Chapter 6

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Nothing had changed. The void remained as empty as always, the faint breeze continued to blow, and the scent of a crisp night air hung heavy around her.

And yet, she felt something was different. Holding a hand out, she observed her fingers, seeing how they moved. Light was cast from an unknown place, illuminating her form.

“Esadras.” Her voice was firmer now that a decision was made. Still fearful, but with slowly regaining confidence.

“Let me leave this place. I need to know if my family is safe.”

There was no response, but after a moment Gretchen felt the darkness pull away, funneling towards her hand. She didn’t move, watching carefully as the illusion that had surrounded her was drawn into a silver encased card held between thumb and forefinger.

The night sky was as she remembered, distant constellations dancing merrily through eternal darkness. The sister moons let their rays reflect heaven's light, and on this eve it was particularly vivid. All around her lay the familiar shapes and shadows of the fields she had grown up in.

She glanced down at the dead Summoner’s body, jerking in surprise when it did not appear. All that remained of Esadras’ once living form was a faint layer of ice still covering the hard earth.

The thought of the powerful man within the card she now held immediately led to the question of who killed him. And where they might be.

Esadras had made it obviously clear that his enemies would not consider her an innocent. She needed to leave. Now.

Her feet pounded down the fenceline, following the hard packed trail back home. The quiet call of the cows nearby soothed some of the fear in her heart, but she did not slow to check on the animals.

Across the stream and over the road, till the light of home rose up before her. There, in the window, she could see the outlines of Salvie and the twins at the dinner table. She would warn them to hide, tell them goodbye and then…

A figure passed in front of the window. A tall dark-skinned woman, with tightly woven hair and unusual clothing consisting of large wraps of silk. Gretchen froze in place, crouched behind the corner post. Her fingers dug into the hard wood, teeth clenched to keep from shouting out.

Who was that? And why were they in her house?

“No, no, no.” She murmured through closed lips. “He said there was time. He said I could run.” She could feel the heavy card in her pouch, burning a hole in her thoughts. Maybe if she entered that place again, accepted his deal for power? But there wasn’t time. And if she got stuck, if the man called Esadras refused to let her leave, who would help her family?

Quietly, she began to crawl forward, keeping out of the light spilling from the open window. As she got closer, the words of someone speaking became clearer. A man’s voice, clear and without accent, though heavy with intent.

“I will ask once more. We seek a man. He would be of middle age, and with a dark countenance. He has taken something that belongs to us. If you know anything, it would be wise to speak of it.”

“We have neither seen nor spoken to such a man. Perhaps Lord Asheton, the ruler of this county, would be able to help you. Now, if you would be so kind, you are disturbing our dinner.”

Her father. His voice was tight, strained for some reason.

The other man spoke again.

“Perhaps we will make a visit to Lord Asheton. But you see, the reason why my companion and I remain here is because I have means of tracking the man we seek. Until very recently, he was moving through this territory at quite a quick pace, but for some reason stopped here, on your land. And I have since been unable to locate him.”

Gretchen heard the scraping of boots against floorboard, and watched as the man rose and walked closer to her family. His dark suit was of rich design and similar material as the woman, and his long hair flowed without constraint. He stopped near Salvie, leaning over to inspect her meal.

“Which leads me to believe he either hid somewhere on your property, as unlikely as that is, or has perished and is lying dead amongst the cow dung. Regardless of his outcome, we will locate the body and retrieve our belongings. You will help us find his remains.”

Salvie was frozen, a look of fear unlike anything Gretchen had ever seen covering her features. She seemed utterly terrified, and anger began to flow through Gretchen’s mind. How dare these people?

The man stood upright, his hand settling onto Salvie’s shoulder.

“Ah, I see it in your face. You will refuse. Very well, perhaps some encouragement? Nejuh, if you please.”

The woman unfolded her arms and stalked away from the window, stopping directly behind the twins, who were staring around with wide eyes.

“Now, I have already been very courteous, far beyond what my fellow disciples would believe is appropriate. So, listen very closely. I know someone is missing from this table due to the empty seat and full plate. I know the man we track stopped here sometime in the last few hours. Which means you have lied to me once already, and will likely do so again. In order to prevent this, my lovely companion will now perform an entirely reversible ritual.”

He nodded, and Gretchen had to blink at the bright light pouring forth from the woman’s palms. It began to turn, creating vortex’s that spun with slowly increasing momentum. Screaming the twins names, Salvie tried to stand but a hand held her firmly in place. Across the table, both of the boys also cried out, but no sound could be heard. An odd distortion seemed to be affecting them, stretching their forms in an impossible manner as they were pulled backwards.

Gretchen watched her father leap to his feet, stopped only by the man as he caressed Salvie’s throat with a finger.

With a pulse, the light grew overwhelming then quickly faded, leaving behind two empty seats.