was thinking, at that time. This is the way things are. I couldn't do anything about it, so why try?" Then Siesta grabbed Louise's hand again. "And then I remembered your duel with Mister Guiche. How even though everyone said you were a failure. Said that you couldn't rise above what you got in life, you still beat him down with the strength that you had." Drawing Louise's hand to her, Siesta pressed it to her heart. "You inspired me to fight. To persevere despite everything being against me. So thank you. Thank You Louise Valliere."
Only silence followed the heartfelt thanks. Louise couldn't think of words strong enough to accept Siesta's feelings. Yet, she didn't have to. The two girls locked eyes and knew.
"I GOT IT!" A cry from beyond the curtain broke the heavy air. Sending the girls into nervous, then cheerful giggles.
Louise had not slept so well in a long time. Sure it was a mound of hay with a blanket over it shared with two other girls, but it was warm and safe. She woke to a sizzling sound and the smell of bacon. Extracting herself from the bed, Louise made sure not to wake the still sleeping Siesta and Montmorency.
Siesta's curtained off 'room' was cozy, but finding the slat in the hanging tarp was hard without light. Yet, she managed to find the exit without incident. Morning light filtered thought the small opening in the large door of the building. Making her way over, Louise rubbed eyes. Blinking sleepily, she peeked out to see Colbert sitting next to a fire in the clearing. "Good morning, Miss Valliere. I may not be the cook Siesta is, but I'm quite confident in my bacon. Would you like some?"
With a smile, Louise sat down and took the plate offered her. Bacon, bread and fruit, a far cry better than what she had grown used to. Unlike yesterday, she did not have hunger to accentuate the taste of her meal, yet she was still sure this bacon was the best she had ever tasted. "Confident? Professor, I didn't take you for a cook." Louise complimented.
The older man smiled, proud of his work. "It's all in the wrist miss Valliere." He looked downward, toward the fire. It was then Louise realized that the fire was not flickering, but instead it was a steady, slow stream that crept up to the edges of the skillet. Intrigued, Louise looked to Colbert's free hand. In it, he held a wand. It was odd, remembering that the man who cared so much about machines was a fire mage. "I could teach you if you want."
There was no question. Louise had her wand in hand in only a moment. "Please!" She squeaked, containing her excitement. This would be her first time being taught magic. Well, taught while actually being able to follow along. Memorized cantrips and dot spells only went so far.
"Now, the first thing you should know about fire is that it is the release of energy. It is not destruction, not a weapon, not even something that consumes. If you go about directing fire like it is some kind of powerful lion as liable to attack you as your enemy, you'll start off learning with your first mistake." The professor stood up, letting the flames revert to their natural state. The man walked around and sat next to Louise. "Fire is like a snake. It slithers along the ground, taking the easiest path. When casting a spell of fire, you provide two things. Power and guidance. Most mages think they must force their fire along a path they want, but you only need to create that path and your fire will follow." Colbert gestured to the fire before them. "Power is provided here, you need only provide a channel for it. Think of creating a tube around it, guide it, don't force the fire."
Louise as somewhat surprised. She expected spells and incantations, not an odd lecture, but this was Professor Colbert. He seemed to know what he was talking about. "Rin." Muttering the basic fire manipulation spell, Louise reached out with her magic and gripped the fire before her. No, she stopped herself. Create a tube. With that in mind, she moved her magic around the fire, creating that tube and leading it to the skillet above. Sure enough, it began to resemble the strange stream that Colbert had been creating. Then, as soon as she finished, the fire extinguished in a flash. With a jump of fright, Louise squeaked. "Professor, I'm sorry. I failed." The words left her lips with practiced ease before Louise even realized she said them.
Colbert only chuckled. "Nope, you were perfect. I'd call you a prodigy if this was your first day trying fire manipulation." The man only chuckled more at Louise's confused look. "Fire needs air to survive, and when you finished the tube connecting the ground to the skillet, you created and airtight cylinder. It took only a moment for the fire to eat all the air." With a flourish, Colbert once again set the logs ablaze. "All fire spells incorporate Rin, fire manipulation, into them. If you remember this concept of creating a tube, your spells will be much stronger and easier to control." Louise nodded in understanding. "Now, how about you practice a little more while I wake everyone else?"
The day proceeded smoothly. Louise practiced her fire magic under the watchful eye of Professor Colbert and Montmorency went foraging for herbs with Siesta. It was peaceful in the hidden valley. All their worries beyond the cliff side were easily forgotten. Yet Louise knew it could not last. They needed to journey to Albion. They needed to find the void mage before the church. Though she hid her thoughts of leaving, Colbert soon found her out. It was at that night's supper that he spoke. "You girls are welcome to stay here as long as you need. No one is going to come knocking on one of my research sites. Even if they did, there are a million hiding places within this valley."
While the man never mentioned their current status as liches, his worry was evident. He knew just what awaited them if they were caught. Still, Louise had to turn him down. "We have a lead on a way to heal ourselves." The man's eyes brightened in surprise.
Louise looked to Montmorency and shared a moment of acknowledgement. Montmorency continued. "We have to try. Even if it is a long shot."
Colbert looked down toward his soup. "Yes, I understand. You girls aren't the type to give up." Supper passed in silence after that. Neither of their hosts asked when they would leave, and Louise was thankful for it.
Later that night Louise watched Colbert going over the Dragon's Raiment. Rather than his usual pocking and prodding, he was just running a hand along it; taking in the view. That was the final bit of proof Louise needed. Turning, she made her way toward Siesta's room. Inside, she found only Montmorency. The maid was busy with cleaning luckily. "We'll be leaving tomorrow morning." Montmorency spoke for her.
Louise nodded, "I saw Professor Colbert packing a bag earlier. He means to come with us."
The brief silence was broken by Montmorency. "Is that so bad?" She weakly asked. Having a reliable man like Professor Colbert around would be good. Louise paused, also wanting to allow the man to come with. Montmorency looked down and fiddled with the ring on her finger. Her soul gem. It looked dimmer in this light. Smiling weakly, Montmorency tried to shake the despair that clung to her. "No, you're right. We won't let our families shelter us, but we would let Professor Colbert throw away his life for us? I guess we can't do that."
Neither girl spoke, slowly resigning themselves to what they had to do. They were nobles after all. They would hold their heads high and face their own problems. "Besides, he is just a teacher right? He'd probably just slow us down." Louise joked, drawing a pained laugh from Montmorency. "We should get some sleep. We'll need our strength for tomorrow."
The two girls left but a single note pinned to the buildings door. What small measure of gratitude they could put to writing sat upon the old note. Their sack was filled with what food they could carry from the Professor's stock. He would not mind, they both knew. The sun had not yet even begun to rise when they entered the cave. With Louise at the front, guiding their way with controlled stream of fire, they left the safe valley and ventured toward the world beyond.
While much faster than the way in, it still took some time to navigate through the cave, and by the time they exited the sun had just finished rising. With heavy hearts the two girls made their way through the forest. The plan was to go to La Rochelle and see what they could do with one ticket's worth of money. Either find work aboard a ship or stow away, either would have to do.
Both girls went back to watching the skies when they exited the forest. Tarbes, Siesta's home village, sat next to the forest not too far to the south. Trying to find money in a farming village like that wouldn't be easy, even if they were all a friendly as Siesta was. So they had decided to bypass it to avoid being noticed.
Though no dragons could be seen flying overhead, the shapes of airships could be seen in the distance soaring over La Rochelle. Their goal was to get aboard one of those. Louise watched a large galleon drift along. She recognized it as a military vessel. One of Tristain's by the design. Maybe she should just requisition one as a noble? Louise smirked at her own joke.
The small smirk shattered into a horrific look of fear when the galleon erupted into black smoke. It was soon followed by others. As more and more of the ships in the distance erupted into smoke, the sound finally reached the two frozen girls. The thundering of cannons sounded out of sync with the exploding ships. What was going on? Both girls could only wonder. The ships that hadn't sunk began to turn and retreat. By the look of their formation, the fleeing ships were working together. Louise racked her brain. By their design, they were most likely Albion. But why? Why would they attack Tristain? Montmorency supplied the answer Louise had been searching for. "The rebels..." She whispered.
The realization hit Louise like a ton of bricks. She had known of the civil war in Albion, but if this was happening, that meant the rebels had won and set their sights on Tristain. If that was so, why were they heading this way? Once again Louise worked to piece what she was seeing together. "Food." Louise spoke in realization, "They took out the local air defense, but landing in a hostile port is impossible. They mean to create a foothold with Tarbes."
Montmorency tore her eyes away from the advancing ships and looked toward the farming village. The village was beginning to come to life. Early risers could be seen gawking toward the port town. Those with sharper wits were already sounding the alarm. Louise continued, "By taking a farming village and maintaining air superiority, they'll be able to field a large army. Then they take the port from the sky and land. If they do that, they'll have a perfect supply line and fortress." Louise had begun to ramble, "Best case scenario they take everything that isn't bolted down from Tarbes to La Rochelle. Most likely, they raze it."
While no expert, Louise had learned that studying military tactics had made both her parents proud, despite it not being a woman's course. Hours of reading flooded back to her. "With a proper supply line, the Albion navy easily outclasses our own. Soon enough they'll divide our cities and take them one by one." It was the perfect move. La Rochelle had more wind stones than Tristain knew what to do with. With a port like that at their control, the Albion Navy wouldn't have to return to resupply.
Next to her, Montmorency gaped, still trying to comprehend what her friend was saying. "What are you saying Louise?"
With a snap, Louise turned and looked upon her friend with horror. "If the rebels take Tarbes, they'll conquer Tristain within the year."
"You can't know that." Montmorency protested. Not wanting to believe that war was on their doorstep.
With what will she had, Louise forced her emotions down, trying to think rationally. "You are right. But even if I'm wrong; they take Tarbes and they'll be able to land their army fully supplied. Even if we hold the port, it'll mean a full army on army battle. Our rookies versus their veterans of a long civil war."
Slowly, it began to dawn on Montmorency what her friend was implying. "You keep saying if."
"Yes. If." Louise replied.
She couldn't contain it any longer; Montmorency began to laugh. Louise paid no mind to the hint of madness in her friend's laughter. When the guffaws subsided, Montmorency wiped away a tear. "Louise, you are the craziest person I have ever met."
"Listen-" Louise began.
"Don't!" Montmorency stopped her friend with a hard look. Previous laughter gone, Montmorency continued. "Don't tell me I don't have to help. I couldn't take it Louise." In a flash of light, Montmorency's soul gem appeared in her hand. "It would be easy. Saying I don't like fighting. Saying I am too weak. Once, that would have been true... But now... But now I have the power to do something."
Louise had seen it before, but the explosion of golden light still took her breath away. Wafts of golden light trailed along and formed Montmorency's hammer, and with a flourish she spun the great weapon around and planted the pommel on the ground. "I can't really grasp our country being in peril. I also don't really believe I could do anything to stop something as big as that. But!" Montmorency pointed toward Tarbes. "That is Siesta's home right? If we don't stop those ships, her home will be destroyed right? Well that's something I can get my head around." Turning back to Louise, Montmorency held up her hand. "Despite knowing what we were, she took us in without a second thought. She didn't even know me. I can return that favor. That is something I can do."
Retrieving her own Soul Gem, Louise nodded, and with an explosion of pink, joined her friend. With burst of strength, she too planted her pommel upon the earth. "You're right this time blockhead. I guess that's all the reason we need." The morning breeze kicked up Louise's mantel and ruffled Montmorency's clothing. "We'll be hopelessly outnumbered." Louise cautioned.
"I know."
The ships drew ever closer. Louise spoke again, "We could die."
"I know."
Once again, Louise warned. "We might miss our chance at becoming human again."
A snicker followed her words. "If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to scare yourself off, not me." Montmorency grinned before turning away from the approaching ships and met Louise's gaze. "If we run now, would we really be closer to being human? To abandon our nation and countrymen to save ourselves? What would we be then? Not human, I can tell you that much."
With a solemn nod, Louise agreed. "It should make for an interesting story at least. Two liches make a stand against an entire armada? In any story we would have to win, just to prove how dangerous we are."
Montmorency giggled. "You know that is just so the hero is all the more awesome when he kills us right?"
Louise giggled with her friend for a moment, enjoying the laughter as it died out. Then, with barely a whisper, she replied.
"I know."
Francis had never thought himself leader. Yet he had somehow always ended up in such a role. As a child, his size and cheer had drawn his peers to him. As an adult, it worked much the same way. People asked him for advice and for help, and he couldn't just turn them away. It seemed natural when he had been chosen as the village leader. Sure he still managed his plot of land, but he also ended up meeting with the lord of Tarbes to deliver reports and settle disputes within the villagers. Yet now, with a fleet of ships approaching, he wished he had never accepted the role. People were panicking all around him and nothing he said would calm them. He had to get them into the forest, but it was only a matter of time before the panic erupted into a full blown stampede. People would get hurt, children would be lost. "Drake!" He called to a man busy trying to drag an unmoving mule burdened by hastily packed sacks. "Leave it, you'll never make it towing that stubborn thing!"
Only foul words filled with hate were returned. This was the same Drake that sang off-color songs with him in the tavern. Fear had turned him hostile. Yet what could Francis do? He was but one man.
"People of Tarbes!" The voice of a young girl sounded from above. So loud and so odd was it that Francis could not help but look up. There, hovering above his village was a pair of girls. They straddled an odd staff and wore strange, beautiful clothing. One wore a mantel, a mage then. Vaguely, Francis realized the other villagers had stopped to look at the odd sight. Seeing as she had their attention, the girl with the mantle descended, dropping the two of them before Francis. They barely came up to his chest, but their commanding air bid him listen. "Are you the leader of this village?" The mantled one asked. Francis nodded, still too perplexed to speak. With a nod, the girl handed him a piece of parchment. "This is a map to a cave in that forest. Follow it through to a secluded valley beyond." Francis remembered hearing about that. One of the families of his village claimed they stored a treasure there. "Siesta is there with a man named Colbert. They'll be able to shelter you, for a time at least."
Whispers broke out among the villagers. Everyone knew Siesta was out helping a professor, going to where they were was a good idea. More and more whispers of agreement flitted through the gathering villagers. Seeing her work was done, the mantled mage turned to the approaching ships. "We'll see what we can do about those. You just focus on evacuating."
That fatherly piece of Francis awoke within him. Surely these girls weren't planning on taking an armada head on? "Bu-"
"Montmorency, let's go." The noble before Francis spoke, ignoring his protest. Once again straddling the staff, the mage began to hover. With a nod, the silent blonde jumped aboard. A flash of pink and a cloud of dust signaled their exit. The two girls rocketed off into the sky.
Murmurs of awe fitted through the crowd. Yet, Francis knew he had no time to waste. Turning to the villagers, he let out his greatest booming yell, "You heard the lady! Get only what you need! We make for the woods in five minutes! Elderly and children to me! Drake! Help me move them out!"
People froze not sure whether or not to agree. Then, in a blessing from Brimir, Drake responded. "Right! I'll take the front. Let's go!"
Ordered and no longer panicking, the villagers assembled quickly. With the men surrounding the edges, the group made their way into the woods. Though confused, the children of the village were all accounted for. Francis shuddered to think what he would have done if a child had been left behind. His own daughter held his hand. She was barely three, so she didn't understand what was happening. "Daddy?" She asked up at him. "Where are the poster girls going?"
Poster girls? Francis looked down to his daughter, trying to discern what she was saying. The only posters they had in the village were of... Francis' head snapped back toward his village, toward the skies beyond. The two girls that had stopped to help them. The two girls that had flown off to buy them time. Those were the two girls whose faced adorned the wanted posters distributed by the church.
Heretics? Liches? Francis immediately knew they were no such thing. Those two were no liches, they were shining examples of all that was good. "They are going on a trip." Francis lied to his daughter.
"Have a safe trip!" His daughter waved to the fading speck of the girls.
Yes, Francis silently hoped. "Be safe."
Wind ripped through the girls' hair as they approached the armada. They had been spotted, that much was sure. The sloops were already maneuvering to cover the larger ships from boarding and dragon knights had taken to the skies. Louise called back to Montmorency. "Remember! Disable the mast, then move on! We only have to keep them dead in the air!" She had to scream to be heard of the howling wind. Briefly, Louise regretted leaving her familiar behind, but there was no way she could watch it during the fight.
Montmorency's strained voice sounded in her ear. "You just keep those Dragons off me! I'll deal with the ships!" Louise felt a weight shift behind her, once glance told her what she needed to know. With one hand on Louise's shoulder for stability, Montmorency had planted her feet and stood crouched upon the staff. She had drawn her goggles down and looked forward, ready for what was to come. "Louise!" She warned.
Turning back, Louise saw the ships turning broadside. Odd, they were far outside the range of grapeshot. Barely even within range of standard shot. Surely the armada didn't think they could hit them with standard? Still, the sinking feeling in Louise's stomach said otherwise. In a split decision, she pulled hard and climbed rapidly. Just as she did, hundreds of cannons opened fire. A wall of metal passed below them, tearing through the air with an audible thrum. How in Brimir's name? Suddenly, the Albion's easy victory at the port made sense. Some kind of new, long range cannon would have assured victory in surprise attack.
Keeping a careful eye on the ships, Louise climbed high. Just to be safe, she would approach above their maximum angle. Yet they were far from safe. Now closing on the ships, the dragon knights moved to intercept them. Louise did not balk at twenty fire breathing beasts flying to meet her. She knew what she was getting into. At least, for this first engagement, she would have the altitude.
Closer and closer they flew, into Louise could see the smoke trailing from the dragons' nostrils. In unison, the great beasts opened their mouths and released twenty streams of fire. "Now!" Louise cried.
With a monstrous burst of strength, Montmorency jumped from her position. The sheer force of the action sent Louise strafing in the other direction. Both girls skimmed the outside of the wall of dragonfire. The heat was so intense, Louise feared her clothing would erupt into flames just from the proximity. Yet as quickly as it began, the heat ended.
Curving in, Louise crossed in front of the rising dragon knights. It was her job to draw them off. In front of her, Louise saw Montmorency smash into a dragon, her hammer expanding and crushing the great beast in one blow. The force of the blow redirected Montmorency toward her target. The highest sloop in the fleet. Sure that Montmorency would reach her target, Louise returned her attention to the now nineteen angry dragon knights.
Pulling up, Louise began to climb before them. All eyes on her, the knights pursued, releasing gouts of magical fire and wind to accompany their mount's dragon fire. Weaving back and forth, Louise darted around and between each stream. With a lurch she hurled sideways and dismounted. In one motion she swung her staff forward and released a pulse of dark energy. The bullet easily outpaced any stream of magic or dragon fire. Her target reacted quickly, throwing a blast of magically summoned fired at the dark sphere. Yet, it was useless. Unhindered, the dark energy pieced through the fired and impacted his dragon. Magic resistant scales or not, the beast was dead before it knew what hit it. Louise didn't care to check and see if the rider survived. There were eighteen more where that came from.
A wide blade of wind arced toward Louise. Rather than dodge, Louise summoned her energy into the familiar spearhead and met the magic blade with her own. There was a moment of resistance, then Louise was through. Two halves of a wind blade trailed behind her. Releasing her mental hold on the blade of energy, Louise let it fly toward yet another target. This time the dragon dodged, but not fast enough. The lip of the spear caught the dragon's wing and tore a hole through the leathery webbing. Another, out of the fight.
Louise swung her staff around and reseated herself upon it just in time to spiral out of the way of another wall to flame. This one was more spread out, keeping her from veering too harshly. Again a wall came, this time blocking her as she tried to swerve left. Instead she had to level out to avoid the fire. They are taking the altitude from me.Louise realized. Yet even though she realized their plan, she was unable to counter. Before they had sought to erase her quickly, now they were working with practiced precision to drive her downwards. In a dragon fight, forcing the opponent to the ground assured victory.
There was just one problem with that strategy. "I'm not riding a dragon!" Louise roared defiance and flipped midair. A stream of dark energy erupted behind her, driving her back toward her pursuers. In an instant, she had reversed direction and was flying straight for their middle. Such a suicidal move stunned all but a few of the riders. Yet even the few that recovered soon enough launch attacks were too surprised to coordinate. Louise weaved between the streams as best she could, yet a blade of wind was hidden in the wake of a gout of dragonfire. The sharpened air grazed Louise's arm, spraying blood into the air behind her. Immediately, Louise shut out the pain and for a brief moment, she morbidly remembered the Kyuubey's words about pain.
As quickly as they came, Louise dismissed thoughts and willed more energy into life behind her. Dark blades of energy stuck out on either side of her orb like wings. Each was nearly two meters. Just like with the griffon in Romalia, Louise passed by the Dragons and clipped their wings. Two direct hits and a nick hard enough to take another from the fight.
The white and pink of Louise's mantel was stained red with her blood, yet Louise had no time to bind the bleeding wound, she could only hope it wasn't too deep. Now behind her adversaries, Louise made to drive them apart. If they formed up again, she doubted her trick would work twice. Sparing a look down, Louise spied the ships below slowly maneuvering in confusion. Several of the sloops' masts had fallen, Louise hopped that meant that Montmorency was faring better than she.
On the deck of the sloop below, Montmorency fought her own battle. Deck hands, soldiers and even mages rushed to attack her. Twirling her hammer, He parried off two blades and stepped through the two sailors' guards. Planting the pommel, she pulled herself up and lashed out with her legs. Each man was flung away like a rag doll despite being twice her size. One impacted the mage who was still casting some spell. Wind most likely, Montmorency guessed. Still, this was no time to mess around. Darting toward the sloop's mast, Montmorency planted her feet and swung with all her might. The crack of hammer crunching through wood once again sounded over the confusion as her hammer was imbedded in the ship's mast.
Out of the corner of her eye, Montmorency caught a flash of red. With no time to think, she abandoned her hammer and jumped backward, narrowly dodging a lance of superheated energy. Briefly, Montmorency recognized it as a triangle class fire spell. "Alright boys git er!" A sailor called out, encouraged by her weaponless state. At the man's call, a rabble of sailors charged Montmorency from all sides. Montmorency counted herself lucky, realizing that the sailors had placed themselves between her and the mage. Looking past the onrushing sailors, Montmorency could see the man looking for his opportunity.
A club arcing toward her head alerted Montmorency to the task at hand. Nimbly she sidestepped the blow and immediately stepped into his guard to dodge his friend's. Pivoting, she kicked his shin and swept his legs from beneath him. One more spin and her leg impacted his side and propelled him across the deck toward the mage, her real threat. Now aware of the possibilities human bullets, the mage managed to jump out of the way. Though Montmorency was sure she had interrupted his casting. Three more sailors joined the fray, joining her remaining opponent. Rather than play their game, Montmorency lightly hopped up to head level and lashed out yet again with her legs. Two of her opponents got a face full of magically summoned shoe, knocking them out cold. Yet, even as she took down two, the remaining two dove for her. Landing, she lashed out again and kicked one in the stomach, hurling him away. The last lashed out, only to hit nothing as Montmorency weaved away.
Only this time she impacted something hard. Hastily, Montmorency tried to step away, only for a massive hand to wrap around her arm."I got you." A rumbling voice spoke with triumph.
Somehow a beast of a man had gotten behind her. If the sailors were twice her size, this man was twice theirs. "No, I got you." Montmorency smirked and gripped his arm in return. With a massive pull, she wrenched the man off his feet and around in an arc. The improvised man club did his job of smacking away her remaining opponent and causing those about to join to back off. Releasing her grip, Montmorency let the man fly into the cabin wall. One more down.
Her ring of would be opponents had grown as more sailors piled out from below decks. Soon they would simply pile on top of her. Looking back toward the mast, Montmorency's face shifted to fear. The sailor before her took that as his cue. "Hah! Can't keep this up can you? I-" The man never finished his sentence. A great beam of fire erased him as it passed toward Montmorency. The resulting explosion of heat blinded those present.
Slowly, the sailors looked toward the smoldering pile of ash where the mysteriously strong girl had stood. Then slowly, their eyes trailed to the spot where their cremate had stood. Beyond, their captain stood panting. "Had to be done." He spoke to no one and everyone. "Sacrifices must be made for victory." Still, it was so brutal that the men could only murmur on fear.
"You asshole!" A shout came from above. The blonde girl they thought dead stood on the mast beam, glaring daggers at their captain. With one leap, she propelled herself toward him. The captain had not time to cast another spell, no time to even dodge. The girl flipped once and brought her heel down upon their captain. The earth shattering force of the blow drove the man through the deck. So frozen by the display of clearly devastating and lethal force, the sailors froze when the girl looked to them, turning her back on the hole she created. With a quick stride, she returned to the mast and withdrew her hammer in one lurch. "This will fall momentarily. Try not to get crushed."
With that warning, Montmorency jumped from the deck and soared toward her next target. This one was an old carrack, if memory served.
Again Louise darted amongst her opponents. She had lost count at twelve left, something she chided herself for. While their speeds were similar to hers, Louise capitalized on her superior mobility. Darting in and around her targets, often using one as cover against the others.
From the looks of things below, Montmorency was faring well. Over half the ships were lacking their main mast. A spark of hope bloomed within Louise against all her efforts to repress emotion. They might actually succeed! They might get through this!
A cone of fire once again jetted toward Louise, and once again she veered out of its path. One twirl later and she was in free fall, spraying small orbs of energy at her attacker. He dodged the first, then the second, but the third struck true. He might survive, but his dragon was in for a long, one winged fall.
Two more dragons veered toward Louise from either side. Knowing a crossfire when she saw one, Louise gripped her staff and pointed it upward. Releasing as much force as she dared, she lanced downward and escaped twin flames that passed through where she had just been. Not bothering to Remount, Louise let loose another volley. Her aim proved true as twin explosions of power knocked the dragons from the sky. Whirling, Louise remounted and leveled out, looking for her next target. Yet only clouds greeted her scanning eyes.
One scan, then a second. No matter where she looked, there were no dragons flying with her. Had she done it? Louise nearly laughed, but stopped to cough. The act caused more pain that Louise expected. Looking at herself, Louise counted numerous superficial nicks and burns. What really bothered her was the red splotch on her side. Now that she was paying attention to it. It hurt.
Whether it was luck or inborn instinct, Louise forced herself forward, barely dodging a blade of air. "You know, sometimes it's a good idea to let the enemy catch their breath, if only to catch them off guard. I applaud you for not falling for it." A dangerous, yet oddly familiar voice sounded from Louise's right. Hovering there was a wind dragon, Louise recognized the difference. They were faster and more mobile than their fire cousins, but lacked a breath attack. It must have been hiding in the clouds, she gathered. However, her mind froze when Louise spied its rider. In his usual feathered cap stood a man she had long known. "Viscount Wardes?" She asked, confused beyond all reason.
Recognition slowly filled Wardes' eyes. "Louise?" He asked, surprise evident. This man before her, though older than her he waspromised to marry her. That prospect had never been something Louise had thought ill of. But now he sat before her, obviously a traitor to the crown.
She didn't know what to think, Louise could only scream out accusations. "You ally yourself with rebels! Wardes you turn traitor! You- you fiend!"
Her betrothed ignored her accusations and instead spoke only to himself. "So it did shift..." Louie could only writhe in anger at being ignored. The man looked up after apparently coming to a conclusion. "Ah, sorry Louise. If it helps, I really did find you quite fetching. But you'll have to die now."
The casual tone with which he spoke nearly stunned Louise long enough for his spell to finish her then and there. Nearly that is. No longer restraining her emotions Louise lanced away before veering back toward the wind dragon. Wardes had not let his chance go by, he gained the altitude and veered out of the way of a hastily flung energy bullet. Loosing a spell of his own, Louise was forced downward and away.
Though only one opponent, Wardes was in another league compared to her previous. His wind dragon out stripped Louise in speed, and Wardes refused to allow her to close the distance between them where her mobility would make a difference. Each time Louise veered to meet him, Wardes pushed her way with well-placed blades of air. Though nothing could hit her, Louise knew what he planned. Hemming her in like this, driving her down. He sought to put her in range of the ships' grape shot. Another blade of air nicked her as she once again had to dive downward.
Anger boiled inside Louise. This was the man who warmly encouraged her when she was sad? Was this the man who stood up to her overbearing mother? This was the man she shared her special hidden place with. That boat on the lake where she would go when everything was too hard? That place was known only to Cattleya and her. And yet she showed it to this- this demon because of his honeyed words! A furious roar split the air. Louise only vaguely recognized it as her own; too intent on revenge.
Thoughts of defense left Louise's mind as she veered upwards toward her prey. Only slightly perturbed, the ever calm Wardes let fly another blade of air. Louise knew she could either deflect the blade of air and fall again, or be split in two.
She chose neither.
It was so simple. Just call the energy below her and push downward. Bringing her staff up, Louise summoned the spearhead and swatted the blade of air away. Yet even as she did so, she did not begin to fall as Wardes predicted. Instead, she only rose faster, two twin orbs of nothingness hovering just above her shoulders and just below the soles of her feet. Utter blackness propelled out her forward, leaving fast disappearing trails in her wake.
Her scream of rage propelled Wardes into action. Pulling on the reigns of his dragon, he forced the beast forward and between him and Louise. The wind dragon let loose a pained cry as Louise's spear drove into its heart. The force of her blow threw it into a slow spin. Yet she held fast with one hand. Wardes held fast opposite her, knowing that levitating would mean his death.
Exacting her spear, Louise forced more energy into before one again stabbing the dead beast. With the ease of a hot knife through butter, Louise forced her spear through the dragon and out the other side. Only luck saved Wardes from the first strike. The blade of dark energy sprouted dangerously close to his head. Leaving a foot in a stirrup, Wardes gripped with his legs and flung himself upward, dodging the second blind strike by a hair.
Again Wardes dodged a stab, barely predicting where it would come from. Though from Louise's frenzied cries, he doubted she was planning too much. Then, with yet another dodge, Wardes caught sight of something both welcome, and dangerous.
Montmorency crushed yet another mast, taking a moment to catch her breath. This galleon had proven a little more difficult to disable now that the sailors were catching onto her objective. She had to fight them away from the masts before even chancing a swing. Plus, she now had to deal with mages who had time to prepare for her arrival.
Looking at the moaning sailors around her, Montmorency briefly offered a word. "Thanks for you hospitality, but I should really get going." One more leap took her soaring toward her final target. The flagship of the whole ship was all that remained. With a grimace, she spotted no sailors on deck, only marines and a couple mages. They were a prepared lot, if nothing else. The marines on board raised their muskets to her, tracing her fall.
In the instant she landed on deck, smoke billowed from the musket of all the assembled marines. In response, a thick steam billowed from Montmorency's hammer. Rather than cut through the vapor, the musket balls impacted the white steam like it was taffy; embedding only part way through. Then as quickly as it appeared, Montmorency's steam vanished. Clinks of numerous tiny metal balls on wood sounded across the stunned deck. "Oh come on, do think I would have made it here if it was that easy?" Montmorency chided.
Before they could respond, Montmorency sprung into motion. Her hammer a twirling blur of silver, she spared each marine only a single strike, taking him out of commission. Rather than move to the mast, Montmorency closed on the captain. His wand was up as soon as he realized her intent. Javelins of ice formed in the air around him, giving Montmorency only a brief warning. The javelins lanced toward Montmorency, forcing her on the defensive. Twirling her hammer, she deflected two, sidestepped another and jumped away from the rest. Yet midair she had to turn and meet a gout of fire with a wall of steam. Landing upon the mast beam, Montmorency eyed up the second mage on the opposite end of the ship. If she perused one, he would defend while the other was free to pick her off. Targeting one wouldn't work. The marines below had drawn sabers, further complicating the problem.
"Only one choice then." Montmorency told herself. With grunt she lurched toward the fire mage. Midair, she let her hammer fly, not toward the fire mage, but toward the Captain. Forced on the defensive, the Captain could only raise a wall of ice to defect the spinning hammer. The force of the throw moved Montmorency from the path of a blast of flame. Landing next to the helm, she flashed the burly helmsman a grin before kicking him across the deck. Grabbing the great wheel, Montmorency grin grew as she locked eyes with the fire mage. The spell on his lips faltered when Montmorency lurched the wheel to the right with all her might. The great wheel spun hard, causing the entire ship to lurch at the sudden change of course.
Many lost their footing, including a certain fire mage. The man hastily rose to find himself faced with that same mad grin the girl had been sporting from the beginning. "Hello." Was all she said before a quick jab to the face knocked him out.
With no time to waste, Montmorency raced across the deck, dispatching marine after marine as she did. Their sabers were useless! They just moved too slow! "Clear the deck!" A commanding voice shook the Montmorency's remaining opponents. The captain descended the bow staircase, his eyes never leaving Montmorency's. Groaning marines were hauled off the deck by the still uninjured. The captain began to speak, his voice hard and stern. "I don't know wha-"
"No stalling!" Montmorency cried over him as she dashed to meet him. She would not be giving his marines a chance to reload. The man hastily summoned a wall of ice before him. Montmorency's fist impacted the block of frozen water, sending a spider web of cracks across it. Though not from her strength, the wall splintered, forming into a thousand daggers. Thinking fast, Montmorency pushed off the deck, barely avoiding the rapid succession of ice shards. Still in motion, she grabbed hold of the rigging and swung around, changing her course yet again. Darts of ice darted around her, yet remained unable to find her.
Montmorency noted the Captain had once again summoned javelins and was perusing her. Mad grin growing even more, Montmorency noted him leaving her hammer's resting place. Still falling from the rigging, Montmorency had no way of dodging the first of the javelins. Instead she lashed out with her fist. Pain exploded and was silenced within Montmorency's mind. The spear of ice shattered, but its trailing debris sliced ribbons into her arm. Briefly noting she could no longer move her hurt arm, Montmorency dodged between the remaining spears of ice coming ever closer to the mage before her.
Once again he raised a wall of ice, yet this time Montmorency jumped over it. Her target was the hammer, not the mage. "Frost!" A voice called from behind her. Rather than finding purchase upon wood, Montmorency found only slick ice. Tumbling to the ground she slid several feet before reaching the edge of the conjured ice. She was on her feet fast, but not fast enough.
Having already dismissed his ice, the captain stood just out of reach, two javelins hovering behind him. She could dodge the first... but not the second. "You have lost. Surrender." The stern voice of the captain spoke through his own labored breaths. Montmorency took a bit of pride knowing she pushed him to his limit. The entire man's body darkened along with his expression. "You... while are you still grinning like that?"
Montmorency jumped backwards clearing the danger just in time. The captain had no time to capitalize on his opponent's move, as his question was answered for him. With a mighty crunch, the body of a wind dragon landed upon him, killing him before he even felt any pain. Montmorency looked up to a bloodied and panting Louise, her spear stuck in the beast's gut. Grabbing her hammer, Montmorency jumped up to her friend's side. On the other side of the ship, the marines were forming up and reloading their rifles. What worried her was the slowly descending mage. "Your late." She tried a joke, hoping to get a reaction from the girl.
Louise retrieved her spear and whirled on the crowd behind her, paying Montmorency no heed. "Wardes!" She cursed. The girl made to leap for the man just as the marines leveled their muskets.
So enraged, Louise didn't even notice the marines. She could only see Wardes. She could only see the traitor. A chain of resounding cracks filled the battlefield. In that instant, Louise felt a body collide with hers. Gold filled her vision. Shaking the intruder off, Louise looked up to see Montmorency leaning over her. "Blockhead." Montmorency returned Louise's insult to her. Behind Montmorency, Louise could make out a layer of white steam, spikes protruding from it as it barely restrained the bullets. "We take that out and were home free right?" With a jerk of her head, Montmorency gestured toward the unguarded mast. "So let's finish this and get the hell out of he-"
Blood sprayed from Montmorency's chest and splattered across Louise. The hammer wielding maiden looked down to find no blade of metal, but only a quickly disappearing spear of wind. "Ah-" She let out a breath and collapsed to her knees, joining Louise on the deck. Level with each other, the two girls looked into each other's eyes for a brief moment. Then, eyes closing, Montmorency fell to the deck.
Unbelieving, Louise looked down to her friend. This was impossible. They were so close. Once again, rage seeped into Louise's heart. True rage outstripping anything she had ever felt before. Gripping her staff, Louise channeled everything she had into it and leveled it at Wardes. His wand was still leveled at her, a spell but a moment from his lips. Yet he fell silent, realizing that any spell would only hurry his death.
Louise looked to the man before her. Every fiber of her being wanted him dead, but even as she prepared to kill him, the marines around her were finishing loading their muskets. She had time for one shot. "FOUNDER BE DAMNED!" She cursed, swinging her staff around and letting the bolt of energy fly.
The tremendous explosion scattered debris into the air and severed the mast from the ship completely. With a wave of his wand, Wardes dispersed the smoke before him. Men lay scattered about; some groaning and some silent. Both girls were gone however. The only evidence they left behind was a silver hammer.
Looking out across the disabled fleet, Wardes realized the invasion was lost before it even began. Raising a hand to his lips, he let loose a piercing whistle.
One marine approached Wardes. The soldier cradled an arm, but didn't look too hurt. "With Captain Leon dead, you are in charge sir." Wardes tilted his head to the side, pondering the man's words before dismissing them. Ignoring the man, Wardes walked over to the husk of a dragon and stooped down. While Captain Leon was far from presentable, his hat had escaped unscathed.
Bending down, Wardes retrieved that hat and place it upon his head, having lost his own in the aerial battle. While he was not accustomed to it, the hat wasrather fetching. "Uh, sir?" The marine tried again.
Dusting himself off, Wardes looked beyond the man. "Sometimes, you just have to cut your losses I suppose." The marine could only look on oddly. Was he referring to the invasion? To the hat? The man never got to ask however, as a griffon appeared from the sky and landed next to Wardes. Mounting his griffon, Wardes looked to the silver hammer on the ship's deck. Should he take it? His answer was given to him when the weapon disappeared in a burst of light. "Cut your losses indeed." He spoke to no one in particular. Then, with a flap of its wings, the griffon launched itself up and away from the floundering ship. It would be hours before Tristain captured the disabled vessels. That was plenty of time to make himself scarce.
A/N: So, here you go, for those interested, the action was around 4.75 k words. I feel like I may have drawn it on too long. If you think so, let me know. I'd be grateful for input on the action scene in particular as it is my first attempt at such a long one.