Our story began here.
Battle Lines
The Pandorian Bank stretched before them like a wall. The swirls of white vapour looking more like smoke than fog. On their first visit they had both been filled with dread at the prospect of passing through it. Even now Katrin could see members of the ordinary crew cringe and look anxiously in the direction of Vosper who stood like a figure head at the ship’s prow.
This time however Katrin shielded her mind and focussed on the patterns; unnatural twists of water an air fused with wild magic. For a moment she had an insight into something and turned eagerly to Fear by her side. Why had no one ever…?
Fear was studying her carefully and she met his eyes.
“You see something.” It was phrased as if it were a question.
“Yes,” Katrin whispered. But the thought was gone, fogged over like the swirls of white that now enveloped them.
Fear nodded. It was ever thus, but interesting that Katrin had glimpsed something that few ever had. Not for the first time he wondered at her nascent talent.
If either of them had been moved to say more, all thoughts of it were erased by Pandoria rising out of the now benign mist and stretching out before them.
“We’re home,” Tabitha said excitedly.
Katrin thought of her father and Downley, further from her now than once they had been.
“Yes, home,” Katrin whispered; her heart larger somehow.
*
Pandoria had changed, Katrin thought as they followed Fear at a brisk pace through the grand entrance hall. There was a buzz in the air to be sure, but everything seemed less forbidding. Here and there journeymen nodded or even bowed at the passing of the magus and one or two even spared an acknowledgement or two for his apprentices.
“Did you see that?” Tabitha whispered excitedly.
She was looking back at a tall handsome young man who had courtesyly inclined his head and then winked.
“Don’t look,” Katrin hissed, keeping her eyes firmly fixed on where she was going.
But Tabitha ignored and craned her neck two or three times to watch the journeyman go about his business.
“I leave you here,” Fear said curtly, but his eyes softened a little as he looked at Katrin. “We’ll meet tomorrow afternoon and you can give me your new schedules and we can work out a rota for your chores.”
“Chores?” Tabitha said in a puzzled voice.
Of course, Katrin thought, we are apprentices and well and truly back in jug.
Fear smiled dismissively and was gone.
“Oh well, I am off to see Rachel,” Tabitha gushed.
“We have to unpack, can’t your crush wait?” Katrin said wearily.
Tabitha only blushed a little at this and then poked her tongue out at her friend before running off. Katrin shook her head indulgently, before realising she had been left with the bags.
“Oh Tabitha,” Katrin yelled after her in exasperation.
*
Tabitha got to Rachel’s quarters fit to burst. She was full of tales of shape-shifters and royal courts. She also wanted to share the gossip on Katrin and Fear.
“Rachel,” she called out.
The door wasn’t locked, but there was no answer. Frowning, Tabitha pushed back the door and called again. There was still no reply, but this time there was a movement; small like a mouse. But mice don’t breathe that heavily, she thought entering the room.
At first she saw nothing and narrowed her eyes. Out of instinct now she focused on the patterns, looking for anything out of place or sinister. So intensely did she attend to the patterns, she almost missed what was obvious to the eyes; then as she saw her, the girl spoke.
“Go away,” Lucy Pettigrew hissed at her.
The young redhead was standing in the corner with her nose almost touching the wall. Her gown had been turned up and pinned high on her back so that she was naked from ankles to the middle of her back.
Tabitha baulked at the astonishing contrast between the girl’s snow-white freckled skin on her legs and back and the deep smooth red that stained the small perfect spheres of her bare bottom.
“What are you doing here?” Tabitha said in irritation.
That was her corner, she thought, somewhat miffed.
“I’m waiting for Rachel of course,” Lucy said in a strained voice.
“Where is she?” Tabitha stepped into the room a little further and studied the expertly placed colouring on Lucy’s behind. If she was so keen to see Rachel she would have sat to down to wait. After all there was a good view to be had.
“She’s with Maxine Du Jared I expect,” Lucy said sounding increasingly anxious, adding angrily, “Please will you go away.”
“The Water Mage?” Tabitha sounded puzzled.
“Who else? Now go away,” Lucy urged, although Tabitha noticed she made no attempt to move or even turn her head.
“Thanks, I will,” Tabitha said, smirking and taking a final peek.
*
Fear stood in the middle of the Grand Magus’s study. He was framed by a fiery square projected on the floor from the light streaming through the window. With normal sight it was dramatic enough, now the Black Mage watched it through the patterns; a hundred million colours converging and flying apart in a kaleidoscopic cascade before coming together again in a new dance. With such energy he could have shaped the light to anything he chose, setting the patterns marching like ants to form any order he wanted. The temptation to do so was great, almost as great as his will, almost but not quite.
Instead he rejoiced in the natural beauty and let the patterns fall as they would, just as the world beyond Pandoria did. Oh should be allowed to, he amended, thoughts of the West clouding his joy.
“Beautiful isn’t it,” a firm voice broke into Fear’s reverenced moment.
Fear turned to face the smiling Grand Magus standing at the door to his study.
“I came as soon as I heard you were here,” Davidus Grimm said, suddenly serious. What news?”
Fear took a deep breath.
“I trust Amber has…” He began.
“You got her message?” Grimm cut him off and Fear nodded. “I have consulted with Sejanus and Dniester, but before I say more, what have you learned?”
“Amber is right or so a certain Meredith Greydove believes.” Fear let the name fall and watched as Davidus remembered. Then Fear told the Grand Magus, “Draken is with the Wolf.”
“Then it is all true.” Davidus, his eyes defocussed, looked off to the side to consider.
“The Triptych is incomplete,” Fear added, “The one we knew as Tugaal is still hunting Katrin but without her…”
“He will need another,” the Grand Magus finished, “And that will take time. Assuming of course we can still protect the De Lacy girl.”
“I believe we can, but some of our new allies think I should kill her,” Fear informed Davidus.
“Barbarians,” the Grand Magus spat, “Was Greydove one who counselled this?”
“No, a creature called Demdike,” Fear said with a shrug.
“I am surprise she still lives,” Davidus chuckled, then he frowned, “She does still live, doesn’t she?”
“Of course,” Fear double-blinked with a dismissive shrug, then he added, “There was one more thing…”
Davidus looked at the Black Mage sharply.
“There is a traitor, one connected to Challis somehow. Challis will side with the West,” Fear informed his friend.
Davidus Grimm nodded slowly and focussed again on the middle distance.
“And…?” Fear prompted.
The Grand Magus flicked his eyes back to Fear quizzically.
“You were going to tell me of your deliberations with…”
“Oh, yes… Sejanus and Dniester,” Davidus said half-heartedly.
Fear waited patiently for several moments until it was clear that the Grand Magus wasn’t going to speak further. Then he said, “Well?”
“All of this fits what we already know from other sources. There are traitors among the Magister, at least one here at Pandoria, although…” Davidus pulled a face, “I cannot quite be certain of that… a journeyman maybe or…” He didn’t finish.
“How many of our students and faculty comes from Challis?” Fear asked bitterly.
“Many,” the Grand Magus said fixing Fear with a stare. “Mages too.”
Fear frowned and tried to remember which of his colleagues had Challis connections.
“Too many to list, among the magister alone we have people like: Gort, William, Maxine…” The Grand Magus began to recite the names.
*
Tabitha knew where Maxine Du Jared’s quarters were, it was one of those many students whispered about as a place to avoid. But Maxine was on her list of lecturers in her new term and it seemed a good enough excuse to loitering the chance of finding Rachel.
The water mage’s quarters were more expansive and sumptuous than most, even compared to Fear’s. Even from without they were beautiful, but something else; not quite sinister but… Tabitha could place the feeling. On reaching the outer door, Tabitha found them open. Instead of heeding caution, the novice interpreted the open apartments as providence and with only the briefest of pauses, ventured in.
Beyond the entrance she could hear soft low voices. Both, as far as she could tell, were female and although she thought she recognised one as Rachel’s, it sounded strange somehow.
Suddenly Tabitha was afraid. If she went any further uninvited it could cause trouble, she realised.
“Hello,” she called.
The voices fell silent and then one of the women laughed. Tabitha was certain now that the other belonged to Rachel. However, the something excitable about her voice, frantic even; unusual for the Rachel Dvanjester Tabitha knew, who was always so cool.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Tabitha called out again, nervous, she looked back at the way she had come and got ready to flee.
“Is that Dr Fear’s girl, Tabitha Silvershore?” The voice was silky and inviting.
“Eh yes, I was… eh, well… I was looking for Rachel Dvanjester and… eh…”
“Oh come in,” the woman said easily, “You must have some wonderful stories to tell from your adventures.”
“Please make her go,” an anxious voice hissed.
Tabitha recognised it as Rachel and she felt hurt.
“Now don’t be so inhospitable,” the first voice chided her. “Tabitha come in.”
Tabitha bristled angrily and sensed she was the victim of some game. But instead of going she swept boldly into the room.
Tabitha hadn’t been more surprised since the cat had become a tiger and she clapped her hand to her mouth and baulked.
“That’s it,” Maxine grinned, “Come in.”
Rachel was naked face down on a divan secured at her wrists and ankles while Maxine was stood over her with a short thin whip. There were already thin rills and welts marking the monitor’s exposed bottom, some of which were running onto her thighs and the small of her back.
“We were conducting a… lesson of sorts, weren’t we Rachel?” Maxine looked like the cat who owned a creamery. “Rachel, answer me.”
“Yes Ma’am,” Rachel replied in a somewhat surly way.
Maxine took a swipe across her bottom with the whip to extract a squeal.
“Lucy Pettigrew said… she said…” Tabitha could not tear her eyes from Rachel’s exposed curves.
“That Rachel would be here,” Maxine finished for her, “How nice. I do hope you found her in the corner. That is where you told her to wait wasn’t it Rachel?”
“Yes,” Rachel said angrily.
Maxine delivered six hard and fast strokes of the whip to Rachel’s bottom until she strained at her bonds and began to wail.
“Yes Ma’am,” the whipped monitor sobbed.
“Better,” Maxine said and then added another stroke for good measure.
“I have a… eh class with you… eh this term, I thought I would… I thought… I could…” Tabitha was blushing now and torn between jealousy and embarrassment.
“You could kill two birds with one stone and introduce yourself while you found your old friend, yes,” Maxine purred and made a kiss at the whip.
Tabitha was put in mind of a cat licking its whiskers.
“Yes Ma’am,” she said nervously.
“Killing two birds at once is often so satisfying isn’t it?” Maxine said breathily. “But as you see, Rachel is rather busy. Perhaps another time, oh unless you wanted to join us…”
Tabitha fled.
Once Tabitha had gone Maxine bent low over Rachel’s very sore exposed bottom and menacingly whispered, “You know, that girl is too close to Arlon Fear,” and added, “You might have to choose between us.”
To be continued…
