lying among those rose petals in the crypt, were all that remained of him. In the end, perhaps the only way to honor Wulfgar’s memory would be to honor his grieving widow’s desires.
Serena had searched Einar’s face with her piercing eyes. “TheEnseterat was your lord and my husband,” she had said quietly. “He was willing to risk all to honor the Heretics’ wishes. Shall I do less?”
“I understand,” Einar had answered. “When would you like to start?”
“Immediately,” she had answered. “Our enemies across the sea do not tarry. Neither shall we.” Her mood suddenly darkening, she looked sternly into his eyes. “But before we begin, I want you to take a solemn vow,” she said.
“Anything, Your Grace. You know that.”
“Should I die this night, promise me that you will continue with our work. To the death, if need be. TheJin’Sai must pay for his crimes.”
Einar had bowed slightly. “I promise,” he had answered, “even unto death.”
The cold sea wind brought her back to the present, and Serena looked around. From her place atop the wall she saw that the sea was even higher now and the clouds thicker, the wind stronger. Even the saucy gulls had scattered, their keen senses telling them that something ominous was brewing. It was time.
She had never felt more alive. Although she had nearly died the night before, the suffering she had endured to accept the formula into her blood had been worth the price. Aside from the mysteries of the craft, she was about to partly rule over the world’s most potent force. She would command nature herself. Even more, she would twist it to suit her needs, creating something never before seen in the world.
The queen of the Vagaries raised her arms. Calling on her new Forestallment, she began employing the craft.
The wind rose mightily, surpassing its earlier ferocity by far. Seawater violently splashed its way up from the shoreline to touch her mourning dress and her skin. Einar also found himself forced to call the craft, simply to avoid being blown off the wall’s guard path. White tentacles of lightning snaked wildly across the sky, their accompanying thunder booming in his ears.
Looking skyward, Serena raised and joined her hands. The dark clouds frantically converged. Raising her hands higher, she caused a single cloud to become even darker. As the wind howled and the lightning flashed, the giant cloud started to spin, whirling itself into a vortex that encompassed the entire nighttime sky.
Einar’s jaw dropped. The huge, spinning cloud was unlike anything he had ever seen. It was so dark and thick that it seemed to have real substance. Serena spread her fingers. A lightning bolt suddenly shot its way directly through the cloud’s center. The massive cloud started spewing rain with tremendous force. It fell heavily, like dripping candle wax might. When the droplets neared the earth they started changing shape, growing in size until they blotted out the night sky. As the first of the things formed, he looked on in wonder.
Each of the drops widened to become a slim, flat oblong. They reminded Einar of another of nature’s creatures, but he couldn’t place them. Then they widened farther at their sides. Slender, graceful tails grew from their rears.
When the first of them came to hover before its new mistress, Einar suddenly remembered. It looked like a deadly ocean ray he had once seen. Its life finally expired, it had washed up on the Citadel’s shoreline. This new being was similar in every respect, save for its larger size.
More of its fully realized brothers came to join it. One of them rose in the dark sky to reveal its underbelly. Although its topside was light gray like the fortress, its underside was of the darkest black, with small, scattered pinpricks of white.
Near its body’s top edge, a pair of glowing, dark eyes stared back confidently. There were no nostrils or mouth. It hovered before them gracefully, kept aloft by the outer edges of its smooth, undulating body. It was a beautiful, yet terrifying thing. As the rain continued to fall, more of them formed. Einar estimated that there must be tens of thousands of them.
Serena slowly lowered her hands. The dark cloud stopped spinning and vanished. The lightning and thunder slowly faded away to show a clear night sky, and the Sea of Whispers calmed. Their dark eyes glistening, the vast horde of beings Serena had created hovered quietly. Einar stepped closer to Serena. He placed his mouth near her ear.
“Permission to speak?” he whispered.
Serena nodded. “These beings are our servants. They will not harm us.”
Reaching out, she beckoned one closer. The edges of its body rippling gracefully, the amazing creature complied. Serena stretched forth one hand to stroke its velvety skin. The creature let go a sort of soft, cooing sound. Almost like a mother and child, Einar thought.
“What are they called?” he asked.
“The Heretics call them envelopers.”
“Envelopers,” Einar mused. “Why is that?”
Serna turned to him. “Did you bring the two Valrenkians I asked for?”
Einar nodded. “They wait in the corner guardhouse.”
“They are each expendable?”
“Yes. One is an old woman near death, and the other is a boy of feeble mind. Reznik has confirmed their uselessness.”
“Good,” she replied. “Bring them.”
Einar walked down the path toward the stone guard post. One such post sat wherever two or more fortress walls intersected. Employing the craft, he unlocked the squeaky door.
Inside, an old woman dressed in brown rags sat hunched over a table. A young boy with vacant eyes and uncontrolled drool running down his chin wandered aimlessly about the stark confines. His clothing was mostly red. Two consuls stood nearby, watching them. Einar gestured to the consuls.
“Bring them,” he ordered.
The consuls grabbed the woman and the boy, and started manhandling them toward the door. The old woman screamed, alarming the boy. As they struggled, Einar scowled at the consuls.
“Use the craft if you must!” he shouted. “Just get them outside!”
Soon the two captives became more compliant and started shuffling along. As the group neared, Serena held up one hand.
“That’s far enough,” she said. “You will soon understand why. Leave them there and return to me.”
Einar and the consuls did as they were told. Unsure of their fates, the woman and boy huddled together. As the boy started to cry, the woman smoothed his hair and spoke softly to him. Einar found the similarity striking.
Again, just like a mother and child, he thought.
Serena turned toward the nearest of her envelopers. “Go,” she said simply.
Widening its undulating wings, the enveloper streaked toward its victims. Its speed was amazing. It quickly wrapped its body around them. Then the screaming started.
Einar could see nothing of the woman or the boy, save for occasional glimpses of their boots. He guessed from their muffled screams that they must be struggling, but it was impossible to tell.
As the enveloper’s deadly embrace held them fast, Einar looked down at the victims’ feet again. Despite his years of experience with the craft, he felt himself becoming sick. Realizing that he should never show such weaknesses to Serena, he again called on the craft to help steady his legs.
Blood and other body fluids started running to the pathway. The two pairs of boots seemed to somehow lose their shape, and their tops slowly turned earthward. The enveloper finally released its grip. Einar watched as the woman’s and the boy’s stripped bones rattled to the walkway amid their wet clothing and flopped-over boots. Nothing else remained.
“Now you understand,” Serena said.
“What we just witnessed,” Einar breathed. “That is how they take their sustenance?”
“Yes,” Serena answered. Raising one hand, she bid her creation to join the others. The enveloper immediately obeyed.
“But surely we cannot feed so many,” Einar protested. “Despite your dislike for the Valrenkians, we still need them.”
“Yes,” Serena answered. “For the time being the envelopers will hunt the surrounding sea. But soon they will
