Villa
"Do you think we will find her?" Achlys asked.
"I do not know," Karthus answered, "there are so many souls on the Isles."
"But there is a chance, right?"
"If anyone is going to be able to find a lost soul, it is you."
"I don't want to disappoint Katherine."
"I know you don't."
Achlys finished tying her hair back, pulled on her boots, and called Acheron to her side.
"I'm ready to go!" she announced.
Karthus led the eager girl down to the cove to collect Katherine and then off to the ruins they went to search for Katherine's sister. Since Katherine was a fisher in life, Karthus had decided that they should search the remnant of any village along the coast. They began at the one closet to the cove.
Standing in the ruins, it was not difficult to imagine that at one time this had been the location of a thriving village. Though most of the buildings had been reduced to little more than outlines on the ground, there were dozens of them that lined winding streets of cracked cobblestones. Wraiths, in various states of completeness, wandered these streets. Whether they were little more than a dark shape shambling along, or a glowing apparition shaped as they had been in life, they were all drawn to this place of death.
Achlys took Katherine's hand as they entered the village. She was prepared to go through the ruins, building by building, with her friend until they found who they were looking for.
"Does any of this look familiar?" she asked.
"Everything looks so different," Katherine mumbled, "Maybe it always looked like this. I don't remember, but something feels familiar."
"That's a good start," Achlys encouraged, "Keep trying. That's what Father says. Don't give up. Keep trying."
"I won't."
"Are you ready to begin, Achlys?" Karthus asked.
She nodded, took a deep, mind clearing breath, and conjured magic to herself. Karthus likewise, called upon his magic. He infused his staff with it until it glowed like a beacon and held it aloft. The air rippled with energy. There was a wave of hushed noises that rolled through the village as the wraiths stalked closer, drawn to Karthus's magic.
"If there is one that you or Katherine wish to examine more closely, tell me," Karthus instructed, "I will command it closer."
Achlys looked over the faces of those gathered; young, old, male, female, pained, peaceful, defined, obscured. With all those dead faces staring back at her, Achlys felt the tickle of adrenaline in her stomach. This was it. She was finally beginning the promised search for Katherine's sister. She pointed to the nearest wraith with the least amount of features. Those that retained a portion of their appearance Katherine could look over, but these that had completely forgotten themselves, Achlys knew she had to communicate with.
"That one, please," she said.
With a wave of his hand, Karthus called the lesser wraith forward. Achlys approached it with her hand outstretched in greeting.
"Hello," she smiled, "I'm Achlys. It's nice to meet you."
She took the other wraith's hand.
Wraith by wraith, hour by hour, Achlys worked until Karthus forced her to take a break. Achlys rubbed her hands together as she sat. They were ice cold.
"How many did I talk to?" she asked, "I lost count after one-hundred."
"One-hundred and sixty-eight," Karthus answered, "How are you feeling, Achlys? I do not want you to exhaust yourself."
"I just need a little break. I'm not tired. What about you, Katherine?"
"I do not tire," the wraith answered.
"You're all waiting for me then," Achlys commented.
"There is no rush," Karthus reminded her, "Regain your strength."
"They all need help," she said with a deep sigh, "today we are helping Katherine, but all those wraiths need help. So many don't remember themselves. It's sad."
Karthus placed a comforting hand on his daughter's shoulder.
"That is the benefit of the gift that awaits you," he said, "Even if you cannot help them today, you will have all eternity to."
A small smile crept onto Achlys face. With a nod, she agreed to rest a while longer and eat the snack that was packed for her. As soon as her lunch was finished though, she was back on her feet, eager to resume her quest.
"Think Katherine," Achlys asked, "is there anywhere we haven't looked yet. Do you remember anything?"
Katherine gripped Achlys's hand as she dredged up memories from her Mist addled mind.
"There is one place we should check," she said, "I remember a villa, further inland. Someone important lived there. I can't remember who, but she was important. People would go to her for help. Maybe she can help us."
She pointed in the direction they were to go and Achlys, at once, began to march off that way. Up the hill they went. It did not take long for a villa, remarkably well preserved, to come into view. Parts of its walls were still coated with the white lye paint that had coated most of the homes on the Isles, and the bright color stood out in sharp contrast against the desolate landscape. On the other side of the walls, the unnatural light of the Ruination emanated, indicating that this area was richly infused by the unhallowed magic.
Karthus held out his arm as they drew close, ordering the others to stop. He could sense the presence of a powerful wraith dwelling within. If this place was the home of someone of great import in life, it would not be surprising that they had retained a portion of that power in death. The spirit was not as powerful as he was though, and so he decided that they could proceed.
"Remain close to me," he ordered, "there is a wraith here that is stronger than any in the village below. I do not know if it will be hostile."
Achlys nodded and followed her father's lead as they entered the villa. At once, noises could be heard from inside. A woman's voice, soft and gentle as rustling leaves, was heard. Her voice was answered by the unintelligible shrieks of wraiths.
"That voice," Katherine gasped, "I think I recognize it! That's, that's, umm, that's the botanist!"
"Is she the important person?" Achlys asked.
"She must be if I remember her."
"Then let's go meet her."
With Karthus at the lead, the trio walked through the abandoned halls of the villa. Age had faded them, but it was still possible to see that at one time, the walls of this home had been painted a lively goldenrod color. Below their feet, small tiles of black and white decorated the floor with mosaic patterns. It was evident that in life, the woman who lived here was more than a simple botanist.
At the end of the hallway was an opening, the door that once blocked it having long ago rotted away, that led to a grand courtyard. It was here that the light that emanated form the place was centered. The courtyard was filled with flowers, glowing in ethereal blues and greens. They swayed in a nonexistent breeze, looking every bit as peaceful and inviting as gentle waves upon the ocean. Lesser wraiths wandered among the spectral flowers and Achlys could sense that they were calm.
At the far end of the courtyard, reclined upon a stone chaise as though it were a throne, was the specter of the botanist. As Karthus had anticipated, the botanist had been able to retain much of her original form, though as with many of the wraiths, she had been transformed by the magic of the Isles. Her hair, once long and flowing, was gone, replaced by a trailing garland of leaves. The dress she had been wearing was in tatters, as if been caught on bramble and tugged until it tore. The surface of her form was covered in raised lines from roots growing beneath the skin. Flowers bloomed across her skin like jewelry. The largest covered her entire right eye.
Upon her lap an odd creature, no bigger than a cat, sat. It looked like a fat lizard, with a broad head, and skin made of tree bark. Its face was carved in a fierce grimace made all the fiercer by the haunting blue glow its narrow eyes and wide mouth had. At the approach of Karthus and the girls, the creature leapt from the botanist's lap and snarled, lashing its thorny claws against the ground. The sound was sharp, like a branch snapping.
Acheron met this challenge. He ignited himself in balefire and went flying towards the barkbeast, but before he could crash into the creature, the botanist sat up and held out her hand. She spoke and tethers of magic flew from her hand and wrapped around the beast like a leash. With a gentle tug, she pulled it back towards her.
"Cease," she commanded, "that is no way to greet visitors, so long as they are polite guests and not thieves."
Her gaze shifted up from the barkbeast to the others.
"You are not thieves, are you?"
"No!" Achlys blurted out.
Karthus glided between the pair and addressed the blooming wraith.
"I am Karthus," he introduced, "tally-man of the Kindred and Harbinger of these Isles. Those with me are Achlys, my daughter, and Katherine, the spirit of a young fisher."
The wraith nodded in acknowledgement of Karthus's words.
"Regrettably, I cannot give you my name," she said with a tenebrous voice, "It has been lost. But I have been given a title by those who have found their way to my garden. They call me the Perennial Botanist, the one of enduring beauty. Beauty or Botanist, you may call me by either. Now please, Karthus, tell me why you are here. I sense your power. You have not come to my garden seeking protection. You are no lost soul."
"You are perceptive, Botanist," Karthus said, "We are not lost souls, but we do seek one. Katherine seeks her sister's soul. We believe that she lived in the village below and her wraith may still dwell there or had found her way here."
"Katherine," the Botanist repeated, "I do not recall the name, but then, so much was lost. Come closer, child. Let me see you face."
Katherine stepped forward and Achlys went with her.
"My daughter," Karthus explained, "has an extraordinary gift. Her magic aids in recollection. Allow her to hold your hand."
The Botanist held out her hand to Achlys as she and Katherine approached. As Achlys took the wraith's hand, she noticed that the flowering vine that wound around her wrist like a bracelet was growing up and ripping through the wraith's skin. She looked at the raised lines that covered the wraith and understood that they were all part of the same plant, growing within the Botanist. Achlys thought it was beautiful that in death the woman could become one with the plants she had cared so deeply for.
She took the Botanist's hand and conjured her magic as the wraith looked into Katherine's face as searched her memories, but after a silent minute, the Botanist released Achlys's hand.
"I am sorry," she said, "but there is nothing. I do not know if we had ever met in life and if we had not, then there would be no memories to recall. Tell me, Katherine, what was your sister's name?"
"Her name was Charis," Katherine answered.
"If a lost soul wanders into my garden bearing her name, I will look after her."
"We thank you, Botanist," Karthus spoke.
"My name may be lost," the Botanist said, "but my compassion has not been. I always have and always will care for the little things."
"Like your flowers?" Achlys asked.
"Yes," she answered somberly as she caressed the large bloom growing from her right eye, "My dear flowers."
The Botanist stood. She released the barkbeast, which immediately went scurrying off into the villa, and strode through the courtyard. She gently ran her fingers over the tops of the phantasmal flowers. They pulsed with light at her touch.
"They came from all over to ask for my healing herbs, barter for my fruits, and see my flowers," she explained, "My skills were known across the Isles and were admired by more than just the humans who lived here."
She stopped before a large mural that covered one of the courtyard's walls. Time had not been kind to the art, and pieces of the plaster the mural was painted to had fallen away over the years. But what remained was incredible. Flowers and plants, realistically beautiful, covered the wall, making the courtyard's garden appear larger. Butterflies too were painted throughout the mural, making the art feel all the more alive. At the center of the mural something that appeared to be a large tree was painted.
Regrettably, here was where the damage to the mural was the worst, and Achlys couldn't be too sure at what she was looking at, but the bark of the tree appeared to curve in the shape of a face, wise and calm. The Botanist placed her hand onto the painting of the tree.
"I cannot remember his name, but a friend gifted me with precious seeds and asked that I grow them for him," she explained, "a rare flower that we were trying to save from extinction. It is here," she pointed to her eye, "my dream forever implanted in my soul, and they are there, the last of their kind."
She pointed to the center of her courtyard, where several plants, still living, grew. In the center of this last verdant patch, three columns carved of white marble stood. Each was covered in the same flowering vine that grew from the Botanist. Achlys blinked in disbelief. She had assumed these plants to be spectral, as so many others in the garden were, but they were not. The blossoms of this plant glowed of their own internal magic, giving off a silvery light like the moon.
"They're so pretty," Achlys gasped.
"The most beautiful flower on the Isles," the Botanist commented.
"They look so happy. You do a good job taking care of them."
"At one time, their care was difficult, but not impossible. The fruits of my garden could make pulp that would keep the vine growing happily. Now, they require a different kind of fertilizer."
As she said these words, Karthus noticed the dull yellow color of bones scattered among the last of the living growth. Not all of them were the bones of animals. These, he assumed, were the remains of the "thieves" the Botanist had mentioned, likely drawn into her villa by the thoughts of treasure still hidden among the well preserved walls, only to be torn apart by the Botanist and her undead garden party and become fertilizer for the very thing they sought to steal.
Karthus took Achlys's hand and held her back from approaching any closer. There was no need to antagonize this spirit.
"Your work is admirable," Karthus complimented, "and we thank you for your assistance in our endeavor, but it is time for us to depart. Come along, Achlys, Katherine."
"I only wish there was more I could do for you," the Botanist sighed, "Once there was a time I could offer you fruit, but that time has passed."
She moved to a table in her garden and picked up a bowl, etched with runes, from it. She then brought the bowl to one of spectral tress and reached up to pluck a plum from its branches. The plum was placed in the bowl and instantly, the ghostly fruit shriveled to nothing and a new plum began to grow on the dead tree.
"This bowl used to keep any food placed within as fresh as though it was just picked," the Botanist bemoaned, "but now it desiccates them."
Karthus watched with interest. Although not the original purpose of the bowl, such an object could be beneficial for Achlys. At the very least, it would make preserving the fish they caught easier. But before he could ask for the item, Achlys was speaking to the wraith.
"That's okay," she said, "even if you can't give me your food, we have our own garden that we grow food in."
At this news, the Botanist's expression showed a smile for the first time in centuries.
"You are growing something?" she asked, "Living plants?"
"Yeah," Achlys nodded, "beets and beans and other things."
"How wonderful."
"It is. It keeps me from starving."
"Botanist," Karthus interrupted, "may I make one final request of your hospitality?"
"You may," she answered.
"That bowl you have, though it no longer serves the purpose you needed it for, it would be of great service to us. Achlys is correct, we do have a garden and she does require it to survive. Such a device would make the preservation of what we grow easier. If you no longer have use for the bowl, may we have it?"
The Botanist looked down at the bowl and nodded before handing it to Karthus.
"Continue to grow things," she said, "and you have my blessing to take this."
"We thank you," Karthus responded with a polite nod.
"Thank you." Achlys repeated.
As Karthus directed the two young girls towards the courtyard's exit, the Botanist called out to them a final time.
"I wish you luck in finding your sister. May finding her bring you peace."
"And may your garden give you peace," Karthus responded.
"She was nice," Achlys said cheerfully when they had exited the villa.
"A beautiful spirit, forever one with her garden," Karthus commented, "an exemplar of the gift we are given."
"She was pretty," Katherine added, "and I am happy I remembered her, but I am still sad we did not find Charis."
"We did not find her yet," Achlys said as she hugged her friend, "but we will. Father said we have all eternity to look for her. We will find her, but until then, I can be your sister if you want."
"I would like that," Katherine said, "I would like that a lot."
Some days you want to progress the plot, some days you just want to write interesting wraiths, and other days you start a new series. If you enjoy my writing about the Shadow Isles and its champions, I recommend that you go check out "Prelude to Ruin," which is launching today with its first two chapters.