The Sacrificial Boy by: Elsbeth Aislin learns that all choices in life come with consequences

Chapter 12

Aislin’s mind wandered while the two gnome women got her ready for bed. Too many things she didn’t understand, which included almost everything that had come from the creature’s mouth, swirled around in her head.

Well, before she met the Prince in her dreams, Aislin had started to be able to tell when someone lied to her. Unfortunately, the beast had been either truthful, which seemed unlikely, or she just couldn’t read him. However, whatever he might have said to her during the feast, whatever the Prince had planned, he would make sure it would solely benefit him.

Also, could she be the lost decedent of the Black Sorceress and her sister, if there were actually two of them? However, the story felt right. From what the Prince said, while one sister created a Kingdom, the second walked the lands training those with power. Aislin first thought had been Wisewomen, not because she believed the creature’s story but because it also felt right.

Remembering the fate that befell them, at least sending healers off as Wisewomen, and others standing by the side of the powerful captains, perhaps those with the gift would become a little more accepted.

But Aislin also knew that being in such positions, they would be considered the eyes and ears of the Black Sorceress. Very little would have taken place in the realm without it coming back to the Black Sorceress. Did the captains and villages not understand that?

Aislin would have thought at the first sign of trouble, those with the gift would have been attacked, but that didn’t take place. In fact, from the many legends and stories written, the Healers, Thaumaturgists, and others battled the Black Sorceress and her minions. Of course, that had to have been part of the twin’s plan. Still, even with those stories, society had a long way to go before accepting people like Aislin.

Suddenly without warning, the King’s Healer stood on a large hill, overlooking a valley leading into the very depths of what she believed to be the Kaltur Mountains. Stripped of all vegetation, the valley before her seemed empty, utterly void of all life. Some terrible magics must have taken place here.

To her left and right, Knights and men-at-arms stood silently in formation, all under different banners. Some coats-of-arms were familiar, but the majority were not.

As she watched, the banners began to change, along with the troops underneath them. From cavalry to infantry, from heavily armored soldiers to warriors wearing nothing but blue tattoos, all appeared beside her. Warriors from all across the lands joined those soldiers from her own. Heavily armored Milites from the south, Trodaá Housecarls from across the ocean, and even contingents of several famous mercenary companies took place in line.

Even the lords and captains, who led the troops, disappeared replaced by others. All of it changing, nothing seemed fixed, except for the location. That remained constant.

The King’s Healer had a sudden feeling that all the deeds accomplished by the Black Sorceress and her sister had been so the lands could face the darkness in strength. Long-range plans indeed.

Blinking her eyes several times, Aislin found herself back in her bedroom. How much time had passed? The two gnome women were only now putting her clothes away. So it had only been a moment, perhaps no longer than it took to blink.

Taking a seat on the bed, she continued to contemplate the day’s events when she noticed for the first time that each of the gnomes wore a small brass chain around the neck.

The chains didn’t look right though, not moving as if they were actually part of the women’s bodies. Aislin even recognized that the guards also wore something similar embedded upon their breastplates.

“Can I ask a question?”

The two gnome women finished putting away the King’s Healers garb stepped forward.

“How may we help you?”

“What are those chains for?”

One of the gnomes looked down, laying her hand on the simple chain.

“Symbols of our bond.”

“Your bond?” Aislin then realized that although the two gnomes took human shape, they were elementals after a fashion. “You can’t leave the castle.”

“No, like the sprites who keep the air clean, and the salamanders that warm its interior, we were summoned when the Keep took form. Their purpose, like ours, is to serve its owner.”

Aislin felt uncomfortable knowing that the creatures of the Keep were nothing more than slaves. Even in her lands, this happened to those who became indebted to someone, often through no fault of their own. They would have to work off that debt before they could be freed, but this wasn’t the same thing.

Eternal slavery; but that didn’t sound right, when Thaumaturgists died, she thought the bonds were broken, and the creature returned to their lands. Did that mean the Black Sorceress had not died or perhaps another power kept the gnomes prisoner?

“Like the Prince.”

One of the gnomes gave a small laugh. “No, he is like us, waiting for our true Master to return.”

So, if it wasn’t the Prince, perhaps the castle’s magics were powerful enough to keep them bound. A terrifying thought.

“What would you do if you were free?”

“Free?” The two gnomes looked at one another, then shrugged before disappearing in the walls. “Goodnight, my lady.”

With even more on her mind, sleep would not be coming to her tonight. She knew that. With a small laugh, Aislin sat back in bed and tried to relax. If part of her slipped into the Spirit Realm, she could do without sleep for several days.

Oh, she would pay for it if she did it too long, but for now, just curling up under the blankets felt nice. As Aislin prepared for the long night ahead, she missed one thing above all, Macha lying next to her.

Several hours before sunrise, the King’s Healer watched with amusement as a dozen well-armored gnomes marched through her bedroom walls before coming to a sudden halt. The decision to dress an hour before had apparently been the correct one.

Gently setting down the book she had brought in her healer's bag, Aislin smiled. “A good morning to you, I assume you have come to escort me to the Prince.”

Although the guards looked startled at her appearance, most had small smiles on their faces.

“Good Morning, Lady Aislin, as you have guessed, the Prince requires your presence.”

Aislin shook her head as the gnome warriors quickly surrounded her. Unnecessary, but perhaps the Prince thought she planned on escaping. As she hadn’t quite learned the trick of passing through walls, that wasn’t going to happen. Maybe the beast didn’t know what powers she possessed.

She almost stumbled at that thought. The Prince didn’t know at all what powers she could call upon. But what did it think she could do? Did he believe her to be a threat?

“I know it’s still a few hours before dawn, but could we go someplace where I can get something to eat first?”

“My lady, can you feel the sunrise through the walls?” The leader of her escort asked.

“Well yes, it’s not that unusual for someone who has a touch of power is it?”

“More than a bit of power.” Aislin overheard one of the guards behind her mumble.

“I’m sorry, Lady Aislin. The Prince has requested you to be brought directly to him. As he knew you would ask, he told me to inform you that the ritual must begin before the sunrise, and on an empty stomach.”

Aislin frowned. That didn’t make a bit of sense. All magic required power, even coming from an external source would tax the person casting it. Food gave extra energy and eating afterward helped replenish what was lost.

Perhaps the gnomes had orders to drag her out of bed, without being allowed to dress. Although walking around in a chemise didn’t disturb her, it might have caused others undue distress. Luckily, she had only dozed, getting out of bed hours before.

“No matter, I’m curious what the Prince has in store for me today.” Aislin realized she had spoken the truth.

As she and her escort continued down the long hallways, Aislin knew they were taking her beneath the castle. Even after waking up several flights of stairs, she knew their true direction never changed.

She imagined the strange hallways and corridors that happened to be another one of the castle’s defenses. Although Aislin believed she could find her way back to her room without help, the layout of the Keep would give any attacker a fit. Then again, an attacker would have to make it into the castle in the first place. That seemed unlikely.

Her journey appeared to come to an end as the group stepping into a small room covered with a mosaic of colored stones. Aislin smiled, noticing that the stones formed a great map of the realm.

The picture ran all along the walls, showing places she had never even read about. Mountains in the north, covered in ice and snow, and deserts far to the south. Even the ocean, made of small bluish-green stones covered part of a wall.

Smiling, Aislin quickly found her village and Lord Kelvin’s castle. How strange, why didn’t the map depict the lands during the reign of the Sorceress? As Aislin ran her hands over the Wyre forest, made of different colored green stones, she stopped.

The Prince now stood in the center of the room with a smile on his face, which quickly disappeared. The raven-haired beauty found it fascinating, the emotions that played across the beast’s face. First confusion, then anger, then what looked like genuine fear.

“Good morning to you, Aislin. I hope that you slept well.” The Prince gave a small bow before giving a murderous look at the guards, who all took a step back.

“On and off really, I was glad that my escort arrived when it did. I was getting a little bored.” The gnomes looked at Aislin for a moment but didn’t say anything. She saw no need for them to get into trouble on her account.

“I see.” The Prince walked up, reaching above her head to press his hand on a small stone in the center of the Wyre Forest. Behind her, an archway appeared.

“Follow me; we don’t have a lot of time before the sunrise, so we must complete the ritual before then.”

Noticing the guards had vanished, Aislin followed the Prince down a small flight of circular stairs. “What do you mean by a ritual?”

“The ritual that will allow you to become the mistress of the castle of course.”

Aislin stopped as the Prince entered a small round room, feeling as if she now stood directly in the center of the castle. However, what Aislin felt above all was power. The King’s Healer could feel it seeping into her bones.

Surprised at first that the power didn’t burst into the room above, Aislin discovered hundreds of wards covering the room. Layers, upon layers like an intricate spider web of power.

“What now?”

The creature smiled, now he would get his revenge. A mere mortal had dared to bind him as if he were a simple elemental.

Afterward, Liadan had even sealed him away in the black stone, knowing the havoc he would rain on the land when she vanished. The Prince still intended to do just that. Ironically, the form of his vengeance came out of the mouths of those who enslaved him.

The Prince understood Aislin and Liadan’s visions. Beyond the edge of existence, terrible darkness roamed, a destroyer of worlds. He would open a gateway to this world in which the darkness would pour out of and onto the land absorbing all magic, all life as if it were nothing more than a tasty meal.

Nothing would be left alive. Only Aislin stood in his way, a child who still had not shown any real power.

“You see the small golden circle in the center of the room. Just step on it, Aislin. If you are the mistress of the castle, we will know quickly enough. If not, then I will open another doorway, and you can make your way home.”

“So, if I fail, will you still continue your search?”

Aislin still doubted she would be leaving the room alive if she did not take control of the Keep. Something about the Prince had changed. The way he held himself, the way he talked as if he was ready to do battle. She knew it might just come down to that, but what could she do?

“I have no choice, however; I feel that you are the one that Liadan foretold.”

Nodding, Aislin took a deep breath then stepped upon the golden circle. Feeling nothing, she turned. “Doesn’t seem….”
The wards surrounding the room collapsed, falling upon themselves. Like a blanket, they wrapped themselves around Aislin. She could feel their warmth as if her mother held her close. Then suddenly, a lifetime of knowledge began to pour into her.

The Prince had waited for that very movement before he began to move. Aislin would never be more vulnerable. Although the beast didn’t exactly understand what magics were taking place, it knew that she wouldn’t be able to defend herself properly.

When the Prince found that it also couldn’t move, he began to howl. How had that troublesome mortal throughout all of the centuries understood what he would do given a chance? Could she have actually had a vision of his betrayal, ensnaring him in her trap as if he was a small animal?

Nevertheless, as powerful as her magics might have been, she wasn’t present, only the remains of her ancient magics kept him in place. If he could just force his way through the intricate web that surrounded him, he would still have a chance.

Unfortunately, as much as he struggled, the Prince still could not move. In fact, the more he fought, the more the trap tightened around him. Looking up, the powerful creature almost stumbled back in fear. A ghostly presence had wrapped its arms around Aislin, seemingly whispering in her ear.

“Liadan?”

The ghostly presence grinned before turning back to Aislin.

Impossible, the Prince continued to push at the webs, looking for a weak point. When released from his stone prison, he wondered why he and the others had not been set free upon Liadan’s death. As expected, the Black Sorceress had never truly died, a small part of her continued to live on inside the castle.

As the Prince struggled in front of her, Aislin tried to understand the information that poured into her but found it impossible. Only the loving presence holding her close kept her sane. As each wave of knowledge rolled over her body, she could feel something deep inside her change.

The Prince shield his eyes as Aislin’s clothes fell away, the ashes falling like snow as she began to burn with pure white light. Rising from the ground, still, in the arms of the ghostly presence, the human’s body began to change as well. Slowly she took the form that she should have taken in birth, a body that now radiated with its own power.

Growling, the Prince knew why he had never been able to feel her presence; some greater power had been protecting her. Who had cast such powerful magic? Only one other person should have been capable, and that one should belong centuries dead.

The creature howled, realizing that its plans were now thwarted.

Slowly Aislin could felt more like herself, but then again so unlike herself. She smiled, understanding what had just taken place. What a simple thing to feel complete.

As the web of magic fell away, so too did the warmth that protected her, but she could still feel its presence deep inside the Keep. With her mind now full of knowledge, Aislin was having difficulty sorting through it all. She felt like some giant puzzle with its parts scattered about in her mind. It would take some time to sort out the new knowledge from her own, but one piece she needed now.

As Aislin settled back to the ground, the Prince felt the troublesome bonds fall away. He understood that there would be no other chances for him to get his revenge, but standing before him was not the simple half-girl he brought into the room.

Garbed in a long white dress, the newly appointed Sorceress stood in the full blossom of womanhood oozed with power.

Looking at the Prince and said one word. “Submit.”

Thaumaturgists often wrote that the binding of a creature from the Spirit Realm only took a little magic. The summoning itself took much more. What it did take was the will of those involved.

Without the substantial protection of wards of power, many Thaumaturgists could simply not face the creatures in the spirit realm. If they failed, the elementals would usually kill the Summoner before returning home. Even the smallest of elementals posed a serious threat. No Thaumaturgists in their right mind would even think of summoning a creature such as the Prince.

Aislin did not have a protective ward, she simply had her own will, and it was formidable. No physical combat took place; the two simply stared at one another. It was over before the Prince could even force his will upon her.

He remembered well when Liadan summoned him from his home in the Spirit Realm, but this was different. Aislin attacked him with such overwhelming power that he could feel his very existence in danger.

Shaking, the Prince went down one knee, no longer able to look into those cold blue eyes.

“Mistress, how may I serve you?”