Sworn To Transfer

She hesitated and her grandfather continued for her, “All of the diagonal strikes resisted all of our forms of healing. It is as if the wound just fills with poison again when the healer is done.”

“When it first started, we feared hunters had entered the Ameles Forest and left their murdered victims to be found in the open field. But day after day more injured and dead have appeared with no reason from what we can tell. No portalway exists here, and this area is no more magical than any other.”

Stepping forward, Lord Mage Meres Kinsight asked, “Have any of the victims been able to tell you who attacked them?”

“They all come from different parts of the forest and the surrounding area. But all of their stories have the same two things in common: they were all taken unawares. None heard a sound or knew they were being watched until the moment they were attacked. And they were all tortured by a figure that they call ‘the shadow man.’”

“Who is this shadow man?” questioned Lord Mage Meres.

“We don’t know if it’s one person or a group of people,” said Alexandra with pain stretched across her face. “If we did know who was responsible, they would not still be in the land of the living.”

“Some of my people believe the shadow man was conjured by a mage,” the old man said. “A human mage of immense power.”

“Dark magic such as that has not been seen since the Initiate Wars,” pointed out Lady Vana. “Are you sure a mage is the cause?”

“We are sure of nothing except that our people are dying,” spit out Alexandra.

“Now that you have seen the killing fields,” said the old man solemnly, “what will you do about them?”

Finally Lord Mage Meres spoke. “May we speak with the survivors?”

Alexandra’s grandfather nodded.

Turning to his group, Meres said, “Vana, Ciardis, and Alexandra, we shall split up and converse with the fallen here. Understand their stories, see if we can find out more about the shadow man, and, most importantly, see if any residual magic lingers from the attacks.”

Julius said angrily, “You don’t think we’ve done that already?”

“It cannot hurt to have a second set of eyes,” said Lord Meres.

“Let them,” commanded the old man.

As Vana, Ciardis and Alexandra walked among the victims they each spread out to cover a different section. At first Ciardis was hesitant. She’d never dealt with victims of war before. Everyone she saw had some kind of wound marring their bodies and all had grief-stricken eyes. It was enough to send her running from the area. But she mustered her courage. If they could survive such brutal attacks the least she could do was speak to them, hear their stories and perhaps help them with their grief in a small way.

As hours passed Ciardis spoke with dozens of individuals from griffins to cardiara to sylphs, but the one that struck her most was the tiny merchild lying listlessly in a pool of water. She looked down into the face of a young girl who had lost everything—her memories, her passions, herself. Her eyes were vacant even though her body responded. The healer who cared for her said, “She was attacked so brutally that she retreated inside herself. We believe she saw her family die, as well. She’s been like this since we found her in the river.”

As the noon sun faded, Lord Meres took note of all of their stories. Ciardis and Meres walked away from the grounds and along a small path. He asked her to expand on her visit with the mergirl she had seen.

“That’s the only one of an aquatic nature that I’ve noted,” Lord Kinsight said.

“Is that significant?”

“I don’t know,” he said, heaving an irritated sigh. “I wish I did. There are just too many unknowns about these incidents. But if we knew why the mergirl was the only one attacked in the water, perhaps we could postulate on the limitations of the creature or person attacking the others...this shadow man.”

“But with her unable to answer questions...”

“We can’t even do that,” he said. “But I will still alert Imperials authorities in Sandrin of what has been found so far.”

Ciardis nodded and prepared to walk back.

“Ciardis...” Meres Kinsight said hesitantly. “There’s one other thing.”

She stopped and turned to look at him, hearing the uncertainty in his voice.

Shifting on his feet in obvious unease, he nevertheless looked her straight in the eye as he said, “As you know, a few months back I was ill. I’m better now, but at the time I withdrew my petition to act as your Patron.”

Ciardis was surprised this was what he wanted to talk about, and a little uneasy. She wasn’t looking for a new Patron.

Hastily, he added, “And I don’t want to renew that interest.”

At her raised eyebrows, he amended, “Not that you aren’t lovely. I’m just...not in a place in which I can assume those responsibilities now.”

Ciardis face twitched in amusement, but she kept her composure.

“Of course, Milord,” she murmured soothingly.

He cleared his throat. “Very well. I’m glad we were able to speak about this.”

They were joining the others when the patriarch of the Panen – Julius and Alexandra’s grandfather – caught up to them.

With a heavy sigh, he said, “There is one other thing you must see.”

Vana raised her eyebrows in question. “More death?”

“Not precisely,” he said with a gaze that could read souls. “But it is just as important to the forest and the people.”

“Grandfather, do you mean at the center?” said Alexandra.

“Yes,” he said while coughing, “If there’s any chance that a journey there will help kith survive we must allow them to go there.”

“Very well,” said Julius, “We will escort them.”

Vana muttered to Meres, “Do you know what center they’re talking about?”

“No,” he whispered back with a furrowed brow.

“Perhaps it’s best you tell us more about what you want us to see first,” Meres said aloud.

Alexandra and Julius exchanged hard glances.

“It might be best for you to see for yourself rather than have us explain it. But know it is important to the pact,” Julius replied.

“If we are going we must do so quickly before the day passes anymore. It’s a long walk,” said Alexandra.

At Ciardis’s hesitant look, Alexandra said, “Terris will receive the best care in the healer’s center. What she needs is rest and quiet. You can provide that by coming with us.”

Ciardis nodded, “I’m ready then.”

They gathering their hiking attire and followed Alexandra into the forest.

After a short while Ciardis fell back to walk beside Meres. “What pact?” she asked him.

“The bond between the Imperial family and the Ameles Forest is among the strongest natural bonds in the entire empire,” Meres responded, pushing past heavy vegetation. “Each time a descendant is born—”

“They receive a piece of land and imbue it with their powers and care for it for eternity, yada, yada, yada,” said Ciardis with an eye roll.

A smirk crossed Mere’s face. “So you’ve heard of the bond? Not surprising, you being the Prince Heir’s Companion.”

“I’m not his Companion,” said Ciardis. “I’m just a trainee assigned to the Prince Heir’s service.”

“Assigned by who?”

“Myself, for now.”

Meres’s snort of disbelief was audible, but Ciardis chose to ignore it. She looked ahead to glimpse the others, who had ranged quite a distance in front of them. Vana had paused and bent down to examine a beautiful flower with wide, thick pink petals as large as Ciardis’s waist. As they caught up to her, Ciardis caught her first