Rise of Heroes

Chapter 18 - Witch - part 1

Gavyn glanced at the Chancellor, then stepped toward the shelf and picked a long, thin object wrapped in a dark cloth. By the time he returned to the table, he had already loosened the binding around it and the cloth slid down its shiny surface, revealing a delicate blade inside.

Tamara frowned, leaning forward to have a better look. The craftsmanship was not bad and there were no traces of bluntness or wear on the edge, but the weapon was no more than three feet long and too delicate to be of any use in battle, let alone against a demon of a higher class. It was probably crafted as an accessory for a woman or a smaller man.

Tamara glanced up at Gavyn, and he smiled, turning the blade so that the light of the nearby candle fell upon its shiny surface. A line of inscription ran along the blade, with words so pale that she almost missed them. She recognized the writing at once — even though she couldn’t really read it, she knew what the Old Tongue looked like.

Still, Old Tongue or not, this thing didn’t look very impressive.

“So why am I staring at this toothpick?” she asked with annoyance.

“When I said magic, I didn’t just mean only the people who possess it. There are many magical relics from past times that still exist. Most of their owners probably don’t even realize what kind of treasure they own. This blade is one of them.” Gavyn explained.

“How do you know this blade is magical?” General Mayern frowned, leaning closer to the sword and examining it with thoughtful eyes.

“I saw it kill a demon,” Gavyn said, his smile widening. Tamara raised an eyebrow, looking down at the short sword. It wasn’t impossible, of course. A soldier with a high enough skill level and a shitload of luck could probably kill demons up to third class, but as far as she knew, Tigossa didn’t have that many warriors of that caliber. She could probably do it, and so could Jaden. Auria and Bron too. Maybe a few more. “It wasn’t a soldier who did it,” Gavyn added as if reading her mind.

Silence filled the room, and her eyes lowered down to the sword. She beckoned for him to pass it over and examined it, trying her best to sense something different about it, some kind of power that would confirm his words. The blade was perfectly balanced and extremely light, but other than that, it felt completely normal.

“Who wielded the blade?” Tamara asked, setting it down on the table between them. Gavyn and the Chancellor exchanged a quick glance, which made her frown uneasily. “Who killed the demon with one blow?”

“Right, that was the second thing,” The Chancellor mumbled, nudging his son. Before Tamara could have the chance to frown again, Gavyn was already walking toward the curtain that was hanging over the wall. He pushed it aside, revealing a small, sturdy door behind it. It didn’t escape her notice that the door was locked with two padlocks and a chain, and there were letters engraved on its surface which suspiciously looked like more of the Old Tongue. She glanced at General Mayern, her hand instinctively moving to her sword. She didn’t unsheathe it, but she was ready to do it in a split second if her suspicions turned out to be true.

For their sake, she hoped those two were not stupid enough to lock a demon inside. Not that it made any sense for a demon to wield a sword, especially against its own kind, but that was the scariest thing she could think of that would merit the tightened security and all the secrecy.

“We apologize for the setting. She caused a lot of trouble, so we had to take precautions. It’s not what you think.” Gavyn warned them and both Tamara and the General frowned in confusion as they looked at each other. They referred to what was behind the door as ‘she’ not ‘it’, which was odd enough to make her wary. Her curiosity urged her to follow them as Gavyn finally opened the door and stepped into the next room, with his father tiptoeing behind him.

The next accommodation was very small — it could barely hold the four of them together without them touching. There were no windows, and the walls were cold, bare stone. The only thing inside was a full chamber pot in one corner and a small pile of rags in the other.

“What the…?” The General mumbled and the pile in the corner moved. Tamara bit her lower lip to stop her surprised gasp as what she thought were rags took human form, a dirty but delicate face turning to look at them with caution. The girl had shoulder-long blonde hair that dangled limply in front of her face; her naked hands and neck were covered in dirt and her feet were bare, with tiny cuts and scratches all over them as if she had been running barefoot through the woods.

Tamara examined her carefully — from her pale, skinny face to her dirty clothes and broken nails. She seemed completely normal, hysterical maybe, and terrified, but normal. There were no horns, no extra limbs, unusual eyes, or traits that could be found in demons. She was just a human.

“Please, let me go!” The girl pleaded — a low, begging voice that was barely audible even in the small, empty room. Her hands wrapped tighter around her, and her eyes darted between Gavyn and Tamara standing in the front. “I have done nothing wrong! Please!”

“What, in the name of the spirits, is this?” Tamara snapped, turning toward Chancellor Prium and his son. “What kind of proof is this? That you’re scared fools who are so desperate to prove a stupid theory that you will condemn a woman to… this?” Tamara snarled at them, then took a few quick steps toward the girl. Gavyn tried to stop her, but she slapped his hand away and slowly crouched next to the girl. She was wearing simple brown pants and a dirty shirt, and her right ankle had a solid manacle pinning her to the stone wall. Tamara raised her hands slowly, trying to show the girl she meant no harm. “What is your name?”

“Ayla,” the girl replied hoarsely, pushing her hair back. At the sudden movement, the Chancellor let out a panicked ‘Be careful!’ but nothing happened. Ayla simply uncovered her dirty face, her eyes staring intently into those of the Commander. They were almost mesmerizing, shining brightly in stark contrast to her dull and filthy skin and hair. “I have done nothing wrong! They have no right to do this to me, please!”

Tamara pursed her lips, nodding. She rose, turning toward the men behind her.

“Why is this girl here? And why is she in chains?” she demanded. “For killing a demon, as you claim?”

“She is also a witch,” Gavyn replied, his eyes switching from Tamara to the girl as if expecting an attack. Tamara’s hand balled into a fist and she had to try really hard not to plant it in his face. “She can do magic, real magic! She was the one who used the blade and made it work! She also got two of my men killed! We were only trying to speak to her, learn from her, find out what she knows, and use her against the demons if we can. And she attacked us with magic! You should have seen it, she...”

“And you thought chaining her to a wall will make her more cooperative? Are you stupid?” Tamara snarled, rubbing her temple. Gavyn looked away awkwardly, a slight blush appearing on his cheek. He didn’t look remorseful though, just frustrated.

“She did commit murder,” the Chancellor chimed in, taking a step in front of his son. “We had to lock her up for everybody’s protection or she would have continued to rampage and kill even more people.”

“Are you sure it was murder and not self-defense? Didn’t you just say you wanted to ‘use her against the demons’? Have you seen a demon up close? Even the lowest-class demons will gut you and eat you before you could even take your last breath. And you wanted her to face them for you?” Tamara asked, raising an eyebrow. “Look at her! Even if she was a witch, how much power does a tiny girl like that have? I’m sure even you would s**t your pants if I pushed you to face a demon!”

“But she has magic!” Gavyn exclaimed again, gesticulating with his hands. “She can start a fire with her mind and she made the ground open!”

“Magic doesn’t make you invincible, you i***t. Or unafraid, for that matter!” Tamara spat. Gavyn glanced toward her hand that was squeezing the hilt of her sword even tighter, then lowered his head. Tamara turned back to Ayla, who kept staring at the men at the door. “Are they right? Can you help them? Do you have magic?”

The girl looked up. A moment passed before she finally replied.

“I can’t help them,” she said in a quiet, cold tone. “They didn’t even give me a choice. Even if I could, I would not help them after this.” She raised the chain and let it drop on the ground with a loud clang. Tamara returned to glaring at the Chancellor and his son.

“You said that those conjurers are hiding because they are afraid of how others would react.” She hissed at Gavyn. “Well, is this how you treat a person who you claim has magic? Why would they reveal themselves? Why would they help us? If you wanted this girl’s help, magic or no magic, then you should have asked, not demanded! And if she had said no, then you ought to accept that! I am not asking each of you to leave the safety of the gates and fight demons, am I? I can make you all ride out this very moment and send you to a forest infested with demons to kill them all or die trying. What are you going to do then? Obey me or try to fight back when I move to force you?” Neither of the men replied, even though Gavyn looked like he wanted to, but the look his father sent him made him reconsider. “Now unchain her!”

Gavyn suddenly livened up, shaking his head abruptly.

“She has magic, believe me! She almost killed the entire group of soldiers with it! Her hands were glowing, her eyes turned red, I saw it myself!” He glanced at Ayla again, then returned his attention to Tamara who was starting to lose her patience. He licked his lips nervously, raising his hands in surrender. “I will unchain her, but you have to convince her to help us! There is no time to find another witch! We need her help or Tigossa will soon implode! You’ve seen the people out there!”

“She already told you she is not a witch. As of what you’ve seen, I’m not entirely sure I trust your judgment, Gavyn.” Tamara snapped and Gavyn’s eyes widened. He dropped to his knees suddenly, lowering his head.

“I swear in the spirits of my ancestors that all I have said is nothing but the truth! May they shun me from eternal rest if I had uttered even a single lie!” He proclaimed with a shaky voice. Tamara gritted her teeth.

He didn’t expect him to swear such a heavy oath for something like this. If he really lied about it, then that meant he’d never get to find peace after death and his rebirth cycle would be broken. And if that happened, it meant his soul would never be reborn. People took that oath very seriously, she had only heard it once before when her brother had officially been appointed heir to the kingdom so he could assume full control if and when their father was not well enough to make decisions.

To give such an oath, he had to be completely confident in his words. He really believed that pitiful girl had magic. That she could actually help them defeat a demon. More than one apparently since he didn’t even mention looking for others like her.

Tamara looked back at Ayla who had tightened her hands around her frail body, shivering. There was a gash on her cheek, Tamara noticed, and bruises around her neck as if she had been wearing a collar.

“Keys. Now!” Tamara commanded, trying to keep her voice down. She looked at the Chancellor, who stared at her with desperation. “I am not going to repeat myself.”