Lindell woke up somewhere dark, his mind hazy. Everything spun and blurred when he tried to sit up. Panic gripped him when he thought of waking up in Irwin’s attic feeling this way, and Ricliri’s death soon after. Why was it so dark? Things came further into focus and he felt the blindfold. He couldn’t feel his surroundings other than that. Something was missing. Where was magic? He tried to feel it but couldn’t, could only feel his own magic, weak and unresponsive.
“I heard about the herbs Irwin used to subdue nobles,” a horrible, gravelly voice said too close.
Lindell flinched, but he was too weak to move away.
The horrible voice laughed. “I have a rune to disguise my voice.”
“You’re the Rune Master,” Lindell said, each word much more of an effort than it should be.
“Yes,” the Rune Master said. “You will be a warning.”
Lindell knew what was happening, but there seemed to be nothing he could do about it. The herbs were entirely stopping him from absorbing magic. He felt something wooden being pressed to his mouth, followed by more of that nasty, hot liquid. Lindell gagged, but the Rune Master again forced him to swallow it. Everything slipped away again. Just before it did, he wondered if he would ever wake up again.
The next he knew, he was being held against some sort of wooden post by something rough. He heard the lapping of water against stone and smelled the sea. Were they at the docks? Someone untied and removed the blindfold. It was night. Lindell was tied to a post for boats, out on the docks. He and the Rune Master were the only ones there. The Rune Master still wore his red cloak with the hood up, hiding his face. He held a small stone in one hand, the rune on the stone glowing dark blue.
“I will leave a message for Phoenix, in case this isn’t enough,” he said in that gravelly voice. The rune he held must be the one to change his voice. He stood, but as he turned to go, something fell from under his cloak.
The Rune Master walked away, not seeming to have noticed the sprig of lavender that had fallen to the wood of the docks. The sprig of lavender Wilson wore pinned to the lapel of his jacket. He had told Lindell before that lavender had been Giselle’s favorite flower. It really had been him all this time…
Everything was slipping away again, but it wasn’t the herbs this time. He needed magic. Lindell closed his eyes, trying to feel the magic around him, but he couldn’t. He must have slipped back into sleep. When he opened his eyes again, the sun was rising. A few people were walking toward the docks, the morning crowd starting to gather. Several people stopped not far from Lindell, frowning at him and whispering to each other. Would one of them untie him?
“What’s wrong with him?” someone in the crowd whispered.
Lindell caught sight of one of his arms. His hands were tied behind him. His skin was a worrying shade of grayish white, as though he had lost all color. A breeze blew past, blowing some of his hair across his face. It was entirely white. How much longer before the lack of magic killed him? The crowd parted as Vedrix, Cory, and Hector came through. Mostly the crowd parted because of Hector, who was still in demon cat form, though for the moment he seemed to be himself in mind.
Cory and Vedrix untied Lindell. Vedrix lifted Lindell into his arms like it was nothing, and then he was running. Lindell blacked out again, waking up lying on the floor in front of the fire at the office. There was a fire lit there, pleasantly warm. He wanted to move closer, but he couldn’t move. Vedrix was kneeling beside him, a hand on his. Magic flowed into Lindell, but it wasn’t staying inside of him.
“If I stop, he will die,” Vedrix said. “He’s not holding onto the magic. The Rune Master made the curse worse.”
Cory was standing just behind Vedrix, holding a piece of parchment. “The note just says the Rune Master will not be stopped. If we try to stop him, he’ll kill Lindell next time. I don’t think the Rune Master knew he was already killing him.”
Hector growled. He was sitting in the kitchen doorway.
“Come closer,” Vedrix said. “I can’t keep you yourself if you get too far.”
Hector prowled closer, sitting next to Vedrix. Hector moved closer to Lindell, sniffing him. He growled again, looking at Vedrix.
“What is it?” Vedrix asked. “You should be able to speak, though it will be difficult with the curse.”
“Lavender,” Hector said, the word barely understandable, but Lindell knew.
“Lavender?” Vedrix asked.
“Wilson is the Rune Master,” Lindell said, the words coming out as hardly a whisper.
Cory was out the door swiftly, on his way to tell Donovan about Wilson. Lindell’s mind was a hazy mess, but it had sunk in that Wilson was the Rune Master. It made sense, even if he didn’t want it to. Wilson had been in love with Giselle and had been looking for the evidence that Belanger had murdered her and Julius. He had seemed so certain Belanger was responsible.
Lindell tensed. Wilson had been the one to tell him Eireen was at the healer’s, and he was the one who had cursed her. Lindell’s magic became colder, but then it was just that he was cold. The warmth of the fire felt even better, even more like something he needed to get closer to.
“He’s getting colder,” Vedrix said.
“What if…we’re wrong?” Hector asked with a lot of difficulty.
“Then we’ll know soon enough,” Vedrix said.
Time dragged on. Lindell was in and out of consciousness until he heard the front door close. Cory came into the kitchen doorway, holding a wooden box. His expression was hard to read. His eyes flickered purple.
“Your magic?” Vedrix asked.
“It’s alright for the moment,” Cory said. “I have the runes.”
Hector stood.
“I went with Donovan and the others to Wilson’s house,” Cory said. “Wilson escaped into the forest, but the knights are after him. We found the rune stones, and we found the Graveblossom flowers and roots.” He set the box on the table and opened it, pulling out a stone. “This matches the curse I felt in Lindell.”
“Don’t use your magic,” Vedrix said. “Let Hector destroy it. His magic is strong enough.”
Hector looked at Vedrix questioningly. Cory set the stone in front of Hector, looking uncertain too. Hector gripped the stone in his teeth and bit down. The stone crumbled away into dust. Vedrix let go of Lindell. Magic seeped into Lindell from his surroundings, and this time it stayed. He still didn’t have the strength to move, but his strength was returning.
Cory dumped the runes onto the table. Vedrix looked through them quickly.
“Not all of them are bound to anyone yet,” Cory said.
Vedrix took a stone in his hand, his eyes glowing amber. The stone crumbled away.
Cory sighed, closing his eyes for a moment. “Thank you.”
Vedrix, Cory, and Hector set to work on the stones. Cory used a hammer on the ones that weren’t bound to anyone. Lindell sat up slowly. He was tired, but he felt like himself. His magic was back to normal too. He knew what he would find before he looked at his arms and hands. They were covered in thick, dark fur, and he wasn’t cold anymore. His tail swept from side to side behind him. The curse was gone.
It was hard not to go back to sleep in front of the fire, but there was somewhere he needed to be. Hector sat beside him on the rug. He had returned to human form and had borrowed some of Lindell’s clothes from upstairs. The clothes were a little short for him. Hector didn’t have his glasses with him. His eyes remained light brown and feline, with no visible white.
“Is the curse gone?” Lindell asked.
“It is,” Hector said. “Without my glasses, I have to leave a bit of my…true nature out so I can see.”
“You are right that the demon’s magic has become a part of you,” Vedrix said. The rune stone he was holding crumbled into dust. “I believe you will eventually fully be a demon.”
Hector frowned. “My magic is still getting stronger.”
Vedrix nodded. “You will still have both forms, but you are becoming less human, even if only your soul.”
Lindell could tell his brother didn’t like the sound of that, but Hector said nothing more, staring at the fire.
Vedrix was frowning at Lindell. “And you will have to be careful. The curse being gone doesn’t mean it’s no longer possible for you to become a demon.”
Lindell hesitated. “What am I?”
Vedrix’s expression softened. “A spirit, but you have an entirely corporeal form. You are something new.” He took another rune stone from the table and it crumbled away. “I have already destroyed Eireen’s stone. Cory told me she’s pregnant. With the curse gone, she and the baby will be fine.”
Lindell got to his feet slowly. For a moment, everything swayed, but it steadied. Hector had gotten to his feet as well. Lindell took a step and swayed again.
“I’ll go with you,” Hector said.
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Lindell didn’t protest that. Going to the healer’s wouldn’t do any good if he collapsed before he got there. By the time they reached the healer’s, he was steadier on his feet. Eireen was awake and sitting up. There were dark circles under her eyes, but she seemed alright. Lindell sat on the bed next to hers. Hector went to talk to Delia, who was dealing with the confused nobles who had just woken up. Pearl was hugging Ernest tightly. Tabitha was awake as well, but she still had a bad sunburn.
“The curses are gone?” Eireen asked.
“They are,” Lindell said. “Vedrix and Cory are still destroying stones. Not all of them had been bound to anyone yet. The knights are after Wilson. He escaped into the forest.”
Eireen tensed. “Wilson was the Rune Master?”
Lindell nodded.
Eireen smiled tiredly. “Your curse is gone too.”
Lindell hesitated. “I’m hairy again.”
Eireen laughed quietly. “I don’t care. I love you.”
“I love you too,” Lindell said. He reached over and held her hand.
She smiled further this time and started to say something when Donovan came into the healer’s. The captain was practically grinning. His curse was gone too.
“Did you get him?” Delia asked.
Donovan’s smile faltered. “We lost him in the forest. I doubt he’ll give up even now that his identity has been revealed.” He stroked his mustache. “He may go after the duke directly. We found a red cloak at Wilson’s house, the rune stones, and the Graveblossom flowers and roots. And he all but confessed he was the Rune Master when we confronted him.”
There was a rush of questions from the nobles, but Lindell wasn’t listening. Wilson was still out there. This wasn’t over yet, but it was getting closer. Still, he felt uneasy. What would Wilson do next? After Delia had sent the nobles on their way, Lindell, Hector, Eireen, and Tabitha left the healer’s as well, returning to the office.
Iterna was at the office. She wore dark brown robes of the same shade as her long hair, which was just past shoulder length. Her light brown eyes were cold. She too had pale antlers with runes carved into them. Her ears were like Eireen’s, longer than those of a human, round on the end, and flat on the inside. Iterna’s frightening expression softened when she saw Eireen.
“I’m alright,” Eireen said. “I just need to rest.”
All the rune stones were gone from the table.
Iterna sighed. “We have decided to stay out of this, even though Wilson went after my priest.” She glanced at Cory. “And one Vedrix has chosen to protect. We will let those Wilson has wronged decide his fate.”
“I have a feeling that will be satisfying enough,” Vedrix said.
Vedrix and Iterna left the office soon after. Lindell and the others eventually made dinner and ate in tired, but relieved silence. Donovan came by just after dinner.
“I will guard the duke’s house myself,” Donovan said. “Will you help me?”
“Wilson may go after other people again if we don’t stop him,” Cory said.
Donovan cleared his throat. “And he’ll go after the duke.”
Cory sighed, but said nothing.
Donovan smiled briefly.
They decided Lindell, Cory, and Hector would guard the duke’s house, along with Donovan and two knights. Eireen was still recovering from the curse, and Tabitha was still recovering from being exposed to sunlight for so long after she was cursed. Delia would stay with Eireen and Tabitha at the office, in case Wilson decided to go after her to get to Donovan.
The two knights Donovan had sent to the duke’s house were already standing guard outside. Lindell and the others spread out, standing guard all around the house. Dark clouds blocked the moon, but it wasn’t raining, and Lindell didn’t smell it in the air. Still, it cast the area around the duke’s house in shadows. There were plenty of places for Wilson to hide.
Lindell was positioned at a back corner of the big house and would have to watch both walls. Out of the corner of his eye, a shadow moved. Lindell darted around the side of the house, but there was no one there. He looked up. In the gloom, he could barely see a window open on the second floor. Had that been open before? A crashing sound came from inside the house, followed by a shout.
Lindell ran back to the front of the house, Hector and Cory joining him on the way. They, the two knights, and Donovan ran inside the duke’s house. At the top of the stairs, Wilson had the duke against a wall at sword point. The remains of a broken vase lay scattered on the floor, and the side of the duke’s head was bleeding profusely. The sword had a wave shaped blade. Hadn’t Wilson said Giselle was killed with a wave bladed sword?
Donovan and the rest of them crowded into the hall at the top of the stairs. It overlooked the entryway, separated by a wooden railing. A knight reached for his sword, but Donovan shook his head.
“You kept it all this time,” Wilson snarled, not even glancing at Donovan, or Lindell and the others. “The weapon you used to murder Giselle and Julius!”
The duke flinched, then he scowled. “You’re a witch, just like them.”
“Is that why you killed them?” Wilson asked, pressing the point of the blade close enough to the duke’s throat that he drew a drop of blood.
“Wilson…” Donovan said.
“Not when I’m this close,” Wilson said, still not looking away from the duke.
The duke’s eyes narrowed. “They were witches, just like you.” There was pure hatred in his voice.
“That’s confession enough for me,” Wilson said, pulling the sword back only to plunge the blade into Belanger’s chest.
The duke gasped. Wilson pulled the blade out. Belanger slid to the floor, clutching at his chest, leaving a streak of red down the wall. He went slack as his last breath left him. Wilson dropped the sword and turned to face the rest of them. He ran at the railing suddenly, jumping over, landing on his feet in the entryway below. He ran from the house.
“After him!” Donovan shouted.
Lindell and the others ran back down the stairs and out into the night. Wilson had a head start, but he wasn’t out of sight yet. They ran after the Rune Master out onto the plains. Lindell’s heart pounded. Was Wilson going to escape? No. That wasn’t going to happen. This time he didn’t force his magic. He let it come to the surface, let it be a part of him. The illusion came easily.
A flock of bats shrieked as they swept down from above, flying straight at Wilson. Wilson looked back and cried out, tripping and falling to the grass of the plains. The knights grabbed him. The bats had flown back up into the sky, where they vanished. Wilson didn’t struggle now that the knights had a hold of him. He didn’t struggle on the way to the barracks either, just staring straight ahead with a small smile, as though he had found peace.
-- --
Back at the office, Lindell, Cory, and Hector told Eireen, Tabitha, and Delia what had happened. Delia went to find Donovan at the barracks. The rest of them sat together at the table. Cory had made tea. Even later that night, Lindell and Eireen sat on the edge of the bed together.
“I missed you,” Lindell said.
Eireen smiled. “I would hope so.” She was serious again suddenly, frowning a little. “You said Wilson looked like he was at peace.”
Lindell nodded.
“Maybe it’s because he did what he set out to do,” Eireen said. “He freed Arkose from the duke.” She sighed. “Maybe he hasn’t thought of the fact the next duke could be just as bad or worse.”
“Let’s hold on to the hope we’ll get a good duke,” Lindell said.
Eireen looked away for a moment. When she looked back at him, there was uncertainty in her eyes. “I’ll stay here in Arkose, with you.”
He said nothing and kissed her. He knew she wouldn’t stay forever, and he knew she knew it too. Still, he was determined to enjoy every moment of it while it lasted.
A few days later, Lindell was at the harbor, staring out at the calm sea, watching the sunset. A few people had given him odd looks, but no one had hurried out of his way or looked disgusted by his appearance. Things had already begun to improve in Arkose between witches and those who weren’t witches. Vedrix joined Lindell at the harbor wall.
“It is better that we allow the humans their version of justice for such things,” Vedrix said. What would he and Iterna have done with Wilson? Lindell wasn’t sure he wanted to know. Vedrix stared at Lindell for an uncomfortably long moment. “You have accepted your magic. That will help it stay stable.” He smiled briefly. “Iterna and I have destroyed Rimlek’s Embers, with help from Nox. Together, we could destroy them without risking their release.”
The tension Vedrix’s staring had brought went out of Lindell’s shoulders. “Thank you.”
Vedrix nodded. “Iterna and I are leaving this morning. Do not hesitate to send word to me in Shale if my help is needed.” He looked away. “I’m sorry I was almost too late this time.” He walked away.
They had received word that morning that Wilson had been executed in Shale after his trial. He had admitted to killing the duke and had said nothing else. Just before Wilson’s execution, the court had ruled that Belanger was guilty of the murder of Giselle and Julius. Donovan had found a journal at the duke’s house detailing the murders, of which the duke had been proud, since Giselle and Julius had both been witches. Wilson had still said nothing when he’d gone to his execution, a hanging, but he had died with a smile.
Queen Edith had rescinded Belanger’s laws in Arkose against witches and had appointed Ernest Welch the new duke, on recommendation of all the nobles in Arkose. As for Irwin, he had fled town. Cory had pointed out Irwin was likely too afraid of Lindell to go near him, and Irwin had been a part of yet another scandal with his friendship with a murderous duke.
Vedrix was gone for only a moment before Hector came to stand beside Lindell.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth sooner,” Hector said, staring out at the water. The light of the sunset reflected off his glasses.
“You said you would tell me when you were ready,” Lindell said. “Are you alright?”
Hector sighed. “I will be. I’m still getting used to it, but at least I have a better understanding of what I am. Thanks to Vedrix.” He took his glasses off and cleaned them absently on his shirt before putting them back on. “Are you alright with what your magic has done to you?”
“I am,” Lindell said without hesitation.
When the sun finished setting, the two of them returned to the office of Phoenix together.
